Today I acquired...........

[Reman]

Reman, I hope you’re a locksmith ...........

Nope. I work in IT hardware support. The lock picking is just a fun hobby. Nothing dodgy about it, I'm just a security nerd. LOL !

It's interesting to play with locks and see if you can beat them by picking or in some cases completely bypassing the locking mechanism and exploiting a design flaw in them. I like seeing how manufacturers try to prevent locks being picked or circumvented, And what pickers do to get around those measures. When playing with a new lock I get a sort of perverse kick from knowing that I'm attempting to get around that products ENTIRE purpose for existing. That lock was designed and made solely to keep people like me from turning it without the key......... And what do you know, I just turned it using a couple of tools that I either made from scrap wiper blade spring steel, Or with tools bought for less than the cost of the lock.

I've always found it odd that if you tell someone that you play computer games for fun people see that as a perfectly normal way to spend spare time, But tell them that you buy padlocks and door locks to pick for fun and they look at you with an expression that says that they KNOW you must obviously spend your evening's stealing cars and breaking into bank vaults. One hobby means you're running about in a fantasy world, learning skills that have absolutely zero real world applications, The other hobby means I'm a handy person to know if you accidentally lock yourself out of your house.

Knowing the inner workings of locks also has some handy real world benefits. A friend had the "Euro cylinder" lock wear out on her front door. It had been going for ages and got to the point where everyone was having to wiggle their keys in the lock for up to a minute to eventually get into the house. She was starting to get paranoid about leaving the house empty in case the lock finally gave up and no one could get in. She only mentioned it to me because she'd seen the rows and rows of euro cylinders at B&Q, Got overwhelmed by the range of prices and was asking advice about what lock would the best value vs quality for her to get as a replacment. She also mentioned that she'd have to get 7 EXTRA keys cut for it (9 in total !!!) because herself and her hubby, plus the 4 kids and 3 other family members who routinely visit to feed the dogs and stuff all need keys. I realised that it would be a lot easier for her if I just rebuild a standard Euro cylinder to take her original key, I even had a couple of the right profile Yale's sitting in my box of "Practice locks" so I did it there and then. It took about 30 minutes to repin the lock on both sides and explain to her how to swap it when she got home....... It's LITTERERALY, About 30 seconds work for a euro in an unlocked door. I also added a mix of security and plain driver pins while I was at it to make it a bit of a pig if anyone tried to pick it. The pin mix is cheap extra security as long as you also give the lock a squirt of tacky "Anti bump key" oil. When her hubby found out what I'd done he popped around with a bloody great can of coffee for me as a thank you. That was really nice of him because most people don't seem to be able to acknowledge that "I don't drink anymore" means "I DON'T DRINK ANYMORE !". It annoys me when I have to pretend to be happy that someone's said thanks with a bottle of Jack Daniels because that's what I USED to drink.

Anyway, As a hobby, being a lock picker's no different to the people here who shoot guns for fun. 99.9% of people with guns are law abiding people who just like shooting guns. Probably 99.99% of people who pick locks are only doing it for fun or a job. The criminal element doesn't tend to bother with lock picking because a brick through a window or a boot through a weak door is quicker, more reliable and doesn't require learning any new skills. The only downside to lockpicking is that you begin to realise how much faith you've put in all kinds of locks in the past. You learn how most locks that are in use today aren't even worth their minimal scrap metal value, And how much you REALLY have to spend on locks to be reasonably sure you're property's safe ! The old saying goes "Locks only keep honest people out" and a lot of the time that's pretty close to the truth.

S**t, That got REALLY wordy pretty fast didn't it! Hope this rambling was worth your effort of reading it........ Congrats for getting to the end BTW

Reman.

 

[galooph]

Good to see a fellow lockpicker on here, @Reman Seems to be quite a common hobby among IT/Infosec people. I'm a bit rusty at the moment, need to start practicing more.

