Reading master padlocks ?

[craigt]

Has anyone ever had any luck with this ? just courious...
Craig

[GWiens2001]

Can you explain what you mean?

Gordon

[craigt]

Can you explain what you mean?

Gordon

well reading the pins, My mentor was really good at reading old GM lock cyl's. and i can clearley see that a master padlock that im working on has a jupitor 6 pin up front. and if i recall there was something in an old locksmith Ledger from the 90's that had an artical in the tricks of the trade but i really dont want to be digging thru all of those .. ugh... guess ill just break out my pippen again.. ive already gone thru 3 keys trying to impression these 2 master #5's.. and im told they are keyed alike.. its getting personal now...

[UnlockingBoredom]

I got real good at reading the pins when I picked a Master lock.. I got to where I could pick it, read the pins with a pick and then cut a key that was very close or right on (I did use my caliper to learn the depths) But I found it boring when impressioning so I stopped doing that and just went back to the normal way to impression.

Pick your lock and run a pick across the pins to get an idea what your key depths will be and file to 1 depth above what it should be and then go slowly when filing to the shear line..

[craigt]

I got real good at reading the pins when I picked a Master lock.. I got to where I could pick it, read the pins with a pick and then cut a key that was very close or right on (I did use my caliper to learn the depths) But I found it boring when impressioning so I stopped doing that and just went back to the normal way to impression.

Pick your lock and run a pick across the pins to get an idea what your key depths will be and file to 1 depth above what it should be and then go slowly when filing to the shear line..

hey Thanks.. never thought about doing that.. ive got them both picked open, these are Master #5's i can see the first pin is def a 6 .. cant stand it when theres a bunch of jupitor debts/cuts while trying to impression, just makes it harder.. i think i can learn the tip you just gave me , Thanks again instead of useing my caliper ill just open my master lock pin kit and train the eye...
craig

[Raymond]

Since Master is as old as the hills and so common, one of the tricks I noticed is that a #2 pin is short enough that you can exactly see the shear between the bottom and the top pin at the very top of the keyway when all are at rest. So you will see a small step for a #1 and a larger step for a tiny #0. Obviously if the bottom/top pin shear is not visible the pin must be a #3 or longer.

And yes, picking and feeling the depths or scoping for a view is very common and very useful when impressioning.

Scoping common wafer locks can give you the exact cuts.

[cledry]

We used to pick them and then I made a set of keys cut to a single depth all the way across, so for example I would slide my 7 in all the way, obviously you don't need a 7, then the 6 and see how far it went etc. my process of elimination I could often make the key or come close. I had a chart I made of the common codes in my area from our suppliers and usually could get the key in a few minutes and a single blank.