Disassembling the Lock

Imagine a situation where you have lost all the keys of a door lock. What do you do at that moment? Well, the first and most important step is to call in a locksmith (ex. Serrurier la louvière) to help you out.

Now, what happens when you do not want a locksmith to replace your lock with a new one? Can a locksmith make a key from a lock? 

This simplest answer is yes, a locksmith definitely can. However, this may not be as easy as it sounds. Here, we look at 3 ways a locksmith can create a key from a door lock.

How Can A Locksmith Make A Key from A Lock

Disassembling the Lock

It is fairly easy to make a duplicate key from an already functioning key. Most people usually go to a local locksmith for such purposes of duplicating an additional key. 

However, there are situations when the key to a door lock may wear out, get lost, or break completely. You will want your locksmith to make a key without replacing the old door lock in moments like this.

This is probably one of the most asked questions. Many people worldwide keep on asking, can a locksmith make a key from a lock? Understanding the answer to such a question is important here.

You should first realize why you would want your locksmith to make a key. You may need a duplicate key or have lost your key. In these situations, several people first look to change the lock and install a new one altogether. This happens for not knowing the answer to the question at hand.

When you ask your locksmith to make a key from a lock, you save yourself a lot of trouble. However, it is not simple to make keys from any locks. There are 3 ways that a locksmith makes a key from a lock.

Step 1: Cutting the Key to Code

This is most probably the simplest way for a locksmith to make a key from a lock. There are two distinctive types of key codes to make a key for particular locks. One of them is called blind code, while the other is called the bitting code. Bitting code is the most crucial one here, as this is utilized in making the actual key.

Bitting code is usually embedded into the body of the lock. Even if there is no code stamped, going back to the manufacturer or the retailer can help find the code. A locksmith should have a code cutter to determine the bitting code from the body of the lock. Most locksmiths use code cutters to make keys from locks.

No matter how easy it sounds, the operation of making a key with code cutters is not easy. A locksmith must be careful of inserting the key to the blanks of the code cutter. The cut-to-cute dimension measures will need to be accurate, as well.

Step 2: Impressioning the Lock

This is a much more direct approach in making a key from a lock. In this approach, a locksmith does not need any code and code cutter. Instead, one of the significant aspects of the process is that the locksmith does not require disassembling the lock.

Such an efficient and effective approach makes it the go-to way for many locksmiths. However, this is really harder than the preceding process. It requires a locksmith to learn and practice the way several times before actually becoming a professional.

The process of impressing a lock is quite like picking the lock. The locksmith will have to insert a blank key inside the lock and twist the key until it appropriately binds with the lock cylinder. 

Once a blank has been perfectly bound with a key code, locksmith brings the key out to cuts in shape. He repeats the process several times as there are supposed to be many blanks in a lock cylinder. Pulling, tapping, and twisting is the most common approach in impressioning the lock.

There are many things to consider while conducting this process. It is relatively complicated as a locksmith must be precise and have the patience to twist and cut blanks according to the appropriate codes. A locksmith must be experienced and skilled in impressioning a lock to make a key.

Step 3: Disassembling the Lock

Disassembling the Lock

This is undoubtedly used as a last resort to make a key. When cutting the code and impressioning the lock does not work, a locksmith moves to this option. The simplest description of this process is just to remove the lock from its place and disassemble the whole cylinder. This allows the locksmith to reverse engineer the bitting codes from within the cylinder.

It is the hardest process among the three approaches. Although impressioning a lock can be complex, a locksmith must be extremely careful in disassembling a lock. After the work is done, the lock will have to be assembled to its original form.

Moreover, the whole lock will have to be taken out of its place and then reattach again. This makes the process quite lengthy, as well.

Conclusion

It is essential to find the answer to the common question: Can a locksmith make a key from a lock? Among the three approaches, a locksmith will choose the most appropriate one by judging the kind of tools he carries.

Nevertheless, all the approaches prove that a locksmith can make keys without hampering the lock.