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Hey guys. I am new here and have been mostly doing safe lock related stuff lately. I have a Lagard 3330 safe lock with the locking dial which did not have a key. This is just a simple 5 wafer lock and I decided it would be a good place to start impressioning. I admit, I did cheat a bit as I had the ability to remove the plug and checked it a few times to make sure I wasn't completely going in the wrong direction, but this was mostly just impressioning. The key works! It took me over an hour but I am happy. I think I may do another though as I think I could do a better job. I used black sharpie on the top of the key to help see the marks.

Good work, Tarboxb.

Have a pic of the key? We may be able to give advise based on the key. There are also a number of threads here that explain a lot about impressioning.

Bet you have used that key about 50 times just because it seems amazing that it works, right?

Gordon

We usually start by picking locks, then impression, then manipulate safes. You're doing the other way around lol

Cheers

Haha, Gordon, 50 maybe a bit low. :p I will get a pic but my tech scene is bad and I won't be able to for a bit. It looks decent I think, the only thing that bothers me is that I was off a bit on one cut and the wafer is really held on the slope into the cut not so much on the cut itself. It isn't the end of the world but I am a machinist so anything like that bothers me.

Sort of Femurat, I actually did start picking quite some time ago but didn't do much and never got good. Honestly the safe thing has interested me since I watched The Italian Job and one day I decided to learnhow to do it. This site and the many posts by you, Oldfast, Altashot, Daggers and others were instrumental and I can't thank you enough! When it comes to impressioning, honestly it just sounded really cool. I had heard of people making keys from locks and always imagined they must pick the lock and make the key based on the set pins. When I was on here looking at safe stuff I decided to look at some other forums and took a peak at the impressioning forum, immediately that LaGard dial came to mind so I thought I would have a go. I think I am going to go to the store and pick up a lock or two to do. I understand the concept now. I want to do one without cheating.

Also, I wonder if it is possible the blank is not quite right. The #5 wafer is a 0 cut and to me, it seems the key is just a touch too short even uncut. It does work though. I used an R01 blank.

Here's the key, guys. Fire away!

Actually, that looks quite good, tarboxb.

The biggest issue normally seen with people learning to impression is having the ramps between cuts too steep, also known as 'canyoning'. That is a problem because the key can get trapped in the lock. But your slopes look pretty good.

You are off to a great start!

Gordon

Thank you, Gordon! I appreciate it. I am trying to do a pin tumbler master lock now. I will keep you posted!

Well done! I agree with Gordon... fine lookin' key. Nice cuts.


Please do! I really got into impressioning for while and found a lot of enjoyment there.

Great job! I gotta say that's really good for a first success.

I found practicing fitting a key to a lock you can take apart helpful as a foundation to impressioning.

good job, keep it up

It can also help if you are trying to impression a lock for which you already have a working key, since you can see where you might be close, or may have gone too deep. That sometimes helps to recognize what the marks are telling you, and if what you are seeing is actually a mark.

Gordon

Yeah, Gordon. I am starting to consider doing that for this pin tumbler master lock. I have literally got hours into this thing and while I haven't like filed through it or anything like that, it is frankly hard to believe it still hasn't opened. I have keys for it as I bought it new. I removed and stashed them when I opened it and never looked at them though. I am not really getting much in the way of marks now and I'm not sure why. I am getting pretty rough with the key at this point and definitely don't want to break it.