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SlimJimmy

(3,251 posts)
Wed Nov 2, 2022, 09:25 PM Nov 2022

What is a bitting and why you should hide it.

The bitting refers to the number and depth of the cuts on a key. The higher the number, the deeper the cut. Most original keys will have a bitting stamped on them (see below). This is great for the locksmith when he wants to cut a new key by code (meaning not copy it, but cut each bitting.) This is not so great if you have an original key on your key ring and a thief copies down the bitting or commits it to memory. Once they have that, it's just a matter of cutting a new key by code. So, what's the solution?

1. Never have an original key on your key ring. I secure all my original keys in my safe.

2. Have a copy made and use that. It won't have a bitting on it.

3. When you make a copy of a key, always use the original to do it. The old adage of a copy of a copy of a copy is true.

So, looking at the key below, we see that the bitting is 33688. Look at the key and you can see that the first two cuts (starting from left to right) are 33. Fairly shallow cuts, then 6, a little deeper, then 88 even deeper than 6. So the bitting does match the cuts in the key.



25 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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What is a bitting and why you should hide it. (Original Post) SlimJimmy Nov 2022 OP
Interesting. Thanks. Hassin Bin Sober Nov 2022 #1
Yes, I peruse his stuff from time to time. SlimJimmy Nov 2022 #3
I have a safe that came with dvan Nov 2022 #10
Not a locksmith but one trick might be to look up the default combination for the safe make/model Gore1FL Nov 2022 #12
That's why I want a picture. SlimJimmy Nov 2022 #15
Can you post a picture? SlimJimmy Nov 2022 #13
IIRC, 50-0-50 and 0-50-0 were the most common. eppur_se_muova Nov 2022 #23
There are certain numbers that aren't used in combinations. SlimJimmy Nov 2022 #25
Ty for sharing! SheltieLover Nov 2022 #2
I like your style! ZZenith Nov 2022 #4
Very interesting, I didn't know that wendyb-NC Nov 2022 #5
Cool! Thanks, SlimJimmy. ❤️ littlemissmartypants Nov 2022 #6
Cool! Thanks, SlimJimmy. ❤️ littlemissmartypants Nov 2022 #7
K n R ! Thanks for posting! JoeOtterbein Nov 2022 #8
Sorry to hear that. SlimJimmy Nov 2022 #9
Sounds like a good reason to put a piece of tape over that number. forgotmylogin Nov 2022 #11
You could certainly do that, but making a simple copy SlimJimmy Nov 2022 #14
True. forgotmylogin Nov 2022 #21
I know. I love the fact that the self-serve key machines are available. SlimJimmy Nov 2022 #22
I'm not sure I've ever had a house key like that, PoindexterOglethorpe Nov 2022 #16
You might have always had a copy, SlimJimmy Nov 2022 #20
Whoa 😳 thanks! I had no idea. live love laugh Nov 2022 #17
Anyone capable of cutting a fresh key from a bitting already knows how to pick the lock. eggplant Nov 2022 #18
It depends. SlimJimmy Nov 2022 #19
K&R nt Rachel M at 6 pm Nov 2022 #24

Hassin Bin Sober

(26,752 posts)
1. Interesting. Thanks.
Wed Nov 2, 2022, 09:37 PM
Nov 2022

I’ve been meaning to ask you if you’ve ever seen The Lock Picking Lawyer on YouTube.

Watching that channel you realize nothing is safe.

SlimJimmy

(3,251 posts)
3. Yes, I peruse his stuff from time to time.
Wed Nov 2, 2022, 09:43 PM
Nov 2022

Safe technicians don't refer to them as safes. We refer to them as "You think they're safe."

dvan

(84 posts)
10. I have a safe that came with
Wed Nov 2, 2022, 11:01 PM
Nov 2022

the house we bought a few yrs ago. It’s bolted down and I can’t open it. Any ideas on getting someone to come try and get in? I called a few locksmiths, but they weren’t too interested.

Gore1FL

(21,950 posts)
12. Not a locksmith but one trick might be to look up the default combination for the safe make/model
Wed Nov 2, 2022, 11:10 PM
Nov 2022

It may have never been changed.

(I got that idea from reading one of the anecdotes in "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" when he convinced people he could crack safes.)

SlimJimmy

(3,251 posts)
15. That's why I want a picture.
Wed Nov 2, 2022, 11:28 PM
Nov 2022

Some safes (locks) have the commercial default combination, others require you to pay them for the original combination via the safe serial number.

SlimJimmy

(3,251 posts)
25. There are certain numbers that aren't used in combinations.
Fri Nov 4, 2022, 09:11 AM
Nov 2022

We refer to them as the forbidden zone. 80-100 and 0-20 are the two zones of numbers not to use. So 0-50-0 would be a no go. The default combination for most commercial safes is all wheels left 50, and for government and military safes 50-25-50. Try those first.

wendyb-NC

(3,855 posts)
5. Very interesting, I didn't know that
Wed Nov 2, 2022, 10:04 PM
Nov 2022

I learned something new today. Thank you, SlimJimmy, that's fascinating and good advice about home security, what etc. I always wondered what the numbers on a key meant.

forgotmylogin

(7,684 posts)
11. Sounds like a good reason to put a piece of tape over that number.
Wed Nov 2, 2022, 11:04 PM
Nov 2022

So someone can't copy your key by getting a photo of it or remembering the number just from looking.

SlimJimmy

(3,251 posts)
14. You could certainly do that, but making a simple copy
Wed Nov 2, 2022, 11:25 PM
Nov 2022

and securing the original key is the best practice. Most copies cost between 3 and 5 bucks at the big box stores.

forgotmylogin

(7,684 posts)
21. True.
Thu Nov 3, 2022, 02:04 PM
Nov 2022

I love that they have robotic key-making machines now and I don't have to interact with people who will judge me "So, ya' making some keys are ya'?"

SlimJimmy

(3,251 posts)
22. I know. I love the fact that the self-serve key machines are available.
Thu Nov 3, 2022, 03:15 PM
Nov 2022

Of course, I have a key machine at home, so I don't have to interact with the folks at the big box stores for that. But I do have to interact with some of my neighbors who say, "Hey can you cut a few keys for me?, or "This key I had made seems to be sticking, can you look at it?"

"Use some Tri-Flow."

SlimJimmy

(3,251 posts)
20. You might have always had a copy,
Thu Nov 3, 2022, 12:29 AM
Nov 2022

or the locks were purchased from a big box store where a bitting is not always stamped into the key. But most original keys will have a bitting on them.

SlimJimmy

(3,251 posts)
19. It depends.
Thu Nov 3, 2022, 12:25 AM
Nov 2022

I know some locksmiths that are really terrible at lockpicking, but have the equipment to cut by code. Lockpicking is as much a science as it is an art, and it takes time and regular practice to keep the skill. My point was to hide the bitting so others can't do that.

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