Rekeying Gatehouse/Schlage deadbolt?

[geekyguy83]

I was shopping around for a deadbolt to practice with and was wondering if anyone knows whether a "Gatehouse Stainless Steel Residential Double-Cylinder Deadbolt " is easy to re-pin.

Link to the lock: http://www.lowes.com/pd_118006-48290-91190-020_4294856685+4294965789+5003696_4294937087_?productId=3063147&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_quantity_sold|1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_10%2B15_4294856685%2B4294965789%2B5003696_4294937087_%3FNs%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_quantity_sold|1&facetInfo=Deadbolt|$10%20-$15

[geekyguy83]

sorry that was my mistake, I read something to suggest it was schlage, Gatehouse is just a Lowes brand lock.

[MacGnG1]

looks like it's a lowe's brand kwikset. yes that is a great price for a double deadbolt kwikset. i see you read my response from your other thread .

get it, keep one side keyed to the keys it came with and then with the other side you can do DB's beginner's exercise.

HAVE FUN

[geekyguy83]

Well, re-keying a lock for the first time was an... interesting experience...

Started off not having a clue how to get the core out of the lock. It took a while before I realized there was a part that just slides off that prevents it from moving.

So I got the core moving and stuck in my plug follower. That didn't turn out quite as I would have hoped and all the top pins fell out.

After about an hour I got them (and the plug follower) all back in.

So I tried sticking the core back in. It got stuck. After a few minutes I realized there was a metal piece I had taken off the back of the core which caused there to be a bump preventing it from sliding in. So I fixed that up with electrical tape (which I now love) and it slid in. I stuck the spacer back on the back to lock it in place, and I was done.

Total time: 2.5 hours

Now that I know how to do it, it's actually not all that bad.

[MacGnG1]

LOL! yeah it might take a bit to figure it all out. but its easy once ya do it!
plus after you take a lock apart it all kinda makes more sense

[geekyguy83]

So this particular lock didn't have any security pins in it. If I wanted to get some would I be able to just go up to the re-keying counter in lowers and ask for some, or would I just need to go find another deadbolt that does?

[Gapper402]

Thanks for posting this, I just ordered a kwikset double cylinder to do this with and I'm going to try and learn from your experince .

get it, keep one side keyed to the keys it came with and then with the other side you can do DB's beginner's exercise.

Have you tried this yet? I'm curious about all this but waiting on that order Let me know how it goes!

[geekyguy83]

Well, I'm working my way through the first two parts of DB's exercise. Part 1 was incredibly helpful. Picking a lock with 1 pin showed how little tension you actually need to bind pins. After going through that part I realized I had been applying a lot more tension than I actually needed. Working on part 2 right now

[geekyguy83]

Also, something you might want to consider when rekeying your lock.

ALWAYS remember to turn the cylinder before you remove it, especially if it doesn't have a pin in every slot. If there are empty slots when you try to remove it, and the keyway is still aligned, the springs will shoot down into the empty slots and its a pain to get the cylinder our without damaging the springs.

One of my poor lock's springs is slightly bent now cause I didn't turn the cylinder

[geekyguy83]

Another thing I found the hard way was that you shouldn't attempt to rekey a lock when it is held in a vice. If any of the top springs shoot out, you're going to lose a pin. (I found it after a few minutes of panicking )

[MacGnG1]

ah the panic that sets in one millisecond after you feel a pin or spring fly out of the lock

[Eyes_Only]

So this particular lock didn't have any security pins in it. If I wanted to get some would I be able to just go up to the re-keying counter in lowers and ask for some, or would I just need to go find another deadbolt that does?

Depending on where you live it might be worth a shot at asking. Some hardware stores will sell pins. You can buy a Schlage (the original non-SecureKey version) or a Kwikset Titan deadbolt cos they have security pins. But if you're really into this, I'd recommend the LAB high security pin kit like this one, http://www.lockpickshop.com/LMDSEC.html

That's the kit I have and I'm very satisfied with it so far. It'll make some boring locks much more fun and interesting.

[Elz]

So this particular lock didn't have any security pins in it. If I wanted to get some would I be able to just go up to the re-keying counter in lowers and ask for some, or would I just need to go find another deadbolt that does?

Depending on where you live it might be worth a shot at asking. Some hardware stores will sell pins. You can buy a Schlage (the original non-SecureKey version) or a Kwikset Titan deadbolt cos they have security pins. But if you're really into this, I'd recommend the LAB high security pin kit like this one, http://www.lockpickshop.com/LMDSEC.html

That's the kit I have and I'm very satisfied with it so far. It'll make some boring locks much more fun and interesting.

Wow, great link Eyes.. My kit is on the way!

[geekyguy83]

So, I learned a few things today while I was out shopping. I went back to Lowe's to see if they would give me any security pins. So I ask the guy there if he has any. He didn't know what a security pin was *sigh*. Eventually I drew him a picture and he understood. Apparently, the only time they see top pins is when they screw up while re-keying.

So on to the actual locks I looked through. The Lowe's brand Gatehouse locks don't have any security pins unfortunately (They are bottom of the line deadbolts, although people apparently think they protect their houses. You get what you pay for when you buy a deadbolt for $13...). The next set of locks they had were Kwikset locks. Unfortunately they were either smartkey locks or basic locks without security pins. Next to the Kwikset locks were Shlage. They had security pins but are a little above my budget unfortunately.

So Lowe's wasn't much help (Although I did get a few files, a pair of safety glasses and a few key blanks. Impressioning here I come ). So I went over to Walmart to see what they had in terms of deadbolts. They were much more helpful and I found a brinks security double cylinder deadbolt for $17. It was very easy to take apart and the piece on the back that prevents the core from coming out simply screws off. Inside the actual lock there were 2 spool pins and 3 normal top pins.

So I tried picking some of the spool pins. It was pretty interesting. I read elsewhere to put very light tension and let the cylinder turn back slightly as you press down the spool. It worked better than I expected.

So a busy day overall, but I got quite a bit done .

[Eyes_Only]

Oops, yeah I totally forgot that Brinks have spool pins in them. But I think starting off with that lock when trying to learn how to handle security pins is easier than starting with a Schlage.

And ditto on the feelings of disappointments. When I got a firm understanding of how locks work and got pretty confident in being able to open them my view of the world changed a little bit. It really is shocking how simple and even low quality most of the locks in use today are.