Locksmithing 101 Masterkeying

[@kokomolock]

@mdinc20 Depends on where you live. Here in Indiana there are no certs required. I learned on the job.

[@chuckw2000]

I just adjusted the key scheme to avoid 1's and 0's. Thank you for your help. Great videos! Now to learn to pick...

[@jondeluca298]

Was just about to say this about 1s.

[@MickInOhio]

Thank you for explaining that in such a way that it is easily understood. Appreciate your videos.👍

[@chadfind1]

super useful, man - rekeying my house. have my new keys and my rekeying kit - this was awesome for explaining master/operating key explanations. you rock dude.

[@kokomolock]

@throat68 Yes it would open. Master keyed locks are normally easier to pick because you have at least 2 different depth in each pin stack that you can set with only 1 shear line.

[@kokomolock]

No lock manufacturer recommends using a 0 or 1 master pin. They are too thin and can tip and jam the cylinder. Maybe OK in a BEST lock, not sure on their specs.

[@stevezweig5337]

Apparently Kwikset is OK with #1 master pins.

[@maheshvara1]

Excellent explanation. I'm studying to becoma a locksmith and this was very informative. Thanks.

[@gatekeeper88]

Hello, very beginner, came from LPL - the bidding/bitting? sorry, the list you use that locksmiths use to decode is it online? - I have an angle ground lock I want to open, from my own property!, so I get the last laugh!. But I want to learn and I can't find well, that in the background.

[@RolandsDad]

Bittings can be sourced from many manufacturers in how they size their pins/key code. If you know your key code, you'll have your bitting. If you buy a key decoder card associated with your brand (and sometimes date, but that's more uncommon) and decode your key, you'll have your bitting nailed. Start from the closest cut to the logo of the key and work out. A key code will translate to so many thousandths of an inch. The key (pun intended) is finding out how they measure they cuts, but finding charts for any brand isn't too difficult. I'd suggest looking up say "insert your brand key code measurement" or something to that effect until you see a chart that gives associated measurements with each code number.

[@bbtel]

Great Vid. Just wondering how the pins were good as you said if they were standing up and not flush? How would it be lossy for the cylinder to turn?

[@daniloiraheta0529]

Thanks for clearing out my thoughts

[@haroldfrench5665]

Great video. Have always been fascinated with locks.

[@kokomolock]

@deathbybmx Great, glad it helped you. Thanks for watching.

[@jingchen9610]

where to buy the key decoder and the various pins and all tools you used? it is fun to do this.

[@Okiranger]

Awesome video! One piece of advice though....when doing close ups of the locks or keys...might want to put a small piece of cardboard or even your hand directly behind it, to keep your camera from trying to focus on multiple depths of the field.

[@kokomolock]

@chriswingateusmc Thanks, yes, the more keys that work the lock the more complicated it gets.

[@19542054]

Thanks for share your knowledge!! and experience.The locks LSDA are the same than Shlage?Can decode a key from a LSDA lock with the shlage decoder?Thanks a lot!!

[@chriswingateusmc]

great video, the master keying lesson that i saw on penn foster was much more complicated than this. You just simplified everything, now i understand it a lot more. I'm sure it gets more complicated as you add more master key systems to each lock though huh? master grand master etc?

[@AKJeeper]

Where's a good place to get a pin kit like the one you have? So far I've only found kits specific to certain brands - Master Lock, American, Kwikset, etc. Would be kind of nice to have one that did multiple brands like you've got.

[@bearspiritjpz]

AKJeeper google lab rekey kit. probably off of Amazon

[@yrtuag]

Can you show this on more than one knob set? Say you have multiple houses, curious how that's done. Thanks, enjoy you uploads.

[@DonzLockz]

Great instructional demo, cheers!

[@UDimwit]

Thanks for the info on this.. it is very helpful in alot of ways .. Kudos to you

[@rebkong]

You are a fricken genius. Great videos.

[@mackenzieperrault7382]

FUCK Hulk Hogan.

[@jaggaj8735]

Now i understand, great video, great cutaway aswell, thank you!

[@patricklucas8008]

Thank you for the wonderful tutorial. Very good explanation for a newbie.

[@dkamm65]

This video makes me want to be a locksmith.

[@MailMayne]

Did you ever become one??

[@dkamm65]

@@MailMayne No. That requires hard work and dedication. Let's be honest, I'm lucky if I put pants on in the morning.

