Where could I get replacement American Lock pins?

[ChemicalRobot]

Long story short, I removed pins from my American Lock so 1105 so I can learn to pick it in a step-by-step fashion. I'm up to 3 pins effectively and when I went to re-add the 4th pin stack, I realized that I had lost them, even the spring.

Does anybody know a place where I could purchase replacements cheaply?

[Unsightly Picks]

You could wander into a lockshop and ask if they have any pins you could salvage, but i wouldnt rate your odds as excellent. And as far as buying online, you would have to buy through a supplier and likely buy hundreds, overall it would probably be cheaper to replace the lock if your local shop doesnt have any that fit. On another note, i have swapped different brands of pins into different locks and it doesnt always work, depends on the tolerances and style, but it would be worth your time to try it.

[loki-aka]

I believe you can use Master pins as they are the same sizes as American. Only their respective pin numbering schemes are different.

If you are going to do a lot of repinnings, hi-low bittings etc. consider a repin kit.

PM me for details if you care to.

Loki-aka

[thelockpickkid]

ChemicalRobot, go to town and get some from a shop, go to the shop on Lancaster though, Clydes near the Marion Bridge, is very anal about picking locks and will automatically assume your a bad guy, he probably won't sell you any pins either, and if they did, would be very expensive, thats just how they roll. Any questions, P.M. me. Also, depending on what pins, I do have some, and some extra cylinders, and I may be out your direction in a while.

[Eyes_Only]

I believe you can use Master pins as they are the same sizes as American. Only their respective pin numbering schemes are different.

If you are going to do a lot of repinnings, hi-low bittings etc. consider a repin kit.

PM me for details if you care to.

Loki-aka

Can't afford it now but I always wondered about that. Cos Master Lock pinning kits are pretty easy to come by for me but I could never find a American Lock pinning kit except from a official locksmith supply company like HL Flake. Are the pins in these two brand really interchangeable?

[Raymond]

The master and American are the same basic dimensions. However, Master used no sporated or spools in common locks. There are spools in the higher end lock pin kits. Master numbers from 0 to 7 and American numbers from 1 to 8. Ex: a red Master #2 is an American #3.

As far as getting pins, walk into all of your local lock shops and get to know them. You might just catch them in a good mood some day and be surprised.

I you still can't get any pins, PM me.

[globallockytoo]

I think I might have an American Lock pinning kit somewhere. Never used it. Would have to dig to find it, but you are welcome to some pins if you want. PM me your address and what you need. I'll hunt the kit down (might take a few days).

[lock2006]

Or you just can get another used American Lock with no keys
on ebay or your local locksmith shop, very cheap pick it open and get the pins you need
hope this helps.

[ChemicalRobot]

Thank you for all of the great solutions, everyone!

[gilduran]

I know this is an old post, but thought I would dredge it up to ask another question on this same subject.

Someone mentioned a high-end repin kit that comes with the security pins for Master locks. Where would you find such a kit? I tried doing a few internet searches and the kits that contained the spool/serrated spins didn't mention pin dimensions, or that they would work with American or Master locks.

I've got a few American and Master locks that i'd like to start re-pinning so I can make them a little more challenging, and increase my skill level.

Thanks in advance,

G

[criminalhate]

Check with a locksmith supplier or check master's / american's websites.

[shadow11612]

Just to ramble.

Pin diameters fall into a couple of categories. Standard door locks (KwikSet, Schlage, Sargent, Weiser) are .115 in diameter. Master and American padlocks (and a lot of other cloned hardware store locks) have pins of .093 diameter. Abus is a weird one with .095 pins.

You can order most of the 1000 series (1100, 1200, etc.) locks with a Master Lock Cylinder, from American Lock themselves. American Lock even has a line of locks that you can have cylinders installed that will accept your housekey, like KwikSet, Schlage, etc.

There are other diameter pins out there such as .108 for Interchangable Cores and .101 for a lot of cabinet locks.

The only difference in a manufacture specific "Pin Kit" is the length of the pins, be it the top, bottom, or master pins and possibly the springs. Yes some kits will have Security pins in it.

For Master locks you have 8 bottom pins, 7 master pins, and two top pins. American is the same, but only has one top pin and it is either spool or serrated. Like Raymond stated a Master #0 would be an American #1, a Master #1 would be a American #2, and so on.

To finish rambling, and to finally answer your question. Find a bunch of old Master and American Locks, bust them open and use the pins.

[mtcrowe]

Master Lock pins will work with American Lock cylinders. I had to do a masterkey job for a boat storage place that used American Lock puck locks. I didn't want to buy a new pinning kit for one job, so i tried to use my Master Lock padlock pinning kick (291), and it worked great. I just had to file a couple sizes that didn't want to line up on the shear line just right.