Lock picking

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splitty said:
You can use a candle to blacken the key blank insert and try to turn a little it will rub the spot off where the tumbler is, file there. Keep repeating until the key takes shape. It’s a long and painstaking process. That’s one way I learned to open them locks.
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Thanks for the info.....now that you said that, would a magic marker or machinist bluing work as well??
 
This is a great thread, locksmithing is something I have been interested in for some time now.
It is definitely an ''Art''.
 
Dartnut said:
This is a great thread, locksmithing is something I have been interested in for some time now.
It is definitely an ''Art''.
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I think there's a little "lock picking" in everyone. Challenges, intrigue, skill, impressing your friends.......................................................Jail Time!!:rofl:

I gave cope quite a challenge.... that big brass lock has pins on both sides of the key. I imagine it's difficult to depress pins on both sides at the same time and turn the barrel at the same time.
 
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I am by no means good at it and living in CA you can’t do much legally, but I learned to pick a few padlocks and dead bolts with improvised tools. I used to use a Pilot pen metal clip as my tensioner and a bent bobby pin as my feeler (bent the very tip slightly) and it worked on old stuff, nothing fancy but good in a pinch.
 
It took me 10 hours to figure out how to open this safe.....................AND I HAD THE COMBINATION!!!! It's a very old Mosler fireproof and torch proof safe. It was on Craigslist for FREE!!! The owners said that they had never been able to move it and that it was there when they bought their house. They wanted it gone!! The only problem was that it weighs better than 1000 lbs. Me and 3 other friends went to pick it up and we couldn't even make it budge from the place where it was sitting, it wasn't bolted down. Two of my friends are body builders and very strong (about 240 lbs each, over 6 ft).....they couldn't make it move one inch!!!

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Hey Bud, Those key blanks are sweet!

I am almost 100 percent that the lock will not require disassembly to re key. If you want an exact perfect reproduction of the original key it must come apart.
If you just want it to work, that i think is easy.


But I don't even have it open yet so lets see.......
 
IT IS GOING TO OPEN!!

@Treblig


I cant do it tonight because i dont own a pick large enough to open it but I CAN FEEL the release spring working. It still snaps back into place after well over 100 years.

Just amazing......

Tomorrow i will spend some time at the shop and make a great big pic and i think she will be open.

Just think about this lock.

I could have been locking up a chest on a wells fargo stage or an ammo locker on wodden square rigger. Who know who held it in their hand. Where it went. Who lost the key and who decided to keep it in hopes of finding the key? Why was it locked shut and forgotten?

Simply amazing.
 
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Cope said:
Hey Bud, Those key blanks are sweet!

I am almost 100 percent that the lock will not require disassembly to re key. If you want an exact perfect reproduction of the original key it must come apart.
If you just want it to work, that i think is easy.


But I don't even have it open yet so lets see.......
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No exact reproduction required. I just want it to work. I ordered 2 blanks so I should be able to get one that looks really nice if I can find out how it needs to be cut?? I'm a machinist so I do pretty good bench work on metal objects..LOL!!
 
I think it will work.

If you plan to use it often you may want to press out the pins and change out the springs to new ones.

In the function of the lock, I dont think they do anything besides put tension on the key and lock pawl. So if they fail i think the lock will fail and open.

I will include the home made key when i send it back and i can walk you through how to reproduce a nice looking one.

Thank you. I am proud to hold such a peice of American history in my hands while returning it to service.


:usflag::usflag::usflag::usflag::thankyou:

They still make locks in the USA to this day.
 
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Treblig said:
It took me 10 hours to figure out how to open this safe.....................AND I HAD THE COMBINATION!!!! It's a very old Mosler fireproof and torch proof safe. It was on Craigslist for FREE!!! The owners said that they had never been able to move it and that it was there when they bought their house. They wanted it gone!! The only problem was that it weighs better than 1000 lbs. Me and 3 other friends went to pick it up and we couldn't even make it budge from the place where it was sitting, it wasn't bolted down. Two of my friends are body builders and very strong (about 240 lbs each, over 6 ft).....they could make it move one inch!!!

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That reminds me of our local barber shop. He's located in an old bank and the safe is still there. They had numerous people out there to try and open the safe with no success. I always thought it would be cool to see it opened and how it was opened.
 
I took the tumbler assembly apart to figure out what the safe wanted so that it could open and close using the combination they gave me with the safe. It's old and pretty cool....the people who design these old safes are pretty smart. Here's the tumbler assembly, you can take the wheels off and make it work with any combination you want.

