What is the easiest and best way to remove a spring cover

[SFGOON]

If you're going to remove the spring cover from the top of the cylinder, do in in a paper bag or you'll be going around the house with a magnifying glass and regretting purchaising a shag carpet.

[Auto45]

If you're going to remove the spring cover from the top of the cylinder, do in in a paper bag or you'll be going around the house with a magnifying glass and regretting purchaising a shag carpet.

Or zip Lock plastic bags you can see all the springs and pins better.

If they fall out on the shag carpet use the brass magnet I have heard so mush about

[raimundo]

the easy way is to lay a hacksaw blade on top of the spring cover while the cylinder is supported in some way, then tap on the end of the hack saw blade, the teeth dig into the cover just a little bit and they drive it toward the back of the lock. this preserves the metal strip and it can be gently tapped back down the groove before installing pins and springs. use common sense, only the end of the blade or broken piece of blade is held on the cover, the tapping is at about a 45 degree angle, so that it seats the teeth and drives the cover off with each tap.

[grit1]

the easy way is to lay a hacksaw blade on top of the spring cover while the cylinder is supported in some way, then tap on the end of the hack saw blade, the teeth dig into the cover just a little bit and they drive it toward the back of the lock. this preserves the metal strip and it can be gently tapped back down the groove before installing pins and springs. use common sense, only the end of the blade or broken piece of blade is held on the cover, the tapping is at about a 45 degree angle, so that it seats the teeth and drives the cover off with each tap.

That's a nice little trick - I remember when I first started out I pulled the slip off of an old Kwikset KIK cylinder just to play around and the cover was more than destroyed after prying off with sharp probe-picks and a screwdriver...

I haven't had to pull a slip off since then, considering the advent of a plug follower but still a good trick to keep in the back of my mind! ~Grit.

[sl_aus]

to get some easy shims take the security tag they use on DVDs in shops, and cut it open.

Inside you wil find 3 strips of thin metal, these will shim open most locks you will need them for, but you need to be gentle

The easiest place to get them although they do not have the nice curve of an actual lock shim. It will still definately work though .

What about cutting a strip out of the magnetic sheet inside a floppy disc?

[Shrub]

Worth a try although not very hard wearing.

[raimundo]

Yeah, grit, it becomes necesary when problems develop with cylinders stuck from forgetting to put a pin in and having a spring across the shear line and such, I haven't done that in at least 20 years, but memory tells me that there is some screwup where driving the spring cover off will solve it like no other method, that said, there are spring covers that have dimple dents into the pin collumn that would be resistant or impossible, and I have even seen them with a wide spot on the groove that fits a wide spot on the cover that could only be there to prevent the non destructive removal of the spring cover.