What Did You Impression Today?

[billdeserthills]

I unsuccessfully attempted this Yale today, does that count? I'm unsure of the keyway so used a Y4 I had on hand. I got a ways into it and the marks just stopped appearing. This is my first attempt to impression...

First problem I see is if you look at the padlock keyway, you can see the first pin is likely a zero cut,
since you can also see the top pin resting on top of it...

[femurat]

I impressioned a Sargent Keso padlock. Twice.
More info and pictures on its own thread viewtopic.php?f=52&t=65189

Cheers

[jeffmoss26]

here is one from a week or so ago at work:

[GWiens2001]

Essentially, zero bitted.

Gordon

[jwrm22]

I impressioned a Sargent Keso padlock. Twice.
More info and pictures on its own thread viewtopic.php?f=52&t=65189

Cheers

I quite like you are using my handle.

[femurat]

I'm happy I bought it. It's a lot different from using pliers, and a little different from my wooden one. The things I like are the stronger screws that better hold the blank, and the long side screw, that helps rotating the tool to keep pressure on the pins while jiggling.

Cheers

[globallockytoo]

So am I correct in these competitions that the competitors are given the same type of cylinder with the same bitting?

As a locksmith it would be so nice to need to impression new locks, we always get locks that have been soaked in oil, filled with a mixture of sand, mud and graphite with one ore more broken springs and worn pins and a keyway with all the warding worn away. Same with picking locks, we hardly ever get a nice pristine lock. As an added bonus it usually is raining, screaming kids and know-it-all dad over your shoulder.

Perhaps I should start my own competition with these factors thrown in.

On the back of your business card print:

If you watch, $25 extra.
If you try yourself before me $50 extra
If you tell me what to do $75 extra
If you constantly interrupt me $200 extra.

Then hand them the card with the back face uo first.

[billdeserthills]

So am I correct in these competitions that the competitors are given the same type of cylinder with the same bitting?

As a locksmith it would be so nice to need to impression new locks, we always get locks that have been soaked in oil, filled with a mixture of sand, mud and graphite with one ore more broken springs and worn pins and a keyway with all the warding worn away. Same with picking locks, we hardly ever get a nice pristine lock. As an added bonus it usually is raining, screaming kids and know-it-all dad over your shoulder.

Perhaps I should start my own competition with these factors thrown in.

On the back of your business card print:

If you watch, $25 extra.
If you try yourself before me $50 extra
If you tell me what to do $75 extra
If you constantly interrupt me $200 extra.

Then hand them the card with the back face uo first.

I always tell folks "if they wanna help me it costs extra"--some people will follow me around, best I can do is to keep them out of my van while I'm working

[femurat]

I bought an old CISA padlock without keys, and decided to make a key for it. After some time I had all the 5 positions on the key almost completely filed. I was going to give up, because I thought I filed too much. So I sorta cheated and picked the lock to see the bittings. To my surprise the pins felt more or less the same length. Since I was almost there I continued impressioning and here is the working key! I decoded it with the nice LockCon 2018 necklace, that is meant for Abus but should work with CISA too, the bittings should be 76776.

Cheers

[technosasquatch]

1 of 3 all brass Herculock padlocks I picked up a few years ago. Now only 1 of the 3 is left to fit a key to, just need some 1071m blanks.

[jeffmoss26]

I have blanks, any company logo or name on the other side? I collect WB and Hercules.

[technosasquatch]

I have blanks, any company logo or name on the other side? I collect WB and Hercules.

All three are blank besides the Herculock logo and model number.

[skygear]

Cut a bunch of SC1 (C) and SC20 (L) to depth, then polished them all.

[GWiens2001]

Made a key to an S&G Environmental railroad lock.



Yeah, I made the BEST key I could in the time available.

Gordon

[petemoss]

Impressioned my first "key" today.

I had been trying to find material to use to make a key for a warded padlock. I though a cut off piece of fishtape was going to work, but it wasn't wide enough and was very hard to file.

Today, while at The Home Depot, I ran across a thin bar of aluminum stock that seemed like it might fit well. It seemed like it would file easily as well. It turned out that the thickness was about perfect, but it was too wide. A little hacksawing, grinding, filing, etc., and I finally got in. The hardest part was creating the lengthwise groove so that it would fit in the hole. It's not beautiful and it is a little creaky, but it seems to work. The aluminum is very soft and will twist up if you put too much pressure on it.



-Petemoss