make your own cut-away cylinder?

[gr00ve]

i took out the lock cylinder from a cheap masterlock i have. i got the whole thing out intact no problem.. my goal was to turn it into a cut-away cylinder so i can see the pins binding/setting etc. is this possible to do? its a standard 4 pin lock

any help would be appreciated

-Chris

[ToolyMcgee]

Yes, it's possible. It would look something like THIS
If you were facing the lock keyway, then I would suggest making the cuts on the left side. You should save yourself the trouble though and do a cutaway of a bigger lock, because aside from the novelty it's pretty much worthless unless you are really stuck on Master locks.

Tools:Dremel(cutaway disc), needlefiles.

[gr00ve]

hmm, the lock is in the garbage. the actual cylinder is all enclosed, did you cut away part of it to see the pins? or does it just look like that normally? i think i can salvage the lock if need be. i just did it today

[ToolyMcgee]

....... Seriously? Yes, I had to cutaway parts of the cylinder to make it a cutaway lock.

The plug is crimped in to the cylinder, so if you line up that crimp with the bottom of the keyway you should be able to pop the plug out. Just don't let all the pins and springs jump all over the place.

I used a dremel to cut the slots in the cylinder and plug seperately, and each time tried to make sure they were lined up. Then used a needle flat file to clean up the edges. Don't throw the lock body away. How are you planning to hold onto the tiny cylinder to pick it without something like a lock body to house it, or did you totally hack it to bits?

You should seach lock cutaways and get a better idea of what you are doing before you attempt anything.

[gr00ve]

hah yes i was serious. it just looked so well done i didnt know it was hand made by you

[ToolyMcgee]

hah yes i was serious. it just looked so well done i didnt know it was hand made by you

Thanks. I tried to rush the job with my battery powered rotary tool, so it isn't crap compared to some of the milled ones I've seen. I really havn't even ever used it, so I gave it to my brother to learn on. I made a kwikset one too, but I don't know where I put it. It was cool for learning spools at first, but it's the least used of all my practice locks by far. I havn't used it for months, and that's why it's lost... It's really more of a fun project than it is a great learning tool. The ability to see inside the lock is more of a distraction than anything else. Hope you have better luck with it.

[gr00ve]

haha ok thanks tooly