Keying SFIC to 2 control keys

[theansulman]

Hi Everyone,

I have been a part of this forum for a little while now and find this site to be a valuable source for information. I do have a question that I came across recently that I have not found an answer to yet. I have a customer that uses an A4 system. I was rekeying one of the cores when I saw what it looked to be 2 master pins in only one of the stacks. From bottom pin to driver pin it was 3 1 4 1 5. It didn't look right so I measured them and saw that it didn't make sense. If the "4" pin was being used as a master pin, it would make a possible key cut an "8", which goes against an A4 system. And from how the rest of the core was setup, I don't believe they ran out of pins and substituted. So my question is: Is it possible to key 2 control keys into the same core if the cuts are close enough to each other?

Thanks for all your contributions in advance!

[GWiens2001]

Let me start my comment by stating that I am not a locksmith, so my input is by no means definitive.

I have heard of master control keyed locks. In some systems spanning several departments or buildings, they may want the person who manages the locks in one department or building to be able to pull only the cores in their department or building, but not in the others. Then there is a master control key that can pull cores in all departments or buildings.

Gordon

[2octops]

Well put.

Yes, it's considered master keying the control. Very common in the real world.

[Sinifar]

This is a delicate subject. Yes one can "master" on the control shear line. It takes a bit of "double math" to make it work, but it is occasionally done. Mostly for large corporations.

Don't do this for giggles in a single plant. Best and Arrow both try to not encourage this, as mistakes can and do crop up, and sometimes can cause cross key problems, and phantom keys to operate as the control. A2 or A4 makes no difference.

If you are going to do this, there are definite rules as to what and how this is done, mostly "off time" - to keep the phantom keys from working the control.

Sinifar