Good article, never thought of using a marker to mark out spacing, i use a different method however (assuming i don't have access to the unocode
):
After dissassembling the lock, insert the blank into the keyway, some electroplated or coloured keys can be prepared in the say way as you would to impression a key, by filing of the top layer of colour or electroplating.
Take a small hammer and gently tap the pins while holding the barrel on a hard surface. At first you will only be able to do the deeper pines, but as you file those cuts you will be able to easier hit the lower pins. If done correctly, it should mark with no damage to the pins or lock, this is probably better with aluminium blanks, as they are softer.
The main advantages of this method are that, (obviously with practice) it is faster, as you don't have to remove all the pins. Also the bottom of the pin leaves a tiny groove on the key, perfect for the tip of an impressioning file to sit into (no messing up spacing = no messed up blanks).
Impressioning files are useful tools, i would reccomend anyone who doesn't have one to buy one from lockpicks.com or anywhere that sells them. And impressioning is a fun and satisfying way of opening locks
.
Another tip when using impressioning files - when filing the cuts, start the cut using the tip of the file, then as the cut gets deeper use the whole file to open the cuts wide enough to make a ramp, although 9 pins may still need a little fixing up
.
Hope people found this useful
Im open to any suggestions/comments, positive or negative.
