Question on rekeying locks

My first question would be; Who's rekeying them now?

Then, do you have the equipment and supplies to rekey them?

Pinning kit Follower Shims Pin tweezers Key machine Per-cut keys (or a code machine)

Are you just going to be rekeying them or masterkeying them? If the latter, you need more than just a crash course in rekeying. You need to take a basic masterkeying _class_ or you could easily find yourself in deep do-do very quickly.

First off, not too many apartment complexes like to do this kind of thing in-house because of the very big liability it opens then up to...

As Bob asked, Who is doing this for you now ???

And: Are you simply looking to re-key these locks, or master key them ???

If you are going to be doing this type of work as part of your job, then I highly recommend taking a basic locksmithing course where you receive hands-on training from someone who knows what they are doing before you find yourself in deep trouble...

Evan, ~~formerly a maintenance man, now a college student

As per the questions posed to me from my post:

The old maintenance man was rekeying the locks before, he was supposed to teach me this, but got pissed at the property manager and quit before he did.

The tools and pin kit are still there I just am not sure how to start.

Yes they all need to be keyed to a master key also.

The reason they want this done by the maintenance man is it saves them money and most of the residents do not turn in the keys when they leave. This leaves us with a bunch of locks that we can't use as the keys are unaccounted for.

any suggestions?

First before you take apart any locks -- learn how to master key them properly... Take a class in basic masterkeying so you understand completely how the concept works...

New Question: Are there any key records around that list bittings (key cut codes) that would allow you to safely expand this system ???

Your work will be much more difficult if you don't have this intormation, and in all honesty you will end up having to rekey all of the locks under a new system to ensure you are not repeating and key bittings or have any key interchange with locks that are already in place...

Having the tools and the pin kits is a start... But you will need a machine that will allow you to originate cut keys from blanks, the code machine, in order to properly master key the locks... There are rules that must be carefully followed in order to be 100% sure that your masterkey system is safe...

Lastly, your comment on the reason why the property management wants its maintenance personnel to rekey the locks only shows the lack of information on the part of the person making the decisions... Locks do not require a key in most cases to rekey them, there is a skill set of picking and shimming that can be learned to re-use and re-key these locks in NO circumstances should YOU EVER reuse a lock in a system such as an apartment complex without RE-KEYING it... Some tenants entrust a copy of their key to a neighbor and then forget about it when they leave... You need to design a system that will work for you based on your average turn-over rate... You will not be able to use the same system for years and years if you turn over tenants too quickly...

Be careful of what you do... Learn what needs to be learned before you get bullied into doing something you are not qualified to do...

There is a rule of thumb in locksmithing: "He who touched the lock last owns it, and any problems that result from any defect in the workmanship"

Evan, ~~formerly a maintenance man, now a college student

You are going to need a basic locksmithing text on rekeying or dissasemble a lock and figure it out. Hint:If you don't insert a follower after the plug when you remove it the pins and springs are going everywhere. You are also going to have to read and UNDERSTAND a good masterkeying text like master Keying by the numbers. You will also need to learn how to use the key cutter or punch. If you aren't getting a raise you probably don't want to be bothered.

1. If they are Kwiksets and site masterkeyed, heaven knows how it was done. Probably 'random' masterkeying - no bitting charts or anything like this - someone just grabs or makes a key to use as the 'servant' key and sets the cylinder accordingly. You can get away with it for small suites, but the chances of 'ghost' keys etc increases as more cylinders are involved.
2. If you have spare cylinders, woul not taking them to a locksmith shop be an economic way of doing the work?

If there is no biting record or if it's not accurate the only solution is going to be to start from scratch.

You posted a message to a locksmith group to ask how to DIY and not call a brother locksmith? I'm not sure it's advisable to teach you how to.... you know....

Thank You all for your comments.

I do realize that I've been put into a bad situation, but you have to play the cards you are dealt.

Sorry Dale this is not in the Cleveland area.

Stormin Mormon, the reason they want me to do this is they haven't had much luck getting a dependable response from very many contractors, mostly because they are having financial trouble and are slow to pay. So would it be better for me to insist that they bring in a locksmith that might not get paid? Also this is a skill I would like to learn.

To the rest I guess I'll go to the library and look for some books, I was really hoping to find something on-line, but it is what it is.

I'll let you all know if I have any luck.

Thanks again,

Steve

you have to play

haven't had much

contractors, mostly

pay. So would it

that might not get

some books, I was

is.

are you sure you want to continue working for a company that is having financial trouble ? very considerate of you, not put another contractor/locksmith in a no-pay situation.

g'luck

That's true. If you're working for someone else, you've basically got two choices. 1) Do what they tell you (as long as it's legal and ethical) or 2) find another job.

He's got ya there, Chris. :) At least he's honest!

That's probably the best idea. You have to understand; what you're asking for isn't something we can (responsibly) teach you in a few emails. It goes a lot deeper than that.

However, if in your studies, you have any _specific_ questions, I'm sure I speak for most, if not all of the pros here, when I say we'll be glad to help answer those questions.

Feel free to email me if you like (remove the anti-spam stuff). I'll be happy to help you along.

Bobby

I've always had a lot more success in getting paid when I was an _employee_ of a cowboy company, rather than an independent contractor trying to invoice them. Neither is much fun, but they'll keep paying the daily staff to the bitter end, just to keep them showing up for work.

Good luck to you Steve - I'm sure learning this skill would be useful in the future, and it might even help if you need a new job soon.

If he had to rely on you to do it he's a lot better off DIYing it.

Basic rekeying of a kwikset can be learned in minutes. Home depot even sells a kit to do this.

Keep reading if a master key is involved:

Keying locks for use in a master key system is more of a problem. There are courses online and in book form that will teach you how to do master keying. For a small complex of 20 or 30 locks it's not rocket science.

You should have a 'bitting chart' that the previous locksmith used. You can take this to a locksmith along with the lock to have keys it rekeyed and the new keys generated.

If you don't have the bitting chart you can start a whole new master key system. For a small enough complex you might want to just keep a dup for each apartment and forget about mastering.

Daniel