repin lock

[lanjack31]

i have looked for a while and i cant seem to find it i have a american lock silver i forgot the exact name and i got the cylinder off and i took the pins out. well just kind of playing i turned the key. without the pins in the cylinder and now if i put the key in it doesnt move at all how is this possible?

[lock2006]

I don't get this part you said you turned the key without the pins in the cylinder
and then you put the key in again.

i turned the key. without the pins in the cylinder
and now if i put the key in it doesnt move at all how is this possible?

[Solomon]

I'm a bit confused aswell, the way you're wording things doesn't make much sense but I'm assuming you repinned the lock and now when you try to turn the key it doesn't move. My first instinct is that you could've put the pins back in the wrong order... if this is the case then you'll need to pick it to get it open again.

When dealing with padlock cores in future, you should always make sure the key pins are level by dropping them into place and turning the key just to be on the safe side before you add the drivers and springs. I don't see how you could get them in the wrong order though, even if you dumped them out and mixed them around a lot you can still figure it out by looking at the key. With that in mind, if you're certain that you pinned it up correctly, you'll need to explain everything you did in a bit more detail for us.

[lanjack31]

well i took all the pins out and kind of playing without the pins i turned the cylinder over and without out the pins on the top it wount turn over.

if it helps it sounds dumb but you know how amercain locks or others i dont know you turn over with the key and then the pins that are on the key come out those are the ones that are out

[Solomon]

I'm having a really hard time understanding what you mean... can you talk us through exactly how you took it apart and what the problem actually is? Right now all I'm getting is that there are no pins in the lock and it won't turn with the key, which makes no sense. Something in there is stopping the key from rotating, and from your decription I'm not sure what is even in there so I can't say what the problem is. Please try and be more specific.

[straightpick]

It sounds like you removed the bottom pins, correct? You put the key in, turned it and the pins came out of the holes in the bottom of the cylinder? If so, the top pins are now extending down into the plug, that is why you can't get the key in. IF the plug is close to the position that the pins came out, that is, you did not COMPLETELY rotate to where it normally is when you first insert the key, take a half diamond pick and using the flat side, insert it all the way through the plug, push down, and rotate the plug back into position. You will be pushing all the top pins down at once so you can rotate the plug.

If, however, you DID turn the plug completely around to it's normal position, it becomes more complicated. This is called a "lock in". To correct this, you have to put the bible (the piece housing the springs) in a vise (the cylinder is now upside down), put a tension wrench in it, and push the top pins in until you can turn it. You will have to use a small piece of wire, like a paper clip, as it will have to go through the bottom of the plug to push the top pin in - you may have to use one for each pin. A pain in the arse but it can be done. And you will have learned an important lesson in the process! (I hope!). Good luck!

[lanjack31]

It sounds like you removed the bottom pins, correct? You put the key in, turned it and the pins came out of the holes in the bottom of the cylinder? If so, the top pins are now extending down into the plug, that is why you can't get the key in. IF the plug is close to the position that the pins came out, that is, you did not COMPLETELY rotate to where it normally is when you first insert the key, take a half diamond pick and using the flat side, insert it all the way through the plug, push down, and rotate the plug back into position. You will be pushing all the top pins down at once so you can rotate the plug.

If, however, you DID turn the plug completely around to it's normal position, it becomes more complicated. This is called a "lock in". To correct this, you have to put the bible (the piece housing the springs) in a vise (the cylinder is now upside down), put a tension wrench in it, and push the top pins in until you can turn it. You will have to use a small piece of wire, like a paper clip, as it will have to go through the bottom of the plug to push the top pin in - you may have to use one for each pin. A pain in the arse but it can be done. And you will have learned an important lesson in the process! (I hope!). Good luck!

i did do the lock in and it sucked i thought i would never get it done but without your help i would have never thought of that thank you very much

[I Pik U]

I hate when that happens.
If you worked on lots of cylinders of different types, which I have, one day this is bound to happen to you.
If you have any shims that are designed to work with lock cylinders, you can feed the shim in from the back side as you work on the top pins one at a time starting from the back.
This way you don't need to try to lift all 5 top pins at once as mentioned above.
You will have to get a feel for it, as the shim will slip part way into the spring as well, which you don't want as the shim will not pass the spring if this happens. You want the shim to come between the sprin and top pins.

[OWNERMAN]

Yep the drivers got stuck