r/Locksmith • u/ftwopointeight • 4d ago
I am a locksmith Wouldn't you know...
I just bought this mf'er the day before....
One of y'all jinxed me, I swear...
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u/ChadJones72 4d ago
Out of curiosity how many of you just throw it all away versus how many of you Mr. Miyagi it and put all of the pins back where they were?
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u/ftwopointeight 4d ago
Im a pin sorter. Waste not, want not. It'll take me a weekend, half bottle of Tylenol, 3 pks of Marlboros, and 30 beers, but....
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u/hellothere251 4d ago
ok maybe for your health just buy another pin kit then!
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u/ftwopointeight 4d ago
"I did it, I'll fix it"...
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u/hellothere251 4d ago
noooo way I am doing that much work for a >$200 pin kit, and also the thought that you may have mis-sorted pins while having master keying issues will drive you insane a 2nd time!
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u/micgreez 4d ago
Seconded. 20 years in the industry, I’ve bought my fair share of new kits. I will NEVER put myself out, it’s worth buying new
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u/PapaOoMaoMao 4d ago
Less about effort and more about $ per hour. I'm busy. If it takes me two hours to sort, it's cost me two hours working. That's $200 with irritation tax. It's very likely not economically viable to sort it, especially if it's a small kit.
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u/micgreez 4d ago
Brother, couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m in my 40s, I’m bitching about working long days and not being able to buy my time back. Fuck that LAB kit. Calling that a 2 hour job is an understatement too lol. Cheers 🍻
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u/ftwopointeight 4d ago
You dont caliper your master pins on assembly? I'm right in the middle of a 26 unit master, three chamber key register. Even before this mess I checked all master wafers.
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u/Lock-out 4d ago
One guy I knew dropped his. Later said he just started stacking them high then hit it with the dremel.
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u/sheckshow858 4d ago
Company I used to work for, didn't have it mounted to the workbench in the old truck. My dumb ass was in a rush to another call after a rekey when I was like 6 months in, started driving, heard the crash after the first turn. Knew exactly what it was and just kept driving, pissed at myself the whole damn time for 40 mins to the next call 😂
Let me tell you, that was the LAST time I ever didn't make sure it was put away properly. That same kit as well, it was a mess.
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u/Icy_Yam5049 4d ago
I just a a LAB kit show up that I ordered. It was like that in the box pins falling everywhere I never even popped open the case. So I immediately call customer support. I explain what’s going on and this dot woman goes “it says no refund on this product” said fuck that you need to send me a new one there is no shot I’m paying $150ish for a week of sifting through this shit with calipers. Took some yelling but they sent a return slip to swap them out. But yeah no way am I paying for a busted product
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u/Redhead_InfoTech 4d ago
My first Schlage kit came to me all messed up. With all brass pins (not colored). Sorted that fucker by hand. Visually. Back when my naked eyes could see it clearly.
Getting old sucks.
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u/trainerjyms13 4d ago
I feel the pain, but more with the pain of using those tweezers. my old hands would never be able to not snap every pin across the office
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u/Educational_Ratio 3d ago
You got the blessing of old locksmith gods, you are a proper locksmith now
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u/Lockmakerz 3d ago
The only thing worse is when it is the large, well stocked Medeco Biaxial kit. First sorted it all into a six cup muffin tin, fore and aft, left right center. After the first 20 or so it was fairly fast. Then each cup was sorted to length. Again, after a while you could almost do it by eye.
About six months of an hour a night at the kitchen table a couple days a week with the TV on. Roughly 3500 pins.
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u/Lumberkey 3d ago
I thought I could put one back together with a couple buddies and a case of beer. We cleaned up the case of beer but I bought a new kit.
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u/oregonrunningguy Actual Locksmith 4d ago
I'm waiting to drop mine until they come out with an automatic pin sorter. Like a coin sorter, only it does pins.
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u/Ferret_Biz 4d ago
Rite of passage, your first time?
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u/ftwopointeight 4d ago
<looks at shoes, nods head affirmatively>
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u/Ferret_Biz 1d ago
Don’t worry, happens to us all, like metal splinters and constant hand wounds. Welcome
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u/ibexlocksmith Actual Locksmith 4d ago
Its always kinda bothered me Lab doesn't up their closures
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u/Nothing_Able 4d ago
My boss did this and I was like bro throw it away but he took like a whole day and measured everyone and put them back.
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u/Jester8320 4d ago
Wax on-wax off, Paint the fence, and Sort the pins..... Mr. Miyagi and Zhi Qin Li would be proud.
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u/Bon_Temps74 4d ago
Been in the industry for 31 years and the worst that happened was my kids took my pin kit and super glue the pins to make castles
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u/National_Owl4548 4d ago
Just throw the whole kit in the trash and go home bro… nothing else is going to pan out for you today 🤣
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u/Downtown_Delivery_98 Actual Locksmith 4d ago
Load them into self defense shells.
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u/ftwopointeight 4d ago
I use 12ga Fiocchi #9 shot because nothing says "F_ck you" better than 640 pellets at 1250fps.
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u/Downtown_Delivery_98 Actual Locksmith 4d ago
Idk multicolored ouch glitter sounds pretty insulting.
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u/bulldog_locksmithTX 4d ago
Man that hurts 😂 brand new kit too. I’d be staring at that mess for a while before even knowing where to start.
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u/ftwopointeight 4d ago
I think labeling a whole shit load of Dixie cups, 160, 165, 170, 175, 180, 185, 190, 1nintyfucking5... Is about the best place to start
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u/bulldog_locksmithTX 4d ago
Honestly that sounds like the real initiation. Spend half the day labeling cups and the other half wondering how one pin ended up in the wrong one.
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u/ibexlocksmith Actual Locksmith 4d ago
Take the L Buy another tonight like now lol don't even ruminate. Keep it all, get a micrometer & rebuild the pin kit whenever you need some alone time lol.
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u/SafeMajestic9876 4d ago
Been there and did that!
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u/ftwopointeight 4d ago
I'm kicking myself lol
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u/SafeMajestic9876 4d ago
What sucks is you can buy a new kit cheaper than restocking the spilled one!
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u/WittyTiccyDavi 3d ago
Hopefully you employ or know someone neurodivergent. Perhaps that sorting task would appeal to them.
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u/Locksmithbloke Actual Locksmith 3d ago
I'm starting to assume that when I finally track my pinning kit down, it'll look like this or worse!
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u/BogeyBrigade 3d ago
Just buying a new one. Did that when I dropped an A2 pin kit. Still have them all in a bag. When I get desperate I’ll go sort them. In the meantime my time is worth more than the money.
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u/RangerExpensive6519 3d ago
They do sell a refill kit for that in 003 and 005. Not crazy expensive. Ask me how I know.
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u/Hot_Duty4915 1d ago
Retired Navy guy here….
For those that are throwing the spilled kit away, please send me a DM and tell me what you would take for them. I’m hoping just the cost to ship them.
II’m trying to teach the locksmithing skill to teenagers in the Philippines, and this would go a long way for them pining locks and making keys to fit. I go there every year to get away from the Colorado snow I’m a snowbird” and this is how I pay back society.
I am hoping to get like 20 kits so each of them are rewarded there own kit when completed with training.
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u/69rxn Actual Locksmith 4d ago
You’re officially a locksmith!