My new Schlage

[zekeo]

Well, I saved up a little cash and got a fun new schlage hoping to work on spools. I was having trouble figuring out which ones were spools, so I took it apart. It turns out that pins 1-4 were all spools! Anyway, I'm making some progress... I can now pick it with three pins, two of them spools.

I thought I'd share my experience taking apart this lock and putting it back together without a plug follower. With the key in the lock and the pins facing up I slowly pulled the plug out until the first pin was pushed out by the spring. It's easy to not lose them--just put a finger over the cyinder to catch them.

Putting them in again is the trick, of course. After manuvering the spring in the first hole I placed the plug so that when I dropped the pin it would be at the proper depth to slip into the hole. I used the slit of the back of the keyway to rotate the pin into position, proceeding to push it down with the handle of my Southord pick. Just slip the plug forward, and repeat.

I know this isn't revolutionary, but it might help some newbies with pieces of lock all over.

[capt.dunc]

i know i've only got to cut a bit of dowel, but it's one of those jobs that never gets done. that's the way i first re-pinned a lock, and it's the way i still do it, even though i've used a dowel with a groove in and know that it's easier.

[Chrispy]

My plug follower is a crayon wrapped in electrical tape.

[fixer]

I have a small screwdriver that doubles as an emergency follower. I have also used a sharpie marker pen.

If you are going to take locks to pieces regularly, a good set of followers is a worthwhile investment, they can save you hours of frustration.

The other tool is a pair of long tweezers. There are special pin tweezers available, but you can make your own.

WARNING
Some locks use different size driver pins depending on the size of the bottom pin. Schlage uses 3 different sizes. If you use a #9 bottom pin where a long driver is in use, it is possible that you over compress the spring and/or lock up the cylinder. This is not a great risk with Kwikset and Schlage, but it is information you might need as the spring tension will feel wrong.

[Mad Mick]

After initially using the back of the plug to repin locks, then progressing to using a 'proper' grooved follower, the time wasted with the former method is, well...pretty much a waste of time. It's far easier to just drop the pin, or spring, into the cylinder bore and have it line up with the hole 50% of the time, as opposed to always having to manipulate into position.

However, if not using a proper follower and trying to re-insert springs, an easy way is to push a half-diamond between the coils and simply place the spring into the hole. The driver pin installment results in a balancing act though..

[vector40]

I absolutely agree. Pinning a cylinder without a proper follower (which means a NON HOLLOW cylinder with a groove... useless if hollow, it won't hold anything on the end) was getting near to crimping cat5 as my least favorite task in the ENTIRE WORLD. So glad I stopped that.

[zekeo]

This is what I thought at first too... yet I was able to repin my lock faster than with a follower (I've tried both). I don't even need tweesers. It's easy to put in the driver pin--I drop it into the cylinder and shake it around a little, it settles into the back of the keyway, and I can just rotate it right into position. It seriously took me less than a minute to get all five pins in.

[raimundo]

I start with the follower pushed in to the middle of the lock then pin my way forward til half the locks done, the i slide the follower through til the other end uncovers the empty hole in the middle of the lock that needs a pin and I work my way out the other end. this seems easier than working full length down a dark cylinder.