How to Repin Your Dangerfield Repinnable Lock
Here's a more detailed guide to repin your Dangerfield Repinnable + Cut-Away Practice Lock:
- If you have a pinning mat, use that, if not, a piece of corrugated cardboard is perfect. Tear one side off so you have a piece about the size of a credit card (or bigger) and you have vertically running grooves. If you want, you can mark some 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 to correspond to each of your pin chambers. This will just prevent you from losing springs, pins, etc. Making the whole process easier.
- Insert the key and turn it about 60 degrees clockwise. This will keep the key pins from falling out when you're changing driver pins. Key pins are the pins that contact the key, they have a rounded end, so that the key can move past them when being inserted.
- Insert the key and turn it about 60 degrees clockwise. This will keep the key pins (Key pins are the pins that contact the key, they have a rounded end, so that the key can move past them when being inserted.)
- Remove a grub screw using the hey key provided, but be careful not to let the spring ping out to never be seen again! There are spare springs in the box of pins, but a little caution here makes sense, so you don't lose them. Once the spring is out (sometimes you'll need to use the tweezers to remove the spring), put it on your pinning mat or in the groove numbered '1' on your grooved cardboard mat. Then turn the lock upside down, and the driver pin will come out. Sometimes you'll need to give the lock a little tap, but you'll find they usually come out easily. It makes sense to go in order 1 to 6, again, so as not to confuse things. Put that driver pin under the spring in your pinning mat.
- Now you can choose what security pin you want to put in that chamber, and put it in the lock, either way up. If the tweezers help, use them. Put the spring back in, replace the grub screw, and tighten the grub screw. You have now replaced a standard driver pin with a security pin. That is it. You can choose to change one or two more, but it's best to start with one if you're learning how to pick them.
- To change key pins, it's much the same process, but you don't put the key in. Putting the key in and turning it prevents the key pins from coming out, as in the instructions above. NOTE: If you change key pins, you're changing the bitting of the lock, so the key will no longer work.
- Undo the grub screw with the hex key provided, remove the spring, and turn the lock upside down so the driver pin and key pin come out. Put them on your pinning mat, as it's good practice and will make life easier when changing many pins at once as you develop your abilities. Then, select a pin that has a curved tip, and insert it into the chamber, WITH THE ROUNDED TIP FACING DOWN. This isn't essential, but it's good practice and how it should be done. Occasionally, you may need to wiggle the lock's core a little bit to ensure the key pin drops into it. Then add a driver pin, the spring, insert a grub screw, and tighten it. You can either use the original driver pin on your pinning mat so you've changed the bitting but not added a security pin, or add a security pin, so you've changed the bitting and added a security pin.
- NOTE: You can make the lock harder to pick without adding security pins. Key pins that are long/short next to each other are a challenge (sometimes also called high/low). You'll see why when you try it. Try different combinations and find out what problems they cause you when picking. Because your lock is cut away, you'll be able to see what's happening. Familiarize yourself with these things, so when you're picking a real lock you can visualize what's happening in the lock.
- And that's all there is to it. I would recommend changing small amounts of driver pins at first. There's a big difference between one security pin and two, and the difficulty rises exponentially as you add further security pins.
This is how your repinnable and cut-away lock can be an ongoing challenge and help you increase your skill levels. I would recommend the 'Cross Section' playlist of YouTuber Lock Picking Legend, which I've linked below, as not only can you see pins like never before, but you'll also get lots of tips on how to pick them. The shorts are worth looking at too, as there's a lot of cross-section videos there too.
Here's the cross-section Playlist, some of the locks are dimple locks, so the keyway is turned 90 degrees, which can be confusing for beginners:
LOCK PICKING LEGEND Cross-Section Playlist
If you have any questions, please ask!
Chris Dangerfield