Re pin a Master No 3?

[Boogerhooker]

I have a Master No 3 for practice. I wanted to open it up and see the guts and re pin it but the directions I found involved cutting it apart and then welding it back together (with a MIG, IIRC). I don't have such a welder, and was hoping for a repeatable way to open it.

Am I out of luck, or is there a way?

[Joshua904]

You can probably replace the rivets with a 3mm or 4mm bolt. Honestly, it's easier to find an equally cheap lock designed to be easily rekeyed, like say an American lock model 1100. You can find them for $8-12 all day on eBay.

The cylinders inside the laminated masterlocks are pretty dinky, and they are sorta crimped onto the plug at one end, so pulling it to do a complete repin will require some plier squeezing and screw driver jamming.. But it does have the holes on the bottom side if you just want to rekey it.

You'll have to keep the laminate plates in order, since it does kinda matter.

[Mattches]

A welder? That sounds terrible. You can grind of the four rivets at the bottom of the lock, which will allow you to disassemble it. To put it back together, you'll need to put in new rivets, but that's much easier than breaking out a welder. I have not seen a video for this online (most people don't bother with Master Locks), so if you give this a try, considering filming it and posting it on YouTube.

[sisk]

Honestly, it's easier to find an equally cheap lock designed to be easily rekeyed, like say an American lock model 1100. You can find them for $8-12 all day on eBay.

And on top of that they're just plain better locks.

[billdeserthills]

In the long ago we used to grind the rivits flush with the laminated plate and then pry that bottom plate off &
rekey the lock cylinder. Then we would also pry off the next laminated plate, pop the cylinder back in and just
put the bottom plate back on, that left a little room to bash the rivits flat, which left enough room, with the
one left-out plate, for the rivits to hold the lock together.

For a nicer looking job you need a luggage rivit end mill, either way it is a one time job

[cledry]

Back in the day we used to mig weld them, a PITA.

If you just want to play with the cylinders you can buy them without needing to cut a lock apart.

[smokingman]

Just a suggestion, but why not go to the nearest Habitat for humanity or Salvation army
thrift store and spend a few dollars there?
I have bought shoe boxes full of various types of locks without keys (padlocks, mortise type, knobs ect)
for about five dollars,and the money goes to a good cause.
Much easier than taking a Master apart and rebuilding, and you never know what you will find.

[Boogerhooker]

Smokingman, your idea sounds good, but there isn't much around here. We have a goodwill, but they wouldn't stock those (no market).

[Silverado]

Have you tried an ad on Craigslist? You could throw one out there offering to take "junk locks" off of peoples' hands. Might be worth a shot.

[kwoswalt99-]

I used to repin them and weld them back together, before I learned to impression. I usually have good luck getting used locks from locksmiths. At the local association meeting I sometimes attend, there's always a table full of free junk locks and hardware that the locksmiths bring in.

[emptech]

One of my business associates had a few master laminated locks but lost the keys. I'm trying to learn to impression but having a difficult time

Removed destructive entry information, which is limited to the advanced forums GWiens2001 - moderator

By the way, I searched all over trying to find the diameter of the rivets, had to mic them myself.


Jim