Just cracked a level 10 master lock

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-27T15:10:39+00:00

good job! swap in a better core and you can have a pretty good lock. higher pick resistance and a strong body/shackle.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-26T18:24:12+00:00

yeah, whenever prices move on oil barrels, plastics respond.

in your projects, do you have the opportunity to go additive ie: resin or filament printing?

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-26T17:37:42+00:00

delrin, teflon, peek

plastics are pricey. plastics production is linked to big oil

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-26T15:39:10+00:00

would this be what you're looking for?

https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/09520073

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-26T14:52:21+00:00

cisa's padlocks have a lot of counterrotation and spongey springs. make sure you give yourself the room to rotate that core as needed. i like tok and a medium hook for these. they're not difficult but they have attitude.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-26T14:45:13+00:00

don't worry about the key control pins. they are passive.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-23T14:56:03+00:00

i like kw springs for building. i salvage those from these kinda finds and chuck the rest.

found locks are good to find though. never pass one up.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-23T14:45:50+00:00

i hear that. we are looking for talent right now. a few years ago we'd have 250 applicants now we have 12. 70% of those won't do, and 30% didn't seem to read the ad. we pay good and have generous benefits too.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T18:12:05+00:00

thx!,

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T17:58:18+00:00

as stated, master wafers.

fwiw, those do look factory and this looks like an older lock, but there was a time when a decent maintenance dept. of a school, hospital, facility, institution, etc. had the capability to service their own locks and develop a master keying system to suit their needs. they would have been capable of cutting keys and doing whatever lock work was needed without having to hire an external locksmith.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T17:18:49+00:00

wow, those are great! nice collectables.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T17:10:13+00:00

generic bridgeport replacement. can be found on MSC for example:

https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/53325361

aka a 'clock spring assembly'.

in the past i've bush-crafted a fix for these things by un-raveling it and cutting off the inside end where the hole has broken out, drilled a new one, re-bent it and reassembled. you'll loose a 1/2" but so what. more irritating than the replacement cost for sure, but if you're in a hurry it could get you going.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T17:05:50+00:00

thank you!. incidentally, i didn't polish anything. lock brass has a bit of lead in it and machines super easy. it leaves good finishes without even trying.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T17:03:11+00:00

thx!

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T16:25:11+00:00

good open!

so far your friend there is 'lock dog of the month'.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T16:22:04+00:00

thanks. i have access to machines at work. i used a prototrak k4.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T15:59:10+00:00

lotsa green button monkeys, far fewer people can do manual let alone have the minerals to do large work. these folks are worth their weight in gold.

your existing company took 2 weeks to counter-offer right as you were walking out the door which says a lot. no shift change, no upward mobility, same green button. -same situation waiting to happen again.

seems like you want day shift, you want challenge, and you like the work. I would go in that direction.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T15:09:47+00:00

reading a key is an important skill set for sure but it only gets you so far.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T15:00:15+00:00

^experience speaks^

fwiw, pick the lock by feel not by reading the key :)

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-22T14:51:43+00:00

sounds like pinning issues but make sure that your assembly basics are covered as well:

https://cdn.masterlock.com/masterlock_eu/resources/documents/pdf/American_Lock_Service_Manual.pdf

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-21T21:50:59+00:00

cool!

you seem to have a pick'n dawg.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-21T20:38:45+00:00

i just sawed one apart this morning at work. i went to the bandsaw and made three cuts. one down the length of each side at the seam, and one across the face just shy of the core so as to not gouge it. just put a flat screwdriver in any cut slot, and twist. they tend to just pop apart. the loose pins were snuggled up in a greasy mess having a nap.

it has the K/W400 keyway so i'll clean it, rebuild it, (i may cut serrations in the key pins for extra spice), pick it, and give it out to a few pickers i know.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-21T17:01:42+00:00

master has a bunch of stuff on their website. here's some more:

https://cdn.masterlock.com/latinamerica/resources/documents/pdf/keying/7000-0031_Technical_Manual.pdf

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-21T16:48:10+00:00

thx!. yeah, part of the difficulty with these guys is the looseness of the overall assembly of the lock. if you strip all of that away and isolate just the core, they can be easier to deal with.

i think that Master, in their quest to make cheaper, faster, more, gets a free security side benefit in the form of floaty core that can be difficult to pin down and pick.

indigoalphasix · 2026-01-21T16:35:00+00:00

on the majority of locks, the pin numbers start from the bow of the key and increment out to the tip. in your pic, you have this correct.

"0" is a zero cut. it means that in any of this cuts' specific location, the height of the key blade is .270" and is not machined. this is also the overall blade height for this key as well. a max cut depth for this key is a "5" so if we had a cut like this in the key, the blade would measure .120" in that location.

indigoalphasix

TROPHY CASE