Locksmith Master Key Services Los Angeles (323) 450-2142
What exactly is a master key system? It is a system that allows 2 or more keys to open one lock. This system often uses a pin tumbler lock. Pin tumbler master locks use a master wafer/pin in between the key pin and the driver pin.
Master keys are something everyone seems to be fascinated with. Without a master key, there is only one key for a lock. This is the necessary key to change a simple lock into a master-keyed lock. In some systems, this will be the highest-ranking key.
How The Key Works
In the trade, a master key may be shortened. The systems work off of a basic pin tumbler lock. To open a lock, a pinned stock consisting of a driver pin and a key pin must be elevated so that the two rest on opposite sides of the shear line. One key lifts the pins within a lock, and the pins are all different sizes. The driver pins will be a universal size. Therefore, the key needs to have the right set of grooves to lift the key pins to the correct height.
All that is needed for any standard pin tumbler lock to be converted for a master key system is to add a master wafer (master pin) between a driver and key pin. A master wafer is just a small, hockey puck-shaped pin. Once it is in place, the pin stack will have two shear lines. A shear line for a pin stack with a master wafer below or above the line.