 

[indy4x]

My lock picking came 1st, used to do property maintenance and basic locksmithing, always a challenge when you have a CC Bailiff looing over your shoulder expecting miracles and your up against the clock, that was 20 years ago now though.

Still get asked to help out in work ocasionally, last one was the office safe, nothing fancy, battery operated digi lock with manual key override, battery was flat and key was inside the safe

About 30secs with a pick and small screwdriver to tension the barrel and I was in

 

[Reman]

About 30secs with a pick and small screwdriver to tension the barrel and I was in

As I said, Once you know what's inside most locks it's scary to think you once trusted them to keep your valuables safe.
I always find it funny when I see a 100+ quid keypad lock that has a cr**py 2 quid wafer lock fitted as a backup. Why would anyone attack the expensive main lock when the backup might even accidentally pop when someone has a particularly enthusiastic sneezing fit near it !! LOL !

 

[brightspark]

As I said, Once you know what's inside most locks it's scary to think you once trusted them to keep your valuables safe.

what u have to watch out for is other types of security

 

[northwest]

Anyway, As a hobby, being a lock picker's no different to the people here who shoot guns for fun. 99.9% of people with guns are law abiding people who just like shooting guns. Probably 99.99% of people who pick locks are only doing it for fun or a job.

Couple of clues for you here, the action on a percussion rifle is called the lockwork. Many locksmiths made firearm firing mechanisms, there are many similarities.

I too have a couple "sets" of lock picks, I have always done it, it's faster than buggering about trying to get in when you forgot the keys. It also means getting into my safes and armouries is a step up. I do have a safe at the moment I would like to get into though, and it is nothing special, lock wise, but has so far defeated me.

 

[Reman]

Good to see a fellow lockpicker on here, Seems to be quite a common hobby among IT/Infosec people. I'm a bit rusty at the moment, need to start practicing more.

Same here. I try to pop a few from my box of practice locks every day, But at the minute I've got some medical weirdness going on that's caused joint pain and swelling in my wrists and ankles. I can pick for about a minute at a time, but if it takes much longer than that it REALLY starts to hurt.

what u have to watch out for is other types of security

That just reminded me of someone I used to work with. He owned a stunning Sierra Sapphire Cosworth, But when his misses kicked him out he had to move in with his brother who lived in a REALLY bad part of town. His insurance company wanted to cancel his policy saying it was too big a risk to insure that car in that area, So he pointed out that the car WASN'T GOING TO BE STOLEN. The insurer told him that he couldn't be sure that no one would steel his car, to which he said "Yeah...... Yeah I think I can be sure". Turns out that the garage (One of those that's built into the house) where his Cossy would be spending it's nights was also the garage where his brothers 2 Pitbulls and his Rottweiler slept. If anyone broke in they'd be getting 3 "Tooth tipped missiles" hitting them around throat height !
Somehow the insurance agent managed to add that info into the quote equation somewhere (I think being a pet owner made him a lower risk or something) and managed to wheedle the company to provide cover to him. Granted, Cripplingly expensive cover, But cover none the less !

 

[Maker]

Why would anyone attack the expensive main lock when the backup might even accidentally pop when someone has a particularly enthusiastic sneezing fit near it !! LOL

I found a cash box in a skip once, it had a bit of a rattle so I took it home, hammered a screwdriver into the lock and reefed it open, it takes me longer to get into eBay packages. It had about twelve pence inside if anyone's curious.

 

[Reman]

I'm starting to think I may have derailed this thread pretty badly by mentioning lock picking......... Should we start another thread for this?

 

[Woody.v8]

Good to see a fellow lockpicker on here, @Reman Seems to be quite a common hobby among IT/Infosec people. I'm a bit rusty at the moment, need to start practicing more.

Good....I've got this safe that definitely belongs to me.......

 

[gordon stephenson]

Not lock picking, but quite a few years ago I was given a Chubb battleship 7 lever padlock, Took it to a friend who was a proper time served locksmith, Went back an hour later and he had read the lock and made me three keys, All for a fiver,

 

[CornishPete]

Picked these 36" bolt cutters up for 30 quid. They're in really good nick!

