Have You Ever Found Unique Pins in Locks?

[AngryHatter]

Sparrow makes a set of pins that resemble chess pieces.

Have you ever run into pins that are not your run-of-the-mill serrated, spool, mushroom et cetera in an existing lock?

[GWiens2001]

Do you mean non-factory, or just different from other locks?

Gordon

[AngryHatter]

Non factory.

[GWiens2001]

Have found a couple of locks with non-standard pins.

One had the back of the key pin (where it would contact the driver pin) and the front of the driver pin (where it contacts the key pin) tapered. I can understand the idea, but the reality was that it jammed up the lock when the key was turned with the driver pin sliding between the tapered key pin and the side of the pin channel in the plug.

Another had the driver pin with an hourglass shaped spool shape with the side against the key pin at a sharp angle very similar to a Master BumpStop pin. It also had the same thing done to the (steel or nickel silver) key pin, with the two pins coming together to form a diamond shape. It overlifted easily if you tried to get past the hourglass shape on the driver pin, then the driver pin would stick in place above the shear line. Two pin channels had countermilling, probably done with a dremel by the look of it. It was a bear to pick.

Those two were in the wild. Of course, have seen some really cool pins in challenge locks.

Gordon

[AngryHatter]

Ah.
Most of the time the locks I encounter are run-of-the-mill schlage or kwikset etc.

But every once in a while I find some strange pins and so I wondered if anyone else did.