How to tell what lock you have

[cybergeek]

Hi guys I'm new to this forum so I like to say hi to everyone. I had a question about how to tell what make of lock you have on your door. I just bought a weiser rekeying kit but I don't know if I have weiser locks on my door so I was wondering if someone can tell me how to tell.

[barbarian]

The shape of the key or keyway is usually enough. Do you have a clear picture ?

Another way might be go to the store where you got the kit and ask them if they have a key blank to cut your key on. Then get the number of the blank. Look for something like KW1 or SC1.

[Solomon]

Doesn't the lock/key have a logo on it? What made you buy a weiser rekeying kit if you didn't know what brand your lock was anyway?

[freakparade3]

Post a picture, we will identify it for you. I'm curious why you bought a pinning kit before knowing the type of lock you had though.

[cybergeek]

I just bought a house and 2 of the locks on the doors are weiser but the oner one I can't tell the key has a number on it (34321). Is there a diagram on the net I can compare the keys to see what make they are or can I get one from somewhere?

[unlisted]

Again, post a photo. The number could mean many things, or nothing.. its the actual shape of the handle/lock etc we want to see.. .

[raimundo]

Cybergeek, you say one of the locks has that number, the number looks like a direct readout of key bitting and that only happens commonly on the schlage original keys. The key should say schlage on it as well as having those numbers.
Don't over complicate your problem, the repinning kit you have should work on the weiser locks, and you may be able to use it on the schlage as well.
Read the pinning threads, most deadbolt locks can interchange pins to some extent if you are not going for the key being absolute factory spec.
Generally the pins should be visually the same diameter through out most deadbolts. The length of specific cuts varies, but if you are repinning, length is adjusted by cutting just a bit in the bottom of the bitting cuts. These are adjustments of just a few thousands of an inch and you test them simply by seeing if the core fits the cylinder with the key and that pin in the plug. if it cannot enter the plug, you cut a tiny bit.

[cybergeek]

I quess it is a weiser because I just found this site and this is what my key looks like

So is every locks pins different in some ways?

[freakparade3]

Yes, you have a weiser lock. Pinning all basic locks is pretty much the same, the difference is in the depth of the cuts, and MACS. Each manufacturer has their own specs for pins and keys.

[cybergeek]

So if I have a weiser deadbolt I can not rekey it with a different manufacturer?
I really appreciate you guys helping me out with all my locksmithing troubles, Thank you very much I went into my local locksmith and when I told him I was rekeying my locks he just wouldn't help me he just ignored me.

[Squelchtone]

So if I have a weiser deadbolt I can not rekey it with a different manufacturer?
I really appreciate you guys helping me out with all my locksmithing troubles, Thank you very much I went into my local locksmith and when I told him I was rekeying my locks he just wouldn't help me he just ignored me.

What do you mean by a different manufacturer? of what? locks? pin kits?

Think of a lock like a car engine. You don't have to go back to GM to fix that engine in your Chevy, you can get generic parts at Auto Zone. So if you want to repin your Weiser lock so that a differently cut Weiser key will operate it instead of the Weiser key that works for it now, you can get pin kits from a company called LAB, they have universal pin kits that are generic to all the major lock makers in America. Schlage, Kwikset, Arrow, Weiser, Segal, etc. But as freakparade mentioned there are different pin combiinations, such as in Schlage the deepest key cut is a #9, where as Kwikset's deepest cut is a #6, and then you have rules for each lock company as to the MACS (Maximum Adjacent Cut Specification) which means that there are physical limitations to the size of pins that can be put next to each other when pinning up a lock. This matters so that the key cuts are not too extreme, otherwise the lock will not operate smoothly, and there are other technical reasons to keep within the MACS rules.

good luck with your project,
Squelchtone

ps. That Weiser rekeying kit is probably just a bunch of pins and a new set of Weiser factory cut keys. So, yeah, I hope you have a Weiser on your front door, otherwise that new key wont fit, it will have a different shape (what we call a profile)

[straightpick]

How to tell what lock is on the door? A quick and dirty way is to look at the latch bolt in the door. Most manufacturers have their name stamped on them. Granted, there are some latches that will interchange, Best and Schlage (some models) for example, but the method is accurate most of the time.

[cybergeek]

Hi guys I just changed my locks but on one of the locks I lost my key so now I cant turn it, is there a way to turn the cylinder without the key?

[barbarian]

Hi guys I just changed my locks but on one of the locks I lost my key so now I cant turn it, is there a way to turn the cylinder without the key?

This site is pretty much devoted to that very thing.

Search: "lockpicking"