I. How much will it cost?
The cost for our services depends on several factors.  We charge a trip fee for arriving to the work location, the price of replacement hardware if necessary, and possibly a labor charge for additional work completed.  For example the cost of a re-key is based on the service charge, the number or locks re-keyed and keys provided.

Please call our shop at 626 332 0911 or email us at info@jwlock.com to get more specific pricing for your particular job.

II. Do I need to replace my locks to get a new key?
Many locks can be re-keyed without replacing the hardware.  In fact, a re-key may be the least expensive option.  It is possible to find locksets that cost less than the price of a re-key, but usually the hardware is lower quality than the existing, new locks may require more time to install than a re-key, and a single key will not operate all the locks.  When we re-key a home, it is usually possible to make all locks work with a single key.

III. Why don’t keys from big box retailers work?
In order for a duplicate key to work properly in a lock, it must be cut on the proper keyblank, and the spacing and the depths of the cuts must be the same as the original.  At big box retailers, the copied key may have cuts that are too deep or too shallow or incorrect spacing. This can happen due to improperly maintained machines or inexperience operating the machines.

IV. Why do keys and locks wear?
Each time a key is inserted and removed from a lock, it rubs against pins or wafers.  The friction caused by this action actually wears away metal from the key and the pins inside of the lock.  After thousands of times, the key thins and becomes increasingly difficult to copy.  Key wear is often evident on an old car key or a house key.

Locks also wear.  The action of inserting the key into the lock wears the milling of the lock, widening the space the key slides into.  Locks used with the most frequency wear the most, such as restrooms in office buildings, pools at condominium associations, and front door locks.  In some cases, locks are used hundreds of times a day.  Below is a picture comparing a worn cylinder with a new cylinder. Notice the size of the keyway in the worn cylinder and the open rectangular shape.

V. What are the signs of a worn key?
As a key wears, the tops of the cuts become rounded, the tip of the key becomes flatter, and the key may become thinner.  Keys may also bend or crack as they wear, increasing the chance that they will break inside the lock.  When keys wear, it often becomes more difficult to operate the locks, also leading to a higher chance of breaking or bending a key. (Roll over the picture below).  In this picture a worn key sits behind a new key.  Both keys have the same cuts.  Looking closely, you will notice that the ridges on the worn key are not as well defined, and the tip is worn down.  The key has also become thinner.  Key wear can result in the lock sticking or not working well.

VI. What can you do when your key is worn?
If a key is worn, the best thing to do is replace it with another key.
Sometimes a key is so worn that it can not be copied.  In this case, a new key must be generated that duplicates the cuts on the original key without copying from the original key.  Like photocopies, a document on a piece of worn paper may produce an illegible photocopy, but if the document can be printed from a file on a computer it will look like new.
When a key can not be copied, it is frequently possible to measure (using experience and a trained eye) the cuts on a key and produce a key by code.

VII. How do locks work?
A key slides into a lock moving pins or wafers.  These parts drop into the cuts on the key, and allow the cylinder to turn inside the housing.  When the key is turned, a tailpiece at the back of the cylinder moves a mechanism that actuates the locking device.  See the lock history section for useful links that explain how locks work in more detail.

VIII. What is key bumping?
A technique for opening locks that uses a special key to raise the pins to sheer line and turn the lock cylinder.

IX. Is key bumping really a threat?
It is possible to open a lock using the bumping technique, but successfully bumping a lock requires the proper tools and experience.  Key bumping represents another technique available to criminals to overcome the security offered by locks.  A criminal will choose the easiest method to defeat a lock.  Due to the time required to bump a lock and the uncertainty of successfully opening the lock, it may not be the first choice for a criminal seeking to defeat a lock.

X. How to protect yourself from key bumping?
In order for a lock to be bumped, the person bumping the lock must have a key that fits into it.  The easiest way to protect yourself from key bumping is to install higher security locks that common keys will not fit into.

XI. How easy is it to pick your locks?
Can locks be opened as easily as in the movies and on television?  In many shows the actor walks up to the door, puts a tool in the lock, and within seconds pushes the door open.  The ease with which a lock can be picked depends on the individual and the type of locks. Experience and skill help, but some locks are impossible to pick.  If you are concerned about your locks being picked or bumped, please call us and we can provide advice for selecting higher security locks.