Repinning SFICs

[MacGyver101]

I like criminalhate's "keeping it simple" approach. Just to touch on his last point, though:

4. Tap the punch lightly with a hammer.

No argument with the technique... but the SFIC repinning guides I've read all agree with WOF's advice: a rubber or rawhide mallet is preferable to a hammer for this, to avoid unnecessary wear.

[Gordon Airporte]

Maybe you could but I think the main reason these locks are designed the way they are is so it can be serviced really quickly in the field where you may have hundreds of SFIC locks to re-key.

That makes sense. I was thinking more for us pickers who only have the one lock which we want to be able to rekey so we can do the work-up-from-a-few-stacks excercise, or just so we can change the pinning to keep it interesting.

[rakemaster]

At my university the campus police have the control key for at least some of the buildings, and a supply of cores for emergency re-keying (like if they think someone with an unauthorized key has broken in).

Not that it matters, since half the student body has master and control keys to the whole campus here (and it's basically tolerated).

[Raymond]

Hello WOT

Where are you finding the ICORE springs. I have not seen them before and would love to get some. PM me. Thanks!

I work with sfic all the time and like them very much. The advantage of individual pin caps is that in a very large system you can change only one column without affecting the rest. Whether rekeying or adding or removing master pins you can apply the change to a specific spacing.

Also, some sfic cores are held together by a horseshoe clip in the back and can be rekeyed with a following tool and without removing the spring caps. This is not recommended and definitely a pain in the neck, but it can be done. You definitely have to keep track of a lot more pins.

[Trip Doctor]

http://www.clksupplies.com/shop/index.php?cPath=120_123

You can can some IC Core supplies here Raymond.


Guess I'll give criminalhate's idea a try, I got one to spare anyways.

[criminalhate]

Plus if you kill it I can always send you a couple more =P

[Trip Doctor]

Plus if you kill it I can always send you a couple more =P

Haha, yea, the one's you sent me are the ones I'm goin at .

Have you actually done this? Will the cap actually start going in on the push, or on the tapping?

[criminalhate]

I only did it once and it was kind of a pain to get lined up. It only started to going for me on the tapping but after a little bit of practice you could feel when it was lined up properly. Also make sure what ever is holding it keeps it secure(I tapped on it once and it tilted and I still haven't found the spring =/).

[WOT]

<snip>
Also, some sfic cores are held together by a horseshoe clip in the back and can be rekeyed with a following tool and without removing the spring caps. This is not recommended and definitely a pain in the neck, but it can be done. You definitely have to keep track of a lot more pins.

Yes, it's physically possible with a limitation, but you're not supposed to do it that way and your core will go out of specs.

SFIC is no ordinary cylinder, perhaps as unique as Medeco compared to regular cylinders.

Each chamber has a minimum of 3 pins, that's if it's SKD.

With cores built to proper specs, the total stack height is a constant, regardless of bitting.

Speaking for A2 system, if your operating key cut is 6 and ctrl key is 2, the build up pin MUST BE #15. It's impossible to change the ctrl bitting using the follower method and if you change the operating key bitting, the pin stack would no longer add up the same, so the core will go out of spec.

Did you get my PM, that I sent at your request as I have got no reply?

[WOT]

What springs and caps typically look like after being knocked out:

That little sliver shed from the cap. Take a close look along the circumference of the old and the new cap. There's a difference.

You can stretch them, but they'll usually end up looking like this. With more time and effort, you could make them better, but it's hard to make them symmetric around the center after they get zig-zag'd from being punched out.

If you reuse the springs, they might become stuck at the top in compressed position and no longer push the pins down. If you reuse the caps, they might pop off in use and send the pins flying out of the core inside door hardware.



They're like gaskets and seals. It's possible to reuse them, but it would likely result in compromise in reliability

[Trip Doctor]

Ouch, that springs looks its been eaten and crapped.
I always wondered, is there a particular reason that the driver pins are of different lengths so that the stacks are all the same height? (Doesn't seem that it would really be necessesary to do this with all the stacks if the goal was to prevent decoding.)

[Afisch]

I have a standard core lock also with compensated drivers. I presumed it was so not to overcompress the springs, as well as stoping decoding.

[WOT]

Ouch, that springs looks its been eaten and crapped.
I always wondered, is there a particular reason that the driver pins are of different lengths so that the stacks are all the same height? (Doesn't seem that it would really be necessesary to do this with all the stacks if the goal was to prevent decoding.)

Good question. I really don't know the answer. Try looking up how other dual-shear line cylinders (control + operating) are set up. Best Lock Corp. is notorious for security through obscurity. You'll find zilch about technical details on their website and the types of materially typically available for other brand of locks on the internet are only available are kept exclusive to account holders.

[raimundo]

a one sixteenth inch pin punch will knock out one collumn at a time, this may or may not destroy the spring. it fits up throught he bottom of the cylinder and passes all the way through the cylinder.
the collumns are designed to all be exactly the same height.
to reset a used cap one time, put a little vaseline on it with a toothpick, to hold it in place over the hole, gently drive it in perhaps with a wooden punch made from a bamboo (hardwood) chopstick cut short for use as a punch, then you can use the steel 1/16 pin punch to set the cap by putting it on the metal to one side of the hole and punching it there with a small steel hammer, this will deform slightly the metal and help it grip the cap. remember, the vaseline would otherwise remain as a lubericant in the hole and the reset will not be secure,
this comes from my experience in setting stones in jewelry, not some old locksmiths book, but I recognize the similairitys it does work.

[WOT]

a one sixteenth inch pin punch will knock out one collumn at a time, this may or may not destroy the spring. it fits up throught he bottom of the cylinder and passes all the way through the cylinder.
the collumns are designed to all be exactly the same height.
to reset a used cap one time, put a little vaseline on it with a toothpick, to hold it in place over the hole, gently drive it in perhaps with a wooden punch made from a bamboo (hardwood) chopstick cut short for use as a punch, then you can use the steel 1/16 pin punch to set the cap by putting it on the metal to one side of the hole and punching it there with a small steel hammer, this will deform slightly the metal and help it grip the cap. remember, the vaseline would otherwise remain as a lubericant in the hole and the reset will not be secure,
this comes from my experience in setting stones in jewelry, not some old locksmiths book, but I recognize the similairitys it does work.

Haven't lubed it, but been there, done that.
With some door hardware, the core is horizontal. Rarely, but can be upside down. The more I stretch the springs, the harder it was to get the caps to stay on and I had to cherry pick the caps for easiest fit.

Try doing this using fresh caps and springs, then report back

Even if I manage to get it together, I've had caps fly off while the key is being inserted removed.

A good way to test the integrity of spring is to operate the lock with the core upside down. If it doesn't consistently work good, the springs are not working.

You could also shake it by your ear. The pins would not rattle if the springs are pushing down the stacks with adequate strength.

Finally, lay a finger across the caps as you insert and remove a blank. If you feel any of them moving, then, they're not secured.