 

[Reman]

quite a few years ago I was given a Chubb battleship 7 lever padlock, Took it to a friend who was a proper time served locksmith, Went back an hour later and he had read the lock and made me three keys, All for a fiver,

That's proper old school locksmithing! You don't see it much these days. Most modern "Locksmiths" can only duplicate existing keys, pick lower end locks, and some will repin new locks, But most wouldn't be able to impression a decent lever lock for love nor money. Personally, I have enough trouble just PICKING proper lever locks.

Picked these 36" bolt cutters up for 30 quid. They're in really good nick!View attachment 226646

Is that related to all this lock picking chat thats going on? Or are you trying to bring this thread back on topic?

 

[Shox Dr]

Couple of clues for you here, the action on a percussion rifle is called the lockwork. Many locksmiths made firearm firing mechanisms, there are many similarities.

I too have a couple "sets" of lock picks, I have always done it, it's faster than buggering about trying to get in when you forgot the keys. It also means getting into my safes and armouries is a step up. I do have a safe at the moment I would like to get into though, and it is nothing special, lock wise, but has so far defeated me.

many moons ago, while I was shopfitting, a shop manager asked me if I could get him out of a pickle. The office had two safes, he’d managed to open one with the other key, the keys were nothing like each other so how he opened it, I know not.

Anyway it was easy to get the key out the lock as the door was open. Interesting to see inside a safe door. There’s alot going on

 

[northwest]

Should we start another thread for this?

You should, might imnspire me to have another go at the safe.

 

[jimbo84]

Nope. I work in IT hardware support. The lock picking is just a fun hobby. Nothing dodgy about it, I'm just a security nerd. LOL !

It's interesting to play with locks and see if you can beat them by picking or in some cases completely bypassing the locking mechanism and exploiting a design flaw in them. I like seeing how manufacturers try to prevent locks being picked or circumvented, And what pickers do to get around those measures. When playing with a new lock I get a sort of perverse kick from knowing that I'm attempting to get around that products ENTIRE purpose for existing. That lock was designed and made solely to keep people like me from turning it without the key......... And what do you know, I just turned it using a couple of tools that I either made from scrap wiper blade spring steel, Or with tools bought for less than the cost of the lock.

I've always found it odd that if you tell someone that you play computer games for fun people see that as a perfectly normal way to spend spare time, But tell them that you buy padlocks and door locks to pick for fun and they look at you with an expression that says that they KNOW you must obviously spend your evening's stealing cars and breaking into bank vaults. One hobby means you're running about in a fantasy world, learning skills that have absolutely zero real world applications, The other hobby means I'm a handy person to know if you accidentally lock yourself out of your house.

Knowing the inner workings of locks also has some handy real world benefits. A friend had the "Euro cylinder" lock wear out on her front door. It had been going for ages and got to the point where everyone was having to wiggle their keys in the lock for up to a minute to eventually get into the house. She was starting to get paranoid about leaving the house empty in case the lock finally gave up and no one could get in. She only mentioned it to me because she'd seen the rows and rows of euro cylinders at B&Q, Got overwhelmed by the range of prices and was asking advice about what lock would the best value vs quality for her to get as a replacment. She also mentioned that she'd have to get 7 EXTRA keys cut for it (9 in total !!!) because herself and her hubby, plus the 4 kids and 3 other family members who routinely visit to feed the dogs and stuff all need keys. I realised that it would be a lot easier for her if I just rebuild a standard Euro cylinder to take her original key, I even had a couple of the right profile Yale's sitting in my box of "Practice locks" so I did it there and then. It took about 30 minutes to repin the lock on both sides and explain to her how to swap it when she got home....... It's LITTERERALY, About 30 seconds work for a euro in an unlocked door. I also added a mix of security and plain driver pins while I was at it to make it a bit of a pig if anyone tried to pick it. The pin mix is cheap extra security as long as you also give the lock a squirt of tacky "Anti bump key" oil. When her hubby found out what I'd done he popped around with a bloody great can of coffee for me as a thank you. That was really nice of him because most people don't seem to be able to acknowledge that "I don't drink anymore" means "I DON'T DRINK ANYMORE !". It annoys me when I have to pretend to be happy that someone's said thanks with a bottle of Jack Daniels because that's what I USED to drink.

