re keying a lock

by **vantito** » 18 Mar 2005 17:35

well i decided the lock i bought to practice picking was to easy so i decide to try and take her apart.... after about a half hour of trying to get it apart i decided to it and go in with the dremel..... well after this i finally got the main part out and succesfully removed all the pins and springs.... now what i want to know is can i just grind down the bottom pins or is there something bad in doing that? please help me on dis one

by **master in training** » 18 Mar 2005 17:47

well pics of your lock may help, but it sounds like its dead

why would you want to grind down your pins? is there any chance of getting it back together again since you took the dremel to it?

the usual way to key a lock is to mix the pins around to make it as hard as possible to pick by making the biggest variations in pin height possible, the other option is to buy some more pins, but pin sets dont come cheap. as far as i can imagine, grinding down your pins you'd ruin the lock.

by **vantito** » 18 Mar 2005 17:53

dont think u under stood..... it was in a door knob orginally, i then cut it out of that now i have the main cylinder part thing

by **vantito** » 18 Mar 2005 17:54

oh and also all the pins are almost the same length (cheap lock)

by **master in training** » 18 Mar 2005 18:39

aaah, ok, i didnt understand that bit, if it was so cheap and the only real option is to grind the pins i would say grind the pin that the key touches, but grind the part of the pin that touches the spring (if that makes any sense), try and stop the pins from heating up too much and try to keep the base of them flat, smooth and basically how they are when bought, only shorter and different lengths (obviously). you will have to be careful, since the pins are brass and will throw out shards into your eyes if your not careful. if you put them in a vice or something as well, you will have to be careful to keep them form distorting out of shape because it will make it impossible to pick if they do.

it would be nice to see some photos of this when you're done if you can, along with something saying how hard it was to do etc.

by **vantito** » 18 Mar 2005 18:43

ok so i should only grind the pins that are on the bottom not the ones that are all the same size? and when i look at the bottom pins the bottoms are mainly flat but they are relitivly rounded... hmm... im gonna play around with this one a little

by **master in training** » 18 Mar 2005 18:54

ok, a little breakdown of lock parts...

there are pins which are all the same size, these are called driver pins.
there are pins which are different lengths, these are called key pins.

inside the lock, it goes:
spring --> driver pins --> key pins

you should grind down the part of the key pin which touches the driver pin, this is the opposite side of the pins that touch the key.

dont grind the driver pins, these should be the same length. if you put the key flat on a table and put the key pins in the grooves cut in the key, the top of the line will form a straight line.

the driver pins have a flat edge both sides, which is a good way to recognise them.

key pins have a flat edge one end and a rounded edge the key runs over on the other.

you want to grind the flat edge of the key pins, leaving the rounded edge alone.

just be very careful not to leave any bits of metal sticking out of shards stuck to the pin, or distort the shape of the pin in any way.

hopefully this will help to explain which bits of the lock are called what and which pins to grind and which not to, it should also help when it comes to putting it back together.

~ Master in Training ~

by **master in training** » 18 Mar 2005 18:55

i forgot to add, sorry if my posts dont make total sense (or any at all for that matter) its been a really long day and im tired now, lol.

by **vantito** » 18 Mar 2005 19:02

when you say with the key pins that one side is flat and the other is rounded..... well i can tell which side goes down but the side that touches the drive pin is somewhat rounded should i try and carry this through when grinding?

by **master in training** » 18 Mar 2005 19:06

yeah, it would be best to keep the pins looking as close as possible to how they were originally, it will help the lock work properly after you're finished.

by **vantito** » 18 Mar 2005 19:12

alirighty... i might even try and make a key for this... difficult.... never made a key before.... i guess ill just use the original...hmm... any tips on that?

by **master in training** » 18 Mar 2005 19:38

you will need a key blank or 6 for the lock, a set of needle files or whatever files locksmiths use (i cant remember the name, they may be key files), you then need to find some way to impression the lock, then file the key blank to fit. it is definatly not an easy job. it is taught in a professional locksmiths course, but it is a few lessons in, so it is not something to be taken lightly.

normally if a locksmith were to rekey a lock, they would take an impression of the lock and cut a key to fit, or possibly swap the pins, they would never normally file the pins, so it will be intereting to see how yours turns out.

you wont be able to use the old key, because you are shortening the pins, meaning the key woud have to become higher, not shorter as it would if you were to file it.

by **vantito** » 18 Mar 2005 19:42

hey.... your right... lol... how would i go about impressioning?

by **master in training** » 18 Mar 2005 19:48

im still a bit of a noob really, so i've never made a key or impressioned a lock, but i gather theres two ways to go about it.

one way is to take plastacine and put it into the lock so that the pins press into it, but i dont know how this one works. the other it to get a key blank and put it in the lock and turn it left and right a few times so that the pins scrathc and mark the key blank and then you file out the places it marked and you have a working key. again though, im not definite on this method and dont really know how it works or anything, im just trying to remember what i've read.

it may turn out to be easier in the long run to buy a practise lock that is rekeyable and you can just take out the cylinder and swap the pins around and stuff as you feel like.

by **vantito** » 18 Mar 2005 22:59

yeah a key isnt that important i havent been working on this all night but a desent amount of time. i got one pin shortened.... straight up, brass is a EXTREMLY soft so i had to switch out the grinding stones on the dremel, it was hard to keep the surface flat. when i had it at a desired length i broke out the wire brush wheel and deburred it and rounded the top. thats all i got so far... i do a little more work tonight but i dunno

re keying a lock

re keying a lock

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