impressioning

[pinklipps]

Hello one and all, I joined the group a few days ago and this is my first post.
I'm now in my fifties and stopped working as a locksmith in Australia, to do other things, about 25 years ago. I love the enthusiasm I'm seeing (and feeling) on this site, it reminds me of how I felt when I first came to locksmithing, the fascination, the challenge and the desire to get better and better at my trade. I read through all the posts re impressioning, which was something I saw as one of the 'higher' arts of locksmithing and an area I devoted a lot of time to. I even made my own impressioning gun from brass and steel. (long gone). What I found surprising was how few people seem to aware of the existence of the gun and how useful, I would say almost indispensable, it is in making keys to code less locks, especially in the field.
It's the difference between playing a piano with your fingers or trying to do it holding a couple of drumsticks. I'm speaking generally because there are obviously some people on LP101 who are very familiar with it. Is this because impressioning has fallen by the wayside, maybe due to the time = money equation. (much quicker to drill out a barrel and chuck a new one in)?
Any thoughts?

[DPTR]

Well, it seems that discussion of impression guns are restricted to the "advanced" section.

Don't mean to step on toes or anything, but why is the impression gun thread in advanced section?

A quote from this thread for reference. I'm not sure myself, as that I don't have access

[maxxed]

I can assure you that locksmiths still impression locks, either to open a lock that is resisting picking attempts or to make a key.
I have never used an impresioning gun myself just a pair of vice grips and a pippin file

[Johnny P]

Impressioning is still alive and pretty well.

I'll grant there are fewer new locksmiths being taught the art because it's relatively easy to get codes off the locks in desks and file cabinets and some tool boxes and once you get the codes, you just need to know someone with code software or own it yourself to cut a key by code.

I, personally still impression a fairly large number of locks mainy because it's just more convenient when I know many locks are wafer locks and I can impression a key in about the same time it would take me to fire up my computer and look up the code.

I still run into Ford vehicles on the 5 cut system and impression those as well as many of the big rig tractors on the RA3 and RA4, B1 and B5 systems. As a matter of fact, I love getting a call to make a key for International semi tractors and others.

Unfortunately, as time marches on, the older we get the worse our eyesight becomes and impressioning gets more difficult, but still it is a skill that, to me, is almost essential to a locksmith.

There are ignitions which have been changed out that used to be the same cuts as the door keys, so now the code that once wa appropriate for that vehicle no longeer is. If you can't impression the key for the ignition, you will have to remove and disassemble it to make the key.

There are desk locks which have been re-keyed but no one removed or scratched out the old code printed on the lock. Well, now that lock will need to have a key impressoned for it also or rmove the lock and dismantle it to make a new key.

I also use either vice grips or an impressioning hadle (tool) for this but have never used an impressioning gun though I do know what your are talking about.

[Fredmad]

Gun for impressioning is just for pin cylinder. You don't use for cars.
See that viewtopic.php?t=29037
Regards