Weslock question.

Hi everyone, First just a little bit about myself. I just recently graduated from FB and the course was way too easy but im sure most of you know this and I don't consider myself a locksmith as yet. But I have also been reading as many books as I can. I also subscribe to The National Locksmith Magazine so I can learn as much stuff as I can. I have been installing locks for a while now since I have worked with my dad in construction and have re-keyed mostly Schlage locks in a small apartment complex that my dad owns.

One of my mom's friends just bought a house and she wants me to re-key it for her but all her locks are Weslocks. Key in knob and the deadbolts. I have the TNL Guide: Door Lock Encyclopedia and Steven Young's tape Basic Locksmithing but neither one has any information on Weslocks.

So is there anything I need to know that is special about taking these locks apart? Any special tools and such? Are they similar to any of the other locks that I may have information on? I know I can do this because I have taken locks apart before without any info, but It would be nice to know if I'm going to run into any trouble.

Thanks!

Mike C

Reply to
no-spam
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Weslocks have a short pin bible so you should balance the drivers or you might crush some springs.

You might need a shim if you don't have the right follower.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

Agree with Roger, no problem. If there are no other brands of locks using the keyway, Kwikset, Titan, Defiant, Dexter, Weiser, 50 or 60 after market spin offs and such, then you should have no problem. Knock em out, have fun and dont forget to charge for what you do or your family and friends will always bug you when you get good and better at what you do. :-))

Reply to
Glen Cooper

TITAN should not, and really can not, be keyed alike to anything but TITAN

Reply to
JOCK tec

Westlock knobs hae a screw holding the cylinder to the knob be careful not to tighten the screw to tight. Check it BEFORE you put it back on the door. Short top pins can be a real pain.. If I remember right you cant use a KW1 key with a #1 cut. My pin kit doesn't have bottom pins that short. If you use westlock keys you wont have a problem

Reply to
no spam

Roger, thanks for the help! No I don't have the right follower just the one I got from FB right now. But I will make one the right size on my lathe before I do the job if I have to. Or use a plastic tube split to fit over the follower I have to make up the difference. Also what I did to save money to start with to just get the Lab refill kit and put all the pins in one of those plastic drawer things. So I don't have the pinning charts that would come with a kit. I have some charts that are in Bill Phillips book on locksmithing but it doesn't have one on Weslock. So I did a search on the net and found a chart but it didn't have the sizes of the driver pins. So I kept looking and I found that out on another website. If this info is right, It shows 2 sizes of driver pins. .187 and .219. Since I have the Lab universal pins, the closest I can come to this is .185 or .189 for the first one. and the second one I would have to use a bottom pin turned upside down or just use the last top pin it has which is.200. I hope this will work out ok.

Glen thanks for the support but I feel this is a learning experience for me and don't feel comfortable charging for my work. I will charge something to cover my cost of parts but that's about if for now. Also the only family members I have are my mom and dad and I can't charge them because they paid for my FB course. LOL Again thanks for the help!

Mike C

Reply to
no-spam

I thought I read someplace that a Titan could be keyed to a regular Kwikset if you wanted to. But then I am just a beginner so I don't really know. Mike C

Reply to
no-spam

Weslock deadbolts key up about the same as Schlage or Arrow. Depress pin, rotate the cap off the back of the plug.

The knob locks are unique, never seen anything like them on any other brand. You have to depress the retainer, pull the inside knob off. Loosen two screws along side the knob, and rotate (left) the inner plate. Outside door knob comes off. In the center of the assembly (back center of the cylinder) there is a small phillips screw. Remove the screw, and the cylinder comes out.

Careful... there is no retaining clip on the plug, don't have the key in the lock while taking the small screw out.

Needs a hollow tube follower, like the ones in the HPC set.

Zero cut on the key takes .155 bottom pin, which is smaller than my Lab pinset stocks. Have to file the tumblers a bit to make them fit.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Stick the shim from the follower to the back of the oddly shaped plug....

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Glen, I am not sure what you're saying. I think you're saying that if he has only setup keys from another brand, that Weslock "can" be keyed to work on the other brands of key? It's not a perfect match but....

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I hate to disappoint you, but I've used Titan keys to operate Kwikset, Weslock. Weiser, and some of the imports.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

It is the same .500 diameter as Schlage, Kwisket, and so on. But the back of the plug sticks out in an odd shape, and so you need a hollow end to match up the back of the plug.

When you're selecting driver pins, key up the plug, and take the key out. Choose top pins long enough (try them in the holes) so that they fill the rest of the pin hole with about .060 or .070 sticking out the top of the plug.

You're right not to charge them if they paid for your course.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Titan is the same as Kwikky, except that Titan has a sixth cut which is between where the shoulder and first Kwikky cut would be.

Titan also has a recessed (far back) lower shoulder, and the top shoulder is a bit more skinny.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

follower just the one

size on my lathe

have to make up the

the Lab refill kit

things. So I don't have

charts that are

one on Weslock. So

have the sizes of

another website.

.187 and .219.

come to this is .185

to use a bottom

which is.200. I

experience for me

charge something to

I can't charge

a dial caliber would be a good investment. (try harbor tool)

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can insert the new key use the dial caliber to mic the dept of the bottom pin size you need.

g'luck

Reply to
Key

Arrow. Depress pin,

on any other brand.

off. Loosen two

plate. Outside door

of the cylinder)

cylinder comes

the ones I have seen has a flat head screw instead of a phillips.

my2

Reply to
Key

I beg to differ here. Titan was designed to be cross compatible with Kwikset. If you want to key a Kwikset to a Titan key all you need to do is to ignore the first cut.

If you are keying a Titan to a Kwikset key you drop the 6th pin.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

When you get the Weslock apart you will notice that the key does not ride flush with the bottom of the plug. Since this takes up space, the shortest bottom pin is shorter than most locks, so if your pin set only goes down to .160 you need to select a change key that does not use the shallowest of cuts.

Christopher posted a good technique for selecting the drivers. I would avoid using inverted bottom pins however as the spring will tend to slide off and jam. This is not a good thing.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

agree... around my area KW is a BIG improvement over them

--Shiva--

Reply to
--Shiva--

MIXING the 2 is FINE... BUT you MUST USE the Titan key blank

--Shiva--

Reply to
--Shiva--

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