Medeco Keymark

by **alias** » 21 Aug 2004 23:48

Hi all,

I'm wondering if anyone can identify this keyway? I just picked up these cylinders from eBay (minus keys and no idea if they're keyed alike) and if there's any way to get a few blanks I'd like to try impressioning them (if that's even possible with these locks). From the impression I get, the Keymark cylinders keyways are patented so I don't hold a lot of hope but for $4.25 USD for the two of them, its no great loss.

The ultimate end for the cylinders is to try and turn one of them into a cutaway and keep one for picking but naturally its going to be easier if I can get/make a key to open them.

PS If you're looking for locks to practice on, eBay seems to be the way to go. I picked up 32 mortise cylinders (20 x 5 pin SC1, 6 x Yale-9 and a few others), 21 key in knob cylinders (mostly Schlage C) and these 2 Medecos for $100 USD all up.

by **raimundo** » 10 Mar 2005 11:19

Have you opened them yet, piano wire is the best material for making picks for these, on the plus side theres very little work in making a piano wire pick, just a little filing and sanding on both ends of the wire, so that the sharp cut off ends don't scratch the pins or on the other end so they wire dosent wound the hand. the best handle for control of the the tip is the finger loop for the second or third finger while the thumb and forfinger and even second finger if you like hold the shaft of the wire. looks like a 6 with your second or third finger in the loop, (the loop makes it un droppable and it gives positive control over the orientation of the hook tip. the thumb and forfingers grip the shaft ahead of the loop. Probably you should round out the tip of the wire first and make the loop, then measure it in your hand to make the length cut for the pick and shaft, then finish the pick tip so that it is not a sharp piece of metal that will cut into the brass pins. Simple, very little work, and very effective pics. especially for the keymark.

by **Beekeypr** » 23 Mar 2005 17:10

Key blanks aren't easy to come by since they're not "commercial". All Keymark blanks are controlled by a contract between Medeco & the dealer.

The keyway, on Keymark cylinders is unique in that it is offset - which also makes them more of a challenge to pick than a conventional cylinder. They use Best A2 or A4 pinning specs, but you can't get directly under the pins with a pick - the pins rest on the "security ledge" part of the keyway and would have to be approached from the side which makes it more resistant to picking.

by **raimundo** » 24 Mar 2005 9:42

I have seen keymark cylinders with a near complete blockage of the keyway at the bottom of the pins, and other keymark keyways do not have this, there seem to be a lot of keyways, the pins rest in the upper part of the keyway, and this area is always straight unwarded, but since it's medeco, you can probably figure that every lock has at least one pin of the longest depth, piano wire is the best approach. it is completely round, and smooth, and cannot be jammed tight. it can lean over that gnarly ward at the bottom of the pin area of the keyway, You just have to accept the little bit of flex in it. nothing else will get the job done. Well almost nothing else, I have opened keymark with some delicate bogota rakes.

Actually, the locks respond pretty well to picking except for the warded paracentric problem.

by **Peter Martin** » 24 Sep 2005 17:06

I wanted to resurrect this line on the KEYMARK marks. I was at a local hospital and all the doors in the facility had Keymark IC cores. Very odd keyway.

Does anyone have an article--or at least the reference to a published article in the Locksmith Ledger, National Locksmith, etc. which gives any specs, drawings, and information on this product line?

by **chopitup** » 24 Sep 2005 17:41

What kind of information are you looking for? So far as I can tell they are pretty much like a standard pin-tumbler with difficult warding.

by **Chrispy** » 24 Sep 2005 21:57

I think db wants some of these. If anyone has some, PM digital_blue.

by **n2oah** » 24 Sep 2005 22:10

Chrispy wrote:I think db wants some of these. If anyone has some, PM digital_blue.

Mod's pet.... :lol:

by **Chrispy** » 24 Sep 2005 22:32

I try to help whenever I can. :wink:

by **digital_blue** » 24 Sep 2005 22:47

Thanks Chrispy! I do want one or two of these. Good boy!

db

by **Chrispy** » 24 Sep 2005 23:32

by **Peter Martin** » 24 Sep 2005 23:40

I was just looking for any security features--I presume that it does have some spool drivers, but glad to hear the lock responds to picking.

Does Medeco make KeyMark IC's as a standard 6 pin or 7 pin? How is the core removed--like a Yale, or via the last pin?

And thanks for the notes on the best pick... if anyone has a design they'd like to share on their wire picks, please post.

by **fixer** » 28 Sep 2005 21:18

Peter Martin wrote:I was just looking for any security features--I presume that it does have some spool drivers, but glad to hear the lock responds to picking.

The pictures at the start of this thread show mortise cylinders. These can be shimmed open or picked open if you have picks that will work in the keyway. However there are probably spool pins in some locations as this is how the keymark pinning kit comes.

Does Medeco make KeyMark IC's as a standard 6 pin or 7 pin? How is the core removed--like a Yale, or via the last pin?

The ones I use are 6 pin SFIC, but there are 7 pin keymark cylinders. The core is removed in the same way that the BEST SFIC A2 system works. All chambers are used for the control bitting.

by **Chucklz** » 28 Sep 2005 21:30

Peter--
The Yale IC's that I have are removed by the 7th pin, not with a control shear line.

by **Peter Martin** » 29 Sep 2005 16:07

Thanks for the info... I'll see if I can get my hands on one of these.

Medeco Keymark

Medeco Keymark

Make some piano wire picks

keymark

References or articles on KEYMARK?

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