Key Blank Trick

This is something I learned from a fellow locksmith technician who educated me on most of the tricks and techniques in the job I know today. During one of my lessons on re-pinning and re-keying pin tumbler locks, I came across a quick and accurate way to mark a key blank for filing.

I use a fine line Sanford Sharpie permanent marking pen to mark the key blank for filing. I have found that the Sharpie affords the locksmith a perfect dead-center mark on virtually any key blank. The barrel on the fine line pen is just the right circumference and length to fit into the pin holes of the lock's cylinder without marring or scratching it, and the permanent ink does not smudge or rub off.

In addition, the tip of the fine line pen is small enough to make legible mark on pins, so now you can number each pin as they are removed from the cylinder. I have found this method to be fool proof and have used it on all of the re-pinning jobs that I got. I encourage any locksmith technician to try it, it will save a lot of time.