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Rekeying a lock is replacing the old lock pins with new lock pins.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2018) |
Rekeying a lock is replacing the old lock pins with new lock pins.
Rekeying was first invented in 1836 by Solomon Andrews, a New Jersey locksmith. His lock had adjustable tumblers and keys, allowing the owner to rekey it at any time. Later in the 1850s, inventors Andrews and Newell patented removable tumblers which could be taken apart and scrambled. The keys had bits that were interchangeable, matching varying tumbler configurations. This arrangement later became the basis for combination locks. [1]
Locks are usually re keyed to build master-key systems, make a set of locks share a common key, or to eliminate compromised keys. [2] [3] [4] Sometimes worn pins are replaced with new pins if the old pins become too short to reach the shear-line. [5] The shear-line is the thin line shared by the lock plug and its cylindrical housing. If a pin sits flush with the circumference of the plug it will allow lock rotation. Lock cylinders use different length pins in different combinations to create relatively unique key bitting. Most keys have 5 cuts from bow to tip. If a key has 5 cuts, the lock has 5 pins. Different brand locks each vary in many small ways, this is most true when servicing them. Many manufacturers offer product-specific manuals. Information disclosed in manufacturer manuals is often otherwise difficult to find, as is locksmith material in general.
Pins are manufactured and numbered in the thousandths of an inch, based on the length of the pin. Typical sizes are .0025" (two and a half thousandths), .003" (three thousandths), .005" (five thousandths), or 0.010" (ten thousandths). A ten thousandths pin kit is rarely sold. [6] Lock manufacturers each use specific depth and spacing allowing organized master-key systems to be complex, large, and manageable. A standard pin kit offers the exact size variety needed. Using manufacturer depths permits easy keying, but often you must deviate slightly for optimum accuracy. Pin kits provide master- wafers, top- pins, and springs for a thorough cylinder rebuild. Replace any worn parts, rekey, lubricate, and reassemble. Check to see that the keys work well, check remaining customer keys if any and reinstall.
To rekey a lock you have to first remove the lock cylinder from any housing it rests in. The lock cylinder must be disassembled, and the plug removed. Use a plug follower to avoid dropping master-wafers, top pins and springs. The plug has cylindrical chambers spaced according to manufacturer specifications. Pins are contained in these chambers where they are pushed down by springs or raised by a key. [7] [8] Each cut sits under a chamber of its own, each pin sits on a cut of its own. Place the correct pins in each chamber, bringing the top of each new pin flush with the shear-line. Check the upper chambers using a master-follower for old unused master wafers and remove any. [7] If any springs are noticeably weak or the lock was especially dirty replace the springs. If the old pins are rounded from use or otherwise show excessive wear replace springs. Reinsert the plug taking care not to drop top pins into any unused chamber. Test key, make slight adjustments if needed and reassemble.
There are some systems, like InstaKey, that allow locks to be rekeyed by inserting and turning a specially designed key without removing cores or lock hardware. [9] [10]
Locksmithing is the science and art of making and defeating locks. Locksmithing is a traditional trade and in many countries requires completion of an apprenticeship. The level of formal education legally required varies from country to country from none at all, to a simple training certificate awarded by an employer, to a full diploma from an engineering college, in addition to time spent working as an apprentice.
Lock picking is the practice of unlocking a lock by manipulating the components of the lock device without the original key.
A warded lock is a type of lock that uses a set of obstructions, or wards, to prevent the lock from opening unless the correct key is inserted. The correct key has notches or slots corresponding to the obstructions in the lock, allowing it to rotate freely inside the lock.
The pin tumbler lock is a lock mechanism that uses pins of varying lengths to prevent the lock from opening without the correct key. Pin tumblers are most commonly employed in cylinder locks, but may also be found in tubular pin tumbler locks.
A disc tumbler or disc detainer lock is a lock composed of slotted rotating detainer discs. The lock was invented by Finnish founder of Abloy, Emil Henriksson (1886–1959) in 1907 and first manufactured under the Abloy brand in 1918.
A tubular pin tumbler lock, also known as a circle pin tumbler lock, radial lock, or the trademark Ace lock popularized by manufacturer Chicago Lock Company since 1933, is a variety of pin tumbler lock in which a number of pins are arranged in a circular pattern, and the corresponding key is tubular or cylindrical in shape. Most locks use between six and eight pins, although some use as few as four or as many as ten. The devices have been widely used on vending machines, elevators, public computers, and bicycle locks.
A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released by a physical object, by supplying secret information, by a combination thereof, or it may only be able to be opened from one side, such as a door chain.
A lever tumbler lock is a type of lock that uses a set of levers to prevent the bolt from moving in the lock. In the simplest form of these, lifting the tumbler above a certain height will allow the bolt to slide past.
A mortise lock is a lock that requires a pocket—the mortise—to be cut into the edge of the door or piece of furniture into which the lock is to be fitted. In most parts of the world, mortise locks are found on older buildings constructed before the advent of bored cylindrical locks, but they have recently become more common in commercial and upmarket residential construction in the United States. The design is widely used in domestic properties of all vintages in Europe.
Padlocks are portable locks usually with a shackle that may be passed through an opening to prevent use, theft, vandalism or harm.
Bitting is the depth of key cuts on a cylinder key for a pin tumbler lock, often expressed as a number. Bitting also refers to the combination of key cuts on a bit key for a warded lock or lever tumbler lock.
A skeleton key is a type of master key in which the serrated edge has been removed in such a way that it can open numerous locks, most commonly the warded lock. The term derives from the fact that the key has been reduced to its essential parts.
A master key operates a set of several locks. Usually, there is nothing special about the key itself, but rather the locks into which it will fit. These master-keyed locks are configured to operate with two, or more, different keys: one specific to each lock, which cannot operate any of the others in the set, and the master key, which operates all the locks in the set. Locks that have master keys have a second set of the mechanism used to operate them that is identical to all of the others in the set of locks. For example, master keyed pin tumbler locks often have two shear points at each pin position, one for the change key and one for the master key. A far more secure system has two cylinders in each lock, one for the change key and one for the master key.
Lock bumping is a lock picking technique for opening a pin tumbler lock using a specially crafted bump key, rapping key or 999 key. A bump key must correspond to the target lock in order to function correctly.
A wafer tumbler lock is a type of lock that uses a set of flat wafers to prevent the lock from opening unless the correct key is inserted. This type of lock is similar to the pin tumbler lock and works on a similar principle. However, unlike the pin tumbler lock, where each pin consists of two or more pieces, each wafer in the lock is a single piece. The wafer tumbler lock is often incorrectly referred to as a disc tumbler lock, which uses an entirely different mechanism.
An interchangeable core or IC is an adaptable locking key cylinder, which can be rapidly exchanged in the field via the use of specialized "control keys".
The term protector lock has referred to two unrelated lock designs, one invented in the 1850s by Alfred Hobbs, the other in 1874 by Theodor Kromer.
A magnetic keyed lock or magnetic-coded lock is a locking mechanism whereby the key utilizes magnets as part of the locking and unlocking mechanism. Magnetic-coded locks encompass knob locks, cylinder locks, lever locks, and deadbolt locks as well as applications in other security devices.
The Bramah lock was created by Joseph Bramah in 1784. The lock employed the first known high-security design.
This is a glossary of locksmithing terms.
| Fundamental concepts |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Components and hardware | ||
| Keys | ||
| Mechanical locks | ||
| Electronic locks | ||
| Other lock types | ||
| Lock picking | ||
| Security alarms |
| |
| Miscellaneous | ||