[@1955thekeeper]

I work as a Key Control Officer, a "Locksmith", in a prison in Arkansas. I have no formal training in the trade just OJT and hours and hours of independent studies from almost every type of media you can imagine. After 18 months on the job I have learned a lot and most times the hard way. I do master keying everyday and some times several times a day. All but a handful of high security areas are double keyed. How do I stack the pins to allow for 3 separate key cuts to operate the same lock?

[@KudaPucat]

Andy Anderson being self taught, I key to the first key. As per the last video (except I file off the tall pins because I only have pins harvested from other locks). Then I remove the key and put in the second. Remove all tall pins, and top up the low ones with master pins. I then put the first key back in and top up again. I guess you could put in a third key and repeat the process... To key to 3 keys, you would need 3 pins, not just two like this video

[@ewd31989]

Thanks for the video im just staring off learning so this helps alot ..I like how your pin set is set up.. What kind of pinset is this ? i would like to get the same one

[@NorthernLightss]

Thank you for this. I have been trying to figure out how to re-key an apartment building after tenants move out to a new key code and still maintain the original master-key. Locksmith classes never got into how to re-key existing locks and not knowing what the master-key is. They only got into setting one up from new. This all makes so much more since now. I also need to know about third key systems. Do you plan on make one of those soon? Thanks again. From Alaska, Bob

[@shadowshadow2485]

Wow really educational , thanks I always wondered how this was done , thanks moe

[@jonmike-h1w]

Our patio door lock was broken. technician was prompt and knowledgeable. He was able to fix it at a reasonable price. We will use him again in the future.

[@BigHecWins]

helpful AF... thorough and clear. thanx.

[@_Pymander]

would a lock open if you picked the pins using some master pin sets and some normal key sets and have the lock still open currently??

[@russelljohnson5647]

excellent stuff.....thanks....hope you come back soon!!!!!

[@balwek2]

Great video My understanding this master thing can have 32 key combination what will open it. Can have any combination of the 2 lines, what will open it. Wow.

[@fiskpinnar123]

Does this method apply Masterkeying in general? Like different lock brands etc, i get that it might differ in thickness of the master wafers etc. But i think u get my question =)

[@jclinton5]

Uggg. A .024 thousandth #1 master pin in a kwikset lock cylinder. Ha ha ha ha ha ha thats classic !!

[@rebeccadover3283]

I just bought .003 and .005 pin kits from clk supply, it's LAB color coded pins. My pin charts have some different numbers than yours for Kwik set bottom pin legnth. Why is that? I thought I was using an universal color coded kit like yours.

[@1955thekeeper]

I work on a prison unit. My job is the installation and maintenance of various padlocks and medium to high security door locking systems. I have no problem master keying tumbler locks as you have demonstrated here. We have no choice in using master keys because to not do so would mean that our security officers would have to carry around unwieldy rings of keys simply to make security rounds. As you stack more "Master Pins" above the bottom pins the lock becomes more susceptible to picking with multiple shear lines being created. Having stated all of this, could you demonstrate how to set up a, lets say, a Kwikset system to operate with the original change key and two different master keys. I think I have an idea of how to achieve it but I would like to see it demonstrated online. What is the limit on the total number of keys you could pin to a single lock?

[@coachgumby1421]

That is a good explanation of whats the point of master keys.

[@victorreed5590]

You can put a certain amount of tension on springs before they deform. That is probably the limiting factor in how many master pins you can use in one chamber (e.g. the total must be below X inches or Y pin number.) To have three keys work with one lock, use one master pins in one chamber. Adding a master pinned chamber to a lock doubles the number of working keys in the lock. Adding a master pin to a chamber adds more working keys to the lock. For example: • 2 chambers master pinned means 2^2 keys, or 4, will work with the lock. • 1 chamber master pinned means 2^1 keys, or 2, plus a second master pin in one chamber means 3 keys will work with the lock. • 3 chambers master pinned means 2^3 keys, or 8, plus a second and third master pin in one chamber means 12 keys will work with the lock. There's probably an equation out there for multiple master pins in some chambers (one master pin per chamber is 2^C where C is number of chambers with a master pin), but I make a list of shear lines (top of key pin equalling zero, and master pins equalling 0+X.) So my first example (two chambers with a master pin) would be: 00 01 10 11 And my second (one chamber with two master pins) would be: 0 1 2

[@victorreed5590]

If you're familiar with binary addition, it helps.