Anyway, As a hobby, being a lock picker's no different to the people here who shoot guns for fun. 99.9% of people with guns are law abiding people who just like shooting guns. Probably 99.99% of people who pick locks are only doing it for fun or a job. The criminal element doesn't tend to bother with lock picking because a brick through a window or a boot through a weak door is quicker, more reliable and doesn't require learning any new skills. The only downside to lockpicking is that you begin to realise how much faith you've put in all kinds of locks in the past. You learn how most locks that are in use today aren't even worth their minimal scrap metal value, And how much you REALLY have to spend on locks to be reasonably sure you're property's safe ! The old saying goes "Locks only keep honest people out" and a lot of the time that's pretty close to the truth.

S**t, That got REALLY wordy pretty fast didn't it! Hope this rambling was worth your effort of reading it........ Congrats for getting to the end BTW

Reman.

Good to see a fellow lockpicker on here, @Reman Seems to be quite a common hobby among IT/Infosec people. I'm a bit rusty at the moment, need to start practicing more.

I have a basic set of picks and can do the simpler locks (and am nothing to do with IT although that's an interesting observation) It is quite enjoyable and an achievement when it clicks open. It's an education on how pants a lot of locks really are. Don't trust a Master padlock from B&Q to secure anything Also an education on how quickly and easily the majority of euro profile cylinder locks can be bypassed by snapping. Only ever needed to do it to gain entry once, when I locked the only key to the padlock of a storage unit I had inside the storage unit

That's proper old school locksmithing! You don't see it much these days. Most modern "Locksmiths" can only duplicate existing keys, pick lower end locks, and some will repin new locks, But most wouldn't be able to impression a decent lever lock for love nor money. Personally, I have enough trouble just PICKING proper lever locks.

Very true, a lot of the ones I've seen use destructive methods to gain entry, whether it's like a lot of modern day trades now and due to a lack of skill or a time/money thing I'm not sure but it seems that to be a 'locksmith' nowadays all you need is a van and a set of chisels and pry bars.

 

[Brad93]

Our local lock and safe place can’t impression a key and have right grumbles about repinning a lock.

useless they are

 

[Melvyn Best]

I once had to use that type of lock for insurance purposes, when I brought it the locksmith said” that’s 27 seconds” when I asked what he meant he told me that’s how long it took for him to open one.

 

[Shox Dr]

Paying more for a lock does not necessarily mean a better lock. It will just have more key combinations.

 

[Reman]

Our local lock and safe place can’t impression a key and have right grumbles about repinning a lock.

useless they are

Repinning can be problematic. There's few "Standards" in locks, So to reliably cover about 90% of the repinable locks out there you'd need pins in 2 different diameters and about 40 different lengths. It's too easy to get the lock ALMOST right where you need to jiggle the key slightly to get it to turn, But if someones paid to have locks repinned they won't accept that little inconvenience.

For lock picking, a very slightly misaligned sheer line isn't really a problem. I'll just use pins that are as close as possible and accept that I'll have to wiggle the key a little if I want to check that lock works OK, But if I'm building a lock to use I end up spending ages with the "Poor mans micro lathe" (A drill to spin the pin and a Dremel to lightly take off metal. ) until the pins are exactly right. All part of the fun.

Anyway, In an attempt to stop further lock picking chat clogging up Monkeymark's thread, I've started a Hobby lockpicking thread here. Hopefully we can let this thread get back on topic now.

Reman.