repining locks question

[jimmysmith]

if a lock has a kw1 keyway,,even if its not a kwickset lock,,,can I repin the lock using kwickset pins?

[xnoobandrew]

I'm not a pro at this but...

I really dont think the pins matter soley about the keyway. Its just how the key fits..

But you gotta make sure the pins don't jam from being to big or its impossible to take back out unless u destroy it. (By drilling or something)

[jimmysmith]

are you meaning to big like....to big around or to long?

[xnoobandrew]

well both.. just make sure the pins are the right size.

[jimmysmith]

I am sure you mean round... guess thats were a lock gets sloppy. if they were to small around would the plug have a little give to it when tensions applied?

[xnoobandrew]

i dont even know if picking will work.

if you get smaller pins (in area) then the normal ones.. I think ur gonna have to apply alot or a little pressure

[jimmysmith]

Interesting thought.

I bet it would be hell to pick a lock that had one standerd size pin and the rest of the pins a bit smaller in thinkness... lol.. anyway,,,i am getting off track. //

appreciate your help

[HeadHunterCEO]

should stay away from the specialized pin kits unless the area you service has alot of a specific make.

a lab kit is what you want. if the pins protrude above the shear file them down but be careful not to deform the plug drilling. if you hose up the holes use a #2 tip to ream out the opening. this frowned upon though and only fit for emergencies

[whiteknight38]

Pinning by the numbers, usually only works locks with that are either original, or generics of good quality. Generic Kwikset keyways are becoming more ubiquitous than Shlage in my area, as that keyway is becoming the keyway of choice with one or more lock manufacturer and the contractors responsible for much of the new construction in Toronto. Many of these locks have Kwikset keys, but follow the Weiser depth numbering system. A few seem to be happier with the Schlage depth charts.
The key that you are pinning with, is another wild card for keying up a cylinder of any make. Generic keys, marked USCAN, Fortress, Bird, or whatever, or one from all the cozens off-shore no-name knock-offs from dollar stores, and cheapo hardware stores, have oftentimes such sloppy tolerences, that fitting pins is pure guess work.
Doesn't matter much, however. Pinning is often, more art than science. Nothing esoteric, meant though. You sut simply use the pin that fits. If the Weiser specs call for a .240 bottom pin, but it sits too low, because your key or the lock (or both) is an off-shore piece of crap, then you use the one from the tray next too it.

[2octops]

Very well said.

Usually, yes you can pin a KW plug with Kwikset pins by number. Sometimes you will run into an issue with smaller plugs or funky keys and that is where the Lab kit comes in handy.

However, Lab pins have a pointed tip on them instead of the blunt tip that OE pins have, so they set differently in the root of the cuts. Usually with Lab, you will need to go .003 or .005 (one pin size) higher to make the plug turn smooth.

Like he said, just put the pins in that fit. When in doubt, try one, look at it, if it's to short, go higher. Try to stay away from filing pins and plugs. Pins are made with a chamfer around the top edge so that they will match up with the curve of the plug at the shear line. When you file a pin to match the plug, you are not going to get that same chamfer, but you will end up with a curved pin top. Once you insert and remove the key a few times, the pin will turn and the curve will be facing the wrong way, causing the plug to stick a little.

When you file a plug, you are opening up the tolerance in that chamber, making it much easier to pick. In some locks that's about all you are doing, but in commercial locks that might need to be master keyed, you are opening up a gap that a master wafer can get hung up in, ruining the plug. We have replaced many locks because someone decided to be lazy and filed the plug before we got it.

BTW, on standard cylinders, there is only one diameter pin....period. If you have an interchangeable core like a Best or Falcon, then they do use a smaller diameter pin that is made especially for them. Master Lock and American Padlocks have a even smaller diameter pin, again specially made for them. There are a few others like Corbin cabinet locks that you will probably never run across just doing this as a hobby, but they are specialized pins also.