[@1955thekeeper]

OK. I'm not familiar with it. At least I haven't had anything thrown at me in the last 60 years that I could identify as binary addition. Sounds spooky, complicated, but walk me through it anyway. My Father once told me if you want to test yourself as to the depth of what you know about a subject, try and teach it to someone. You believe that you have a solid background in it, well teach it to me in 144 characters or less.

[@victorreed5590]

In decimal math there's 0-9 so 2+8=10, in binary math there's only 0 and 1 so 1+1=10. The first column on the right is 1s, the second is 2s, the third is 4s, and so on. One master pin in one chamber has two places a shear line can form, similar to binary math: 0 and 1 (key pin or master pin.)

[@peterbohrmann9415]

I have two questions. After watching this video I master keyed a Schlage 5 pin lock. I took it apart again as one of the keys didn't work. When I put it together again the key wouldn't go all the way into the lock. I sawed open the shell as I wanted all the pins etc. I found that the reason the key didn't go into the lock is that I had a #6 master pin in the bible. I thought I somehow lost it and put in another #6 master pin. (I actually put in 2 x #3 pins) MY 2 questions are: How would I know there is still a master pin in the bible if I was working on an unknown lock? (Make sure if that if you find one master pin you know there must be 4 others in a 5 pin lock?) Is it OK to use 2 x #3 master pins if you don't have a #6 pin.

[@RolandsDad]

I've gutted locks and found master wafers in the cylinder and when I do, I do a total gut of the lock: springs and all. That is how you prevent yourself from allowing "secret" master wafers to reside in the bible without you knowing, or lazily accepting they COULD be there. It's more time consuming, but if you're honest and not riding the clock for fun, it's a better way of confirming, especially for things like apartments or hotels. It also tells you what their master key IS, if you measure the wafers you find, and that gives you some wiggle room.

[@daniloiraheta0529]

So the 5th master pin it’s don’t matter if it’s bigger than the bottom pin ?

[@RolandsDad]

Only if they share the same code.

[@DanburyDK]

Great video. Second time watching. I really want to do this to doors around my house 😁

[@kokomolock]

@helipilot3333 Good luck with the locksmith business. Any questions let me know.

[@vrsinjacmir2171]

I do exactly as you have showed in this video but i dont get flush. But i did 100% every step. Could it be i need to pick another key with different combination??

[@juneior8907]

Hey I have a question how can I practice locksmith any tips so I can master this subject? Thanks

[@TheTechGuy007]

Is it possible to find out the master key & operating key codes from just looking at the pins & mastering disks, as I don't have either of the keys & had I bit of a mishap when disassembling the lock i.e. the pins shot out every where >.< so now I don't have a clue what order they were in or what the keys would of been cut to. Can you please help? :)

[@doctorjacktrademastersnone760]

What's the name and price of that pin kit

[@Bansheecat6]

very cool as always learning alot from you many thanks.

[@62Cristoforo]

I’ve read many descriptions and seen lots of videos on master pinning, but this was by far the easiest to understand. Every other description is overly complicated. All they do is confuse the Hell out of me.

[@starlite528]

Always wondered about this, thanks a lot!! Other things I wonder about, why do some keys have a huge cut at one end or the other?

[@victorreed5590]

A low cut on the key corresponds to a pin that barely has to be pushed up. Pins behind that pin are then harder to push up without undoing the fault set, especially with tall profiled tools.

[@andrewgonzales6380]

ok I have a question do you cut your own key for the rekeying or do u buy them pre cute

[@enverkaancabuk73]

My question is the same.If you can buy it where did you get it.

[@JakeArnet]

@@enverkaancabuk73 You can purchase mixed sets from vendors (Amazon) or recycle old/unused keys. Cutting a new key to factory-specific dimensions can done with a stamp, but such devices are expensive.

[@odettehernandez5150]

I appreciate the detail. Thanks!

[@FancyandGracie]

My operating key is 73458. My master key is 12894. Can this work? My new bottom pin would be 1 and my master pin would be 6. If I do that my pins are taller than the cylinder. Or am I missing something??

[@kokomolock]

@wizwazzle Thanks for watching!!!

