Masterkeying locks for easy opening

[pickmonger]

I am working on a special "project" for someone.

Hopefully it will be developed into an effective "stage illusion" for an escape artist type effect.

We need a collection of locks "gimicked" to be very easy to open with a master key and also with a regular change key.

One of the ideas was to master all the locks to the highest # depth key eg 99999 for a schlage.

There would be schlage, weiser, falcon, yale etc keyways.

In this case we are not the least bit concerned about the lack of security.

Is there a mechanical reason why a lock can not be master keyed to the highest depth key pattern.

The depth key pattern was choosen for several reasons
1) very easy to pick quickly
2) easy and consistant keying pattern
3) the deep cuts would make a key easy to bend when demonstrating PK powers.

[p1ckf1sh]

Why don't you just fill up allthe chambers with short keyway pins (the little discs used for masterkeying), lots of pin wafers and straight shell pins (no mushrooms). If you use three or four of them in every chamber you could effectively open the lock with anything.

Here in Germany it is common to use two or three chambers filled with wafers to make locks that can be opened by lots of different keys. They are incredibly easy to pick/rake.

[Jryanruch]

Stacking Weiser #2 Master pins works well for this (or only keying the first 2 chambers and leaving the last three empty.

[clayton1123]

hmmmm, if it is a stage illusion you will want it to go quickly as possible. I would put only one pin in the front so it looks full of pins but is not. then have a paper clip so you can just push it up and a VERY small tension wrench to turn the lock.

[raimundo]

are you trying to make a lock that you can reliably pick very quickly every time, and the member of the audience cannot? if you gaff it too much even the audience member will be able to open it. perhaps if you made a pick as well, such as a rake, and just inserted it one way around rather than the other, the audience member will have a 50 percent chance of not getting it.

[conker]

maybe make some kind of switch or pressure that needs to be added. I'm not sure how to do this, but you could also switch out locks. Hand the audience a real lock, and then switch it to a rigged one to perform your trick.