Re-pinning a sealed lock

[fisix]

Hi guys,

I'm trying to re-pin this lock but can't get to the pin holes. The metal cover seems soldered onto the lock (I have tried using a flathead screwdriver to slide it off but it is sealed). Also the cam affixed to the back prevents me from sliding the plug out of the cylinder. Any idea how I can access the pins?



Thanks!

[spandexwarrior]

Are you sure it's a pin tumbler lock and not a wafer lock? Is it picked open in that pic? The strip that would cover the pin chambers is on the side so if it's locked, that would be weird. Also, a good pic of they keyway would help.

-Brian

[cledry]

It looks like a pin tumbler mail box lock. They aren't worth rekeying when they cost almost nothing to buy. If you insist though the cap should slide off. The last pin will be a long solid retainer, the others can be swapped to rekey.

[cledry]

Use a piece of hacksaw blade to slide the cover off.

[fisix]

Are you sure it's a pin tumbler lock and not a wafer lock? Is it picked open in that pic? The strip that would cover the pin chambers is on the side so if it's locked, that would be weird. Also, a good pic of they keyway would help.

-Brian

It's a pin tumbler lock picked open. Weird I know, but that strip is soldered or sealed onto the cylinder.

Use a piece of hacksaw blade to slide the cover off.

I have tried a utility knife and flathead screwdriver, could not get the cover to slide at all. Do you mean to use a hacksaw blade to grip and slide the cover or to cut it? How exactly can I get that cover off... It feels permanently sealed to the cylinder!

[cledry]

Are you sure it's a pin tumbler lock and not a wafer lock? Is it picked open in that pic? The strip that would cover the pin chambers is on the side so if it's locked, that would be weird. Also, a good pic of they keyway would help.

-Brian

It's a pin tumbler lock picked open. Weird I know, but that strip is soldered or sealed onto the cylinder.

Use a piece of hacksaw blade to slide the cover off.

I have tried a utility knife and flathead screwdriver, could not get the cover to slide at all. Do you mean to use a hacksaw blade to grip and slide the cover or to cut it? How exactly can I get that cover off... It feels permanently sealed to the cylinder!

Looks like a normal cap to me. Never seen one sealed to cylinder. Use the teeth of a hacksaw blade tapped down to bite into the cap than tap toward the rear to remove. Some caps are tight and these you can take a hacksaw and cut across the cap near one end to give room to pry it up.

However these locks cost less than $5 so buy another.

[fisix]

Are you sure it's a pin tumbler lock and not a wafer lock? Is it picked open in that pic? The strip that would cover the pin chambers is on the side so if it's locked, that would be weird. Also, a good pic of they keyway would help.

-Brian

It's a pin tumbler lock picked open. Weird I know, but that strip is soldered or sealed onto the cylinder.

Use a piece of hacksaw blade to slide the cover off.

I have tried a utility knife and flathead screwdriver, could not get the cover to slide at all. Do you mean to use a hacksaw blade to grip and slide the cover or to cut it? How exactly can I get that cover off... It feels permanently sealed to the cylinder!

Looks like a normal cap to me. Never seen one sealed to cylinder. Use the teeth of a hacksaw blade tapped down to bite into the cap than tap toward the rear to remove. Some caps are tight and these you can take a hacksaw and cut across the cap near one end to give room to pry it up.

However these locks cost less than $5 so buy another.

I will try this out, thanks for the tip.

[billdeserthills]

Looks like a National postal lock, I take them apart with a small screwdriver that I have ground to a knife edge, at the tip. Bash the screwdriver between the top cover and the top of the bible, it is ok if you lose a bit of the end of the bible. Once you can, grab the end of the pin cover strip with a long-nose pliers and roll, until the strip comes off--try not to loose the springs & pins. Unroll the cover and gently bash it on a flat surface (like the back of your vise) until it is flat again. Now screw the cover halfway down, into your vise and bash it again until you have a "V" shape. Make your key and reassemble by placing the cover over the top of the springs and flattening out again with a straight-blade screwdriver. Hope to G-d you don't have a bucket full more to do

[Divinorum]

I can second that bills method works. When I have to re-key these I take a flat head screwdriver with a very fine point and pry that cap off little by little making sure to not let any springs go flying or get caught in the screwdriver in the process. Also with those small National pin and tumbler locks it's important when you do a rekey that you keep the pin stacks balanced. The size of the driver pins correlates with the size of the key pins. Use a national pin kit if possible. If you re-key it using all the same driver pins it may put to much spring pressure on the key being inserted and make it rough to get in.

[fisix]

The flathead screwdriver was difficult for my case (that was the first thing I tried besides a utility knife). I can confirm that the hacksaw blade method works well! Just use a hacksaw blade to grip down on the top cover and hit it diagonally with a hammer to slide off.

Thanks all for the help

[billdeserthills]

Betcha now ya know why everyone else just spends the $5 for a new one--It even comes with 2 keys

[jfako0]

If all of those suggestions fail. You might want to drill a small PARTIALLY through plate that you want to slid out near the end. This may allow you to use needle nose pliers in the hole and on the end of the lock below to squeez and pull it out a litte, or put the lock and use a punch on an angle in the hole to drive the plate out.