master 140 spool pin myth?

[landeroth]

well, here's what remains of the lock i once tried to turn into a cutaway, then decided to destroy and see what the parts did after the cutaway failed:D

a multitool may not have been the best choice, but it did get it apart.

you can barely see it, but deep down in there is the end of the spring that makes the plug try to rotate back. i think. will confirm/deny after further destruction.

not a very clear picture, but makes discernible the three spools. the thing that interests me most, though, is the pin at the back. you can barely see it here, shows up as two tiny black lines, but there are two grooves (one at each end). i believe this makes this pin a serrated pin, leaving the lock with the configuration of one serrated pin in front, with three spools behind it.

due to an extreme closeup with a webcam, it is distorted, but i was unable to do better. this is the pin i believe to be serrated, but the light distortion exaggerates the width of the ring on the one i think is a serrated pin. the groove in reality is about .25mm wide (half the size of mech. pencil lead).

now, if you look just beyond the fourth chamber, you'll see a pin sticking out. it goes in a slot on the plug and there is currently a discussion about the exact function of the slot and pin on another post, by another member. my view on it has changed, i now believe it is to help hold the plug in the lock. here's the discussion http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=53032&p=391497#p391497

[Dpruente]

it's a retention pin. the slot for that pin should extend around the plug in the opposite direction in which it turns to unlock the lock. it should be out of the reach of the key, and using a sharp/long hook pick, you should be able to pick the lock normally, hold tension and use the hook to push the pin past the shearline, allowing the plug to be extracted. If memory serves me right, that's why it's there and how it works.

[Evan]

it's a retention pin. the slot for that pin should extend around the plug in the opposite direction in which it turns to unlock the lock. it should be out of the reach of the key, and using a sharp/long hook pick, you should be able to pick the lock normally, hold tension and use the hook to push the pin past the shearline, allowing the plug to be extracted. If memory serves me right, that's why it's there and how it works.

@Dpruente:

Nope, those solid brass bodied Master padlocks are not able to be taken apart without using semi-destructive means (you have to drill out and remove those small brass chamber caps and remove that retention pin which is too large to move out of the plug no matter what you lift it with) and having a better than basic understanding of metalworking...

They are not like the locks which are meant to be field serviceable which will come apart with the use of proper hand tools...

~~ Evan

[lock2006]

Good info about Master 140 padlock,eventhough the lock got destroyed
we got to see,what was inside the lock good work and i thought it had only one spool pin.

[landeroth]

ty all, and one thing about that retention pin, it didn't move at all. i haven't completely destroyed the lock to see how it is secured, but it looks kinda like an epoxy holding it in...

[Shifty]

Good information. I've got two sets of these locks laying around, i think i'll try and get a cleaner dissection in the near future when i can get my hands on the right tools and figure out exactly how to go about opening it.

[cledry]

In the old days many locks were built the same way. Even though they weren't easy to rekey they are in fact considered rekeyable (but only if the labor is justified by the price of the padlock). We would drill small holes in each brass cap, then using a small screw pull each one out. Rekey the lock and recap each chamber then the locks would be polished to hide the caps. You could actually buy the brass caps from any locksmith distributor. Yale was one of the major locks that used this method and they weren't inexpensive locks.