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These are the parts left attached to the inside of the door after the tumbler assembly has been removed. There are two super duty locking pins on the door. Remember, this safe is fire proof and torch proof. I figured out how the pin on the lower left works and what it actually does. The lower left pin actuates when you open and close the door, you can see the lever on the outside of the safe in previously posted pics. But I couldn't figure out what the upper right pin was used for. It's spring loaded and I couldn't get it to budge no matter what I did. I figured that the pin had become "frozen" in place from not being used for many, many years?? This safe is at least 60 years old. You can also see other springs and pawls that interact with the tumblers...pretty complex. NOW......for all you up and coming "lock pickers" & "safe crackers"........can you figure out what the upper right chrome pin does or how it works????? Below is a close up of some of its' parts.


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I looked at this part of the non-working pin (shown in previous pic, lower right) for many, many hours but couldn't figure out what it does or how it works. I finally (after 8 hours) figured it out. Let's see who comes up with the correct answer....all it takes is close observation, and a little Sherlock Holmes!! The folks that designed this safe are brilliant!!!!!


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@Treblig

So I made a key out of an old Sawzall blade. I can get about 95 degrees of rotation out of the cylinder then it locks up hard. I am very surprised it will not open.

It could be that, one the lock is broken inside or two, i am missing something.

Gonna keep after it. I will let you know how it goes.
 
Cope said:
@Treblig

So I made a key out of an old Sawzall blade. I can get about 95 degrees of rotation out of the cylinder then it locks up hard. I am very surprised it will not open.

It could be that, one the lock is broken inside or two, i am missing something.

Gonna keep after it. I will let you know how it goes.
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Maybe saw blade is too thin to catch all the tumblers?? The actual key is probably a little more than a 3/32 thick.
 
FYI, go look at the lock that is on your front door. if it is made by kwikset it is junk and very easy to pick. Schlage is a lot more difficult to pick.
 
I think the best lock company is "Mooltypul". They've worked very well for me.:rofl::poke:

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@Treblig

So, more news.. This lock is no joke.



I will get it but it aint gonna be the walk in the park I thought i was in for.

Yesterday i spent about 18 hours on it. Didn't do one lick of shop work. It is gonna make me crazy. It will open or i will go broke.

:lol:

The bad news for you is I know you were very attached to the patina. The lock is starting to polish up just from me holding it.

My apologies but it is unavoidable.

This lock is so well made it is mind blowing.


On my way out the door i ran into my land lord. He is 85 year old cowboy from Wyoming. He collects old west stuff. I stopped and showed him the lock. The look on his face was very enjoyable. Just sheer awe as he turned it over in his hands.

Everyone who sees it in person is just amazed by it.

Thank you again for letting me take a crack at it.
 
Cope said:
@Treblig

So, more news.. This lock is no joke.



I will get it but it aint gonna be the walk in the park I thought i was in for.

Yesterday i spent about 18 hours on it. Didn't do one lick of shop work. It is gonna make me crazy. It will open or i will go broke.

:lol:

The bad news for you is I know you were very attached to the patina. The lock is starting to polish up just from me holding it.

My apologies but it is unavoidable.

This lock is so well made it is mind blowing.


On my way out the door i ran into my land lord. He is 85 year old cowboy from Wyoming. He collects old west stuff. I stopped and showed him the lock. The look on his face was very enjoyable. Just sheer awe as he turned it over in his hands.

Everyone who sees it in person is just amazed by it.

Thank you again for letting me take a crack at it.
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Don't worry about the "handling" wear that would be natural just don't polish it up like some old brass pad locks I've seen on ebay. I know that I could easily polish it to a high luster but I like the old worn look. Don't want you to go broke or for you to go crazy////LOL. I'll understand if it turns out that it's too tough to crack.:BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:
 
Oh i would never polish it. Don't worry about that. I may have to call in pops. Im thinking he works the twin lower cam locks while I pic at the 6 wafers in the middle.


I can't wait to hear that CLICK and look inside.

Thanks again!
 
I just got the key blanks in the mail today. I measured the width and they are 1/16 inches thick. Looks like 7/16 inch wide. Pics and more measurements on request. Also, you posted that you got your home made key to turn 95 degrees?? I've read that sometimes on the old locks you have to pull on the shackle to open it, especially if the release spring is worn/weak.
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I’m on pins and needles...... I keep checking this thread to see if Cope got that lock open. Standing by.......
 
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