BACK TO BASICS k I needed one; now I don’t know how d without one. earned to impression sometime during ate ’80s or early ’90s at a “Frank and Bill w.” This was a locksmith roadshow put n by Frank Agius, inventor of the Framon e machine, and Bill Reed of Reed code ks. These guys, along with some great ructors, traveled the country giving free nical classes for locksmiths. ne of these instructors was Hank Spicer, Figure 1. There are three files you can use for impressioning, depending on your preference. Left is a round— or rat tail — file, center is a ward- ing file, and right is a pippin file. First Impressions Tony Wiersielis, CPL, CFDI, explains the process of fitting keys by the impression method in the first of this two-part series. T 52 his month, I’ll go over the process of fitting keys by the impression method, explaining the basics and indicating the tools you will need. Next month, I’ll show you an effective method of practicing that will help you make money with this skill as soon as possible. I’m going to suggest you purchase a practice lock and some blanks that you’re not likely to have on hand unless you work in an older shop that does a lot of car work. I’ll explain that later and tell you where I am certain you’ll find them. I wrote this article in two parts to give you time to get the material together. This article is aimed at apprentices and anyone who’s tried to learn impressioning and been frustrated in the process. It’s also for those who never felt they needed to learn it. To them, I relate something I mentioned in a previous article: Before I bought a Sawzall, I didn’t KEYNOTES FEBRUARY 2015 o authored numerous books and pro- ed videos on automotive lock servicing. e also coined the term “Filing for Dollars,” e title of a video he produced on impres- ing. I had been trying to learn on my n and wasn’t “getting it,” so I took his s on impressioning. Hank worked hands-on with every stu- dent in the class. He explained why the file I’d brought to class was too coarse, what file to buy and how to prepare the key blank to get good impression “marks.” By the end of the class, the light bulb came on for me. I finally “got” it. I’m going to pass on some of the tech- niques he taught me, but realize that it’s going to take more than that for you to be- come proficient. It’s going to take practice and wasted key blanks to get to there, but it’s worth it. There’s no feeling like turning the key in a lock you’ve impressioned. What Is Impressioning, and How Does It Work? Impressioning is a way to fit a key to a lock without taking it apart, using only a key blank, a file and either pliers or an impres- sioning tool, and possibly a vise. It works well on pin and wafer tumbler locks, and with a special tool, can also work on “Ace” style tubular locks. Knowing how to impression has a num- ber of benefits. You can fit keys to locks that are not made to be taken apart, such as certain brands of cam locks. You can fit keys to some locks without removing them, WWW.ALOA.ORG
