Schlage Deadbolts vs Doorknobs

[billdeserthills]

They are new Schlage cylinders, in fact I took one out of a brand new Schlage handleset
straight from Home Depot yesterday for rekeying and I rekeyed two of them last week,
right out of the box.

[dojo]

hmm, so I've acquired a good amount of pins now, so I'm wondering if I should just dump them all out and try to sort them.

Do you guys do this?

I was thinking about picking up a digital caliper and trying to sort them:

https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-01407A-Ele ... 000GSLKIW/

[jimu57]

hmm, so I've acquired a good amount of pins now, so I'm wondering if I should just dump them all out and try to sort them.

Do you guys do this?

I was thinking about picking up a digital caliper and trying to sort them:

https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-01407A-Ele ... 000GSLKIW/

Sent you a pm. I can code cut you a couple of keys with matching pins. No charge.

[cledry]

hmm, so I've acquired a good amount of pins now, so I'm wondering if I should just dump them all out and try to sort them.

Do you guys do this?

I was thinking about picking up a digital caliper and trying to sort them:

https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-01407A-Ele ... 000GSLKIW/

I dump them.

[cledry]

The thing I have noticed is that Schlage has now stopped using brass for the cylinder/plug in their
cheaper locksets gr2 & gr3. Instead they are using all pot metal and they are making the pot metal
plug (keyhole) slightly smaller in diameter. This makes it look like the correct sized pins are actually
a bit too high. I simply use the next size smaller pin (.005 less), although using the normal size pins will work
fine in these cheap, crappy pot metal cylinders. Of course since the cylinders are now even smaller, this makes
the new schlage locks even easier to pick and even easier to break into than they were before

Also, in my opinion, since I can buy all brass cylinders from china, there is little reason for anyone
to continue paying schlage's crazy high prices for pot-metal junk

I'm sure the CEO at Schlage will be receiving an extra large bonus this year, I'm telling all my clients
just how junky Schlage has become


Schlage cheapening their products since Kwikset came around

Are cylinders that you are speaking of, true Schlage cylinders or aftermarket stuff with simply a Schlage keyway?

I just keyed 2 yesterday, they are real Schlage.

[billdeserthills]

hmm, so I've acquired a good amount of pins now, so I'm wondering if I should just dump them all out and try to sort them.

Do you guys do this?

I was thinking about picking up a digital caliper and trying to sort them:

https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-01407A-Ele ... 000GSLKIW/

Depending on where I buy my pins and how many I buy, most of those pins cost under a penny apiece
I just toss them, sometimes in the brass bin, sometimes on the floor--you can never tell

[jeffmoss26]

hmm, so I've acquired a good amount of pins now, so I'm wondering if I should just dump them all out and try to sort them.

Do you guys do this?

I was thinking about picking up a digital caliper and trying to sort them:

https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-01407A-Ele ... 000GSLKIW/

Depending on where I buy my pins and how many I buy, most of those pins cost under a penny apiece
I just toss them, sometimes in the brass bin, sometimes on the floor--you can never tell

Brass is non-ferrous but the floor under my bench may as well be magnetic to pins and springs!

[GWiens2001]

hmm, so I've acquired a good amount of pins now, so I'm wondering if I should just dump them all out and try to sort them.

Do you guys do this?

I was thinking about picking up a digital caliper and trying to sort them:

https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-01407A-Ele ... 000GSLKIW/

Depending on where I buy my pins and how many I buy, most of those pins cost under a penny apiece
I just toss them, sometimes in the brass bin, sometimes on the floor--you can never tell

Brass is non-ferrous but the floor under my bench may as well be magnetic to pins and springs!

Gordon

[Ralph_Goodman]

I have never run into a hardware store associate who knows what cutting to code even is. Likely the extent of their knowledge is "Old key go in here, new key go in there, press button!" You will need to talk to a locksmith for that.
Before you try to make a custom bitted keyway you should do some research on the manufacturer's MACS (maximum adjacent cut specification) so you don't end up with a lock that does not work at all.

Someone I was with (gathering information for an article) asked the hardware store associate if there "Laserkey" key cutter used an actual laser, just to see what they knew. They said, "Yes", the key cutter used a laser.

I agree. For any lock related advice, stay away from any big box store.

[tpark]

hmm, so I've acquired a good amount of pins now, so I'm wondering if I should just dump them all out and try to sort them.

Do you guys do this?

I was thinking about picking up a digital caliper and trying to sort them:

https://www.amazon.com/Neiko-01407A-Ele ... 000GSLKIW/

Digital calipers are generally useful tools, they're especially helpful if you are working with locks. If I'm reassembling an existing lock, I'll put it back together how I found it, however on a rekey I'll typically replace all the pins and drivers as needed. If the core is new, I'll leave the springs, but on a used core I'll put in new springs too. If you're building challenge locks, you can use the old pins as stock for your challenge lock pins, but anything that's for real use it's better to use new parts.

Having said that, I've keyed up locks in the past with old pins and made keys with regular old hardware store files, and they work fine. If you want to key locks on a budget, it's possible to use old stuff.

If you're going to sort pins, a set of reading glasses and a pair of Sparrows pinning tweezers will also be helpful.

[billdeserthills]

Actually a 'pin sorter' does exist, not many folks bought it, when they were new but I see them
from time to time. I don't see anything wrong with re-using pins, I'm just too lazy

[dojo]

i think i'm just in the mindset of 'wtf do i do if i accidentally knock the board over that has all my pins'.

i don't have a good answer to that right now.

[demux]

i think i'm just in the mindset of 'wtf do i do if i accidentally knock the board over that has all my pins'.

Depends what you mean by "board that has all my pins." If you're talking about just the board/tray you're using to repin the single lock (or small batch of locks) that you were working on at the time, you could either:

1. Try to find them all, sort them, and put them back.
2. Break out the shop vac and give the floor a good cleaning, then replace them all from your pin kit.

1 is less expensive, but only by a very tiny little bit (as has already been pointed out, pins aren't that expensive), and 2 is a lot easier.

Don't have a pin kit? I'd suggest buying one if you plan to work on repinning locks with any sort of regularity. It was one of the first and best investments I made when I got into this hobby. If you're working on more than one or two brands, I'd recommend a universal pinning kit, the LAB .003 kit is what I have and is quite nice. If you want to do this on the cheap, instead of buying the kit itself, you can buy the refill kit for the kit and just a nice box to put it into (see my post here on that).

Now, if you already have a pin kit, and you're talking about knocking that over and spilling the entire contents, then I'd probably recommend the following steps (in this order):

1. Don't
2. Cry/curse/drink/etc
3. Break out the shop vac and give the floor a good cleaning
4. Buy new pin kit
5. Don't