Fast Impressioning - Can this work?

[Ermis]

Well, my knowledge of impressioning is still somewhat limited, but I'm wondering if this would work. If I want to impression a key for a lock, I pull up the key bitting specs for the key, and see that it has 6 possible depths for each pin. I then proceed to make 6 keys, 111111, 222222, 333333.... 666666. I put each into the lock, and look for marks. If a pin makes a mark on the 1 & 2 key, but not on the 3 key, that means it's at height 2. If another pin makes a mark on the 1-5 keys, but not on the 6 key, it's a 5. Would this work? Or would all pins mark all keys? Would I have to do it pin-by-pin and not all at once? Thanks, and I apologize if this info was already posted somewhere else on here, I tried searching but came up empty...

I did not read the entire thread but i noticed a problem with your theory.
Theoretically speaking if you see a mark on space #1 on Key #1 and Key #2 but not on key #3 then the depth would be a 3 not 2 like you mentioned. When you see a mark you file down until you don't get any more marks, so if there is a mark on #2 depth you need to go one deeper. If you have marks on a depth #4 and #5 but not #6 then the depth of that cut will be #6.

[Ermis]

also i did not mention you will be binding top pins between the sheer line and they could give you ghost marks on your keys. this happens when you file to deep, on certain locks you can file forever and have lost your chance of making a key 15 strikes ago.
you will be better off putting a blank through a code cutter and cutting the minimal depth across the key to shave the space distances into the blank, this will help you identify where you file. Also if you file one edge of top of the blade at a diagnol it will act like an edge for the pins to mark instead of the top of the blade where the cuts are. this is a cheap trick to speed things up.
You will be better off using these techniques and learning how to impression with 1 blank. it's more efficient, fast, easy and it won't confuse you. i can imagine impressioning using your theory and staring at 4 depth keys of progress in my hand and my cell rings, i answer then i look back when i'm done on the phone and i'm staring at the 4 depth keys wondering "oh no, which one was the first cut".

[sk337]

Theoretically speaking if you see a mark on space #1 on Key #1 and Key #2 but not on key #3 then the depth would be a 3 not 2 like you mentioned.

Yeah, you're right, that's what I meant to say, I just got it slightly confused in my head when I was typing.

You will be better off using these techniques and learning how to impression with 1 blank. it's more efficient, fast, easy and it won't confuse you.

Yeah, that's probably correct. The main advantage to this method, however, (if it worked) would be that you could precut keys on a code cutter, and there would be a lot less cutting or filing involved.

[Ermis]

i don't think it would be as accurate with that method, pins sometimes don't properly bind all the time, so with this method i could picture it not working very often.