[@joefskie97]

Hi, i was confused...can you show on how you adjust the pin or putting a two pin using the kwikset chart???please

[@NaplesSwampRat]

this was really cool. great, great info that i didnt know about. i think that theres going to be some people that dont fully understand though, it seems pretty tough for someone new. also, incase people dont understand, the reason why you are using "masterpins" is because they dont have a rounded tip on them, im assuming lol

[@chuckw2000]

What do you do if the scheme calls out a #0 or #1 master pin for Schlage? They are not part of any pin kit??

[@JoeDaddyOroville]

how can i get this on a dvd to watch more often

[@jeremyjohnson2728]

Where did you buy ur kit at

[@Ebolson1019]

I was once at a college from house where there was an outside door that worked with everyone's key, hallway doors, that worked with only 4 keys, that lead to two more doors one for each room, so 104A can get into room104AB but not 104CD, how does this work? My guess is that the outside door had less pins than the other doors and those used a combination of master pins and a different number of pins. Please give me your opinion.

[@TimLindentheGrassGuy]

our school district has room/school/district keys, interesting though the teacher bathrooms didn't work with the school/district keys but only the room keys..

[@acoow]

Does this mean that a key cut to 54251 will work?

[@alexnikoo244]

Is it possible to make it upside down? I mean make a master key for a lock??

[@predapreh]

Wot?

[@waymondblassengale7238]

Alex Nikoo o

[@waymondblassengale7238]

Alex Nikoo e

[@MrGabriel1973]

very useful video im so grateful

[@sandyclemens9290]

Are you available to consult newbies?

[@joli78363]

could u help me out, i got this kwikset

[@alberthiggins383]

really interesting never knew how master keys work

[@RolandsDad]

Look into grand master keys, or great grand master keys. Same principle, but becomes a headache to work with, especially considering how much it dings their true security. The more shear lines you introduce the easier it is to pick, and each master wafer introduces two additional lines, tripling your chances per pin that is master wafered. Systems that do this however are typically more complex and have much tighter tolerances and sidebars at the bare minimum as an additional means of security. It's still fun to be aware of. Labs or hospitals MAY have a grand master system, but it is not common in the states. You have to be working with some high budget places to bother with that much security and awareness.

[@kokomolock]

@2tD Let me know if you have any questions.

[@robbgoulet874]

does anyone not realize that by doing this about 24 other key patterns will also now work in the same lock .... so much for security

[@victorreed5590]

Yes. It's best to avoid putting a master pin in more chambers than you need to, but if you're making a lock for existing keys sometimes you don't have a choice.

[@predapreh]

Thats what restricted key systems are for

[@securityman6666]

Finally someone who get it!

[@chadanaconda901]

I had that same thought. By masterkeying this five pin Kwikset lock you increase the chances of any random Kwikset key being able to open the lock from 1 in 7776 to 1 in 243. Considering how many Kwikset keys are in circulation that's reasonably insecure. Would work best as a second level of access control within a separate security system.

[@madjack821]

robb goulet true, but all locks do is (wait for it) “keep an honest man honest.”

[@TheCruithneach]

@inger132 Relevence.You can be shown heaps of stuff and still take 3 hours to pick a short format cylinder. go to the falcon website and tell em not to post PDF scale image of the plug removal tool :\.... lets face it, picked bypasses are too time consuming for crooks, and locks are for keeping the honest folks out anyway when the joint has 6ml glazing on every window; suspended timber floor;tiled rooves with gypsum ceilings? around that impregnable backset.It'd be a dumb crook that picks in.

[@timeworkdistance7238]

SAR master key Kaha Sha khareday

[@sandyclemens9290]

So what do you do IF the scheme calls for a #0 or a #1?

[@robertthompson4965]

It should be noted that this pinning arrangement will give a chance of about 32 keys to operate this lock.

[@mattmiller4285]

A good rule of practice avoid #0 and #1 pins in master keying or you will get a call back later

[@memelover4387]

FBI: "FBI OPEN UP!" Me: "oH sHeyyt"

[@markwatney8641]

where's your warrant g-man ?!

[@kokomolock]

@valleystylez1 Yes, I have 2 cats!!!

[@cholasuek]

what is the problem with using 025 master pin? Give a reason. Other wise it will just be another statement. I hate negative posts without a premise. Or, if some of home handy man knows how to do this properly, if might cut off some revenue of the locksmith bizz? This video is great video. Please no mud slinging. Some of us use these kinds of video as a learning tool. The lock will jam after 2 days is a side effect reason for using 025, but why would it jam?

