How I impression an American 5200 Lock -Pictures

[WolfSpring]

This is going(editing) to be a slow growing post as I do this I have crappy internet and am working out in Iraq so doing this gets regularly interupted, but heres the start. I am also planning on doing a video but don't hold your breath. And please feel free to correct me add pointers to my way of doing it, i've only been doing this 2 weeks and have only impressioned 8 locks.

Tools I use:

1. Key holder(will post picture of all tools when complete)

KeyHolder by xpakratx, on Flickr
2. Vice

Vise by xpakratx, on Flickr
3. Fine swiss cut round file

CIMG1038 by xpakratx, on Flickr
4. Head magnification unit, though I dont' always use this, it's very helpful.
5. Depth gauge for measuring the key depth. You don't need this at all, but it helps me learn as I go, I don't usually use it till i'm done, or till I'm not marking anymore and I want to make a copy of the key.

Prepare the key by filing the dull coating till it's a solid smoothness, (this is not needed but very VERY helpful) do not file it to a knife point, that is only when doing wafer locks from what I understand.

Step 1: Secure your key in your key holder(vice grips can be used, but advised against by many) and your lock in your vice(i slant the head so that the keyway is straight up so that the up and down wiggling is not sideways)

Step 2: in sert the key and turn as in opening the lock, it is important not to put to much pressure, just till the key stops.

Step 3: Wiggle the key up and down, no sideways motion what so ever, some have said vigorously, some have said gently I just wiggle a little and experience has given me what i need.

Step 4: remove key find marks on key and file them down smoothly centering the tip of you file on the mark and file straght accros parralel to the groud I usually do 3 or 4 full strokes of the file, this is again something yuo will learn from experience. NOTE: Do not let youf cuts get any lower then 45 degres from each edge to the bottom a U or V can be cut but if it is smaller then 45ish your pins will stick also as you go file down the points left over so they are not smaller than 45(this was read in a book, the exact degree i have found is guess work)

Return to step 1 and continue until the key stops marking or the lock opens, if the key does not mark take a tooth brush stiff britstle and wipe off any dirt from the lock re mark it look at the look at many angles and use magnification and better lighting.

you can also cheat on this lock and pick it open, pull out the cylindar and put the key in the cylindar with it in the postion to change the key pins out and see where you need to file. I did this a lot on my first few while I was learning. I will try to post pics as I go now:

1st Pass:

1st pass by xpakratx, on Flickr

2nd Pass after the 1st cut:

2ndPass by xpakratx, on Flickr

Now at this poing I have all five pins marking, you could file down a whole key depth, or do like i do and only go anough to notice. I do this just in case, the file slips your eyes saw soemthing that wasn't really a mark, just in case.

2nd Cut

2ndCut by xpakratx, on Flickr

3rd Pass-Lighting is bad camera is bad, middle one hard to see at this angle.

3rdPassEdit by xpakratx, on Flickr

4th Pass- One really good mark here, there are two others but the camera angle is straight crap but basically you keep doing this over and over until you have a key.

4thPass by xpakratx, on Flickr

If you notice here your marks and cuts will not start out straight with the plug where you'd think the pins would mark:

Key2Plug by xpakratx, on Flickr

Here is a working key for the same lock i am making one for now, notice it does not have to be pretty to work. I am still new at this and learning but the key I'm making now is lineing up just like the first one I did for this lock.:

key2key by xpakratx, on Flickr

Due to the amount of patience i use and the slowness it takes me and the fact I take 40 pictures to get one that is good I am not going to post more pictures. You see the finished key and the way the new key is going.

Thinkgs to worry about:

1. Patience - can never be to patient when you are learning
2. Practice - Nough said!
3. Don't worry about breaking a key, overfileing, not getting it right away, thats where 1 and 2 come back.
4. You will make mistakes, it's a fact, learn from them
5. Overfiling is common in begginers, learn how far your file cuts with one full stroke at a certian amount of force behind it.

I bought a bag of 25 key blanks impressioned/keyed 8 locks total of 11 keys and I have 9 blanks from that bag left so I've broken or overfiled 5 out of this bag and probably a couple more loose one's I had.

Again I'm not that great at it, but a lot of people have told me that a 5200 is a hard lock to learn to impression and considering it's the only type of lock I've impressioned I think I'm doing good and still a begginer but others can learn from me.

My messed up camera, half the screen is smashed thats why my shots suck.

Broken Camera by xpakratx, on Flickr

[Poff]

It seems like there would be an advantage to starting out with a blank that is cut to the shallowest depth on every cut? This would give you the spacing for filing.

