Driver length

[Krypos]

does the length of a driver pin affect the working order of a lock? i cant imagine it would do much cept for changing the springs effectiveness.

i have a bunch of pins and springs (not a lot, but enough for now) and im working on pinning a few locks to practice picking, etc, but im wondering if i have one driver thats longer or shorter or if they are all different lengths does it matter?

only thing i can think is it then matters how long the springs are. but other than that, they dont interact with the key, so i dont know how it could change anything.

any insight guys?

[unbreakable]

All I know is that you generally try to pair up short drivers with tall bottom pins, and tall drivers with short bottom pins......

I know in some locks all of the drivers are the same lenghth.

Thats about all I know on the matter

[Krypos]

aye, usually when i open a lock the drivers are all the same, but when i opened the locks im working on, i mixed them all for the sake of they were all in dire need of cleaning, so i put them together.

[Raccoon]

Follow the specifications of your given lock. Most residential locks in the US utilize the same size driver pin, and it is usually 0.160". Every pinning chart will give you the necessary drivers for the given depths.

[Krypos]

Follow the specifications of your given lock. Most residential locks in the US utilize the same size driver pin, and it is usually 0.160". Every pinning chart will give you the necessary drivers for the given depths.

hahaha. thats the funniest thing i have heard all week!

i dont have pinning charts. there are no specifications. they're not from this side of the us. i have like 7 different pinsets mixed together.

thanks for the suggestion though.

[pinsetter]

When you're pinning locks to practice with you can do about anything you want with the driver pins as long as you watch what you're doing.

You need to make sure of these two things when you're combinating pin stacks:

You must make sure that the driver length is long enough to protrude from the plug when paired with the key pin. This prevents the springs from entering the plug.

You also must make sure that the driver is not so long that it completely compresses the spring or cannot completely enter the cylinder shell when it is lifted completely.

Generally when I repin a cylinder I like to make sure the driver pins are protruding from the plug at least 1/16" when no key is inserted.