[@mdinc20]

how do you become certified to do all this

[@tomgaylord1601]

You sure know how to make a short story long.

[@russgoddard63]

Great video, thanks!

[@2tD]

il need to watch this vid a few more times lol great info though

[@williamdutton4947]

Brother you really made this easy to follow thanks

[@locksmith3585]

lets put it this way - better be single as a locksmith!

[@bryanrounds]

Where can I buy that rekeying tool kit

[@bearspiritjpz]

grab the sky that's a lab kit. id look on Amazon but it's gonna be steep

[@kokomolock]

Ya, not best practice, but just a basics video!!

[@locksmith3585]

Well done video

[@morganbirchall3905]

I watched this video because I am a landlord and I wanted a key for myself that opened all of the house’s doors and for them to have a different key that opened their own doors

[@Quand9]

i watched this because I am a tenant, and I want to know my landlord cause my room to be broken into because master keying made the lock easy to pick

[@user-rw3qq2sr1z]

Great vid, awesome info man ! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us ;)

[@sonikempire]

great video. thanks

[@pearljameric]

What if you want a Master key to work all locks in a building and then you have "A" key to work every lock in the building except the Master Lock. Then you need a "B" key to work every lock in the building except "A" and Master locks and finally a "C" key to work only "C" locks? How the heck do you pin this?! Thanks!

[@dmmikerpg]

That's a lot of pins, but you'd do it in a very similar way. You'd use the lowest pin, then the difference between them (so you'd have up to two master pins per cylinder). You have to be *very* careful about exactly what keys you're using though, because too much of a difference will make it likely that any key will work.

[@Elite2424-e1l]

To avoid all that work of masterkeying ..why not make a copy of the operating key..?

[@dmmikerpg]

So you can have a single key operate multiple locks while keeping a unique key. For example, an apartment building where maintenance might have a master key that will open up every apartment, but residents can't open up each other's doors.

[@benabdallahmahmoud9461]

hai thank you for this video how about if I have master key and sub master key

[@wizwazzle]

wicked vid! thanks.

[@inger132]

Why a professional locksmith feels that this should be in the public domain is beyond me.........

[@Bewilderbeast1]

If criminals were actually motivated enough to educate themselves, they could get jobs that pay out way better than theft with less risk

[@securityman6666]

Only Quickset would be so stupid as to use a (.025) #1 master pin . I will give this lock 2 days of use before it jams and stops working.

[@peterdambra6387]

Dale Fleming .. I try to avoid #1 masters as much as possible. The actual dimension is .023. The flat wafers work better than the beveled ones, they are terrible to work with. When I do use 1s, I match them to work with the master key, not the common key which gets the vast majority of the operation.

[@boundlesslife12]

Yea they're able to pick any woman's lock... in the Shakespearean sense.

[@dylanthorner]

Thats great, I have one cat :)

[@thekeywizard3313]

NEVER use a 1 wafer in master keying. This will cause the lock to jam after a few hundred uses.

[@RolandsDad]

It's a good rule of thumb, but if you're working with a good lock it will be fine. I avoid the "thin" wafers due to key feel, and people who will inevitably complain that the lock "feels" broken. Even on good locks #1's and some #2's feel gritty and raise concern. I also avoid them due to ease of picking. Why make a lock that much easier to pick with such a small difference? At that point it's due to a lack of key access or a code cutting machine that you would encounter that.

[@Riyame]

@inger132 Maybe he likes to teach people things. Perhaps he would like people to know what goes into their locks so they do not remain as ignorant as some people are. Let me guess. You think locksmithing is some great secret magical thing and people shouldn't know squat all. Its thinking like that that keeps people dumb about their homes security and buying sub par quality locks that arent worth the time to install them.

[@getprolocks976]

Never do master key system with kwikset no security, schlage is much better security ans made for that.

[@gwrash]

What is a 0 master pin? no lock company would have a 0 master because if the difference between the cuts is #0, you would have the same cut!!! and Kwikset uses a #0 master pin all the time, you Gage did not have a #7 cut on it, and Kwikset uses a #7 cut on their master keys and that is the only time a #7 cut is used.

[@randykeel7477]

Can't see wht he doing