[Theist17]

This is a fantastic guide you've got here, WolfSpring.

Poff, I agree with what you're saying, but only if there's sufficient time to do what you're suggesting. If one is looking to do a quicker job, then just filing each one individually seems more expedient.

[raimundo]

put a bit of black magic marker on the shoulder of that key and watch that shoulder for any impressions that occur from bumping the shoulder against the hardened drill breaker that protects the keyway.

for master locks, I cut down the shoulder, its been a few years since I impressioned any american locks but these locks with a cylinder loosely contained under a lamination or drill breaker, can simply flop around inside the lock body while some of the bumping and binding is mitigated by whatever part of that action is simply buried in the shoulder and cap lamination

[WolfSpring]

Thanks for the feedback and tips. I also forgot to mention that when I can't find a mark I use the pull out method while wiggling you pull out ever so slightly, i think it was noted as 1/16th of an inch, but I just pull a little and while wiggleing will make a kinda drag mark that you can see better.

Raimundo, thank you for the tips as always you have great things to add to anyone's toold box, I will have to give this a try the next time I do a key. I'm salivating over my next class from FB coming I get to impression a warded lock, which I'm thinking won't be any problems at all for me.

I am planning on doing a video soon, considering doing it in chunks, only showing the wiggling method once, show the filing once then showing the marks, and as it goes maybe PIP a photo of the marks I found and the depths as I cut them, but I need a tripod and time, this 12 on 12 off 7 days a week is killing me, any free time I do have is spent PS3 with my girls back home.

[Sirtank11]

Very cool pictures and a great how too. i've impressioned a bunch of locks but never a American padlock.
i'll have to try that at work tomorrow.

Thanks for the post keep up the good work!

Tank

[dmux]

What brand/kind of file is that? I have been trying to find some good quality files.

[WolfSpring]

Grobet+Vallorbe got it from lockpicks.com

[dmux]

Ok thanks.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

You can always judge your impressioning skills using a Master or American padlock. If you can turn the cylinder to the left and right with your key, you're spot on. If not, the key will only turn in one direction. I learned this in one of my first locksmithing classes at ALOA. Not exactly sure why, possibly because of the tolerances, but I've witnessed it first hand and it's something that the instructors stressed. Often times, the padlock will be designed in such a way that the key will only turn in one direction, to unlock for example, but with the cylinder out of the padlock, you can really judge your accuracy.

A lot of people will reccommend you start out using wafer locks to learn impressioning but Master padlocks are excellent locks to start with as well. American padlocks often contain serrated top pins so they can be a bit trickier.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

Hate to double post but I'd figure I'd add one more piece of advice for anyone that may be learning about impressioning: if you don't see marks, don't file. That is the single biggest piece of information that I tell people new to impressioning and it's something I always have to remind myself when impressioning. It's tempting to file away at the key to establish spacing, but often times that can be detrimental.

Practice makes perfect. Excellent guide. I hope everyone gives impressioning a shot. Opening your first lock with a key you've made with nothing more than a file, a key blank, and skill is truly rewarding. It's analogous to picking your first lock, in my opinion.

[WolfSpring]

[quote="Confederate"] Often times, the padlock will be designed in such a way that the key will only turn in one direction, to unlock for example, but with the cylinder out of the padlock, you can really judge your accuracy.
quote]


I'm still new at this, but I've found this to be true in both impressioning and key copying, I copied a set of keys in a cheap machine and they only turned in one direction, what i fong was the cuts to be angled and not straight accros, they were angled downward because the machine did not grip the keys flat I hat to shim them. Common sense sais if this is the case on copying a key and the angles only allowed the key to only turn in one direction we can figure out that a likely cause of a bad impression only turning one way would be to not have filed straight accross. I have had that problem, weather it be to laziness or not paying attention as you file. Just make sure you keep the file as level as can be for your cuts, patience, just becasue Jos Weyers can do a key in under 2 mins on youtube does not mean you have to shoot for that goal right away. I'm still taking 20 mins minimum on impressioning a key for a padlock right now. But I havn't over filed or broke a key in a while now.

Thanks for the adding some great information on this Confederate.

[mrlocks]

Nice guide and good instructions - it helps a lot - great work

[stratmando]

Does anyone make "Impressioning Keys"?
A Key where the blade is narrower, and Lines perpindicular to the biting.

[Dpruente]

Not that i've seen stratmando. You can file or grind the blades on blanks thinner.