Re-keying your locks, The how-to thread Options

[markb]

I was re-keying a lock for someone today, and thought it might be a good time to take some pictures & explain how you can do this yourself. It’s not rocket science, if I can do it, anyone can do it. Please correct me if I’m wrong, or use the wrong terminology.

I’ll start with a door handle, because that seems to be what needs to be re-keyed the most.


Your standard 914 door handle.

[markb]

Before you start replacing wafers, wipe the accumulated gunk off of the parts. I’ve been told it’s better to put the wafers back in dry, and lube things up once it’s back together.

Now you need to move the wafers around until they are flush with the tumbler. Put the key in the tumbler, and look to see which wafers are not flush. Now look to see if they are not flush at the bottom of the wafer, or the top. One at a time, replace with other wafers that aren’t flush, until you have them all flush. Be careful not to lose any of the springs. They’re pretty small, and probably full of old lubricant, so they may come out when you remove the wafer.

Many times you can just rearrange the wafers without having to have spares. If you do need spares, I would rob them from another lock that usually isn’t used. For instance, when was the last time you locked your glovebox? Or your front trunk? These would be the ones I would rob for wafers. Just make sure you’re not using one of the valet wafers. If you’re like me, and have a few broken door handles lying around, you can rob them for parts.


Before:

After: