UK Mortice Lock

by **jeepster** » 23 Oct 2003 16:41

Anyone here picked a UK Mortice Lock and if so, what did they use?

Thx,

by **Picker_Level-0** » 24 Oct 2003 2:30

This is a great question there is poor information about picking these on the net!! infact no information!!! Please answer!

by **Jlo** » 1 Nov 2003 6:45

Hi,

Yes I agree there is very little information on the humble British stanard insurance approved 5 lever mortice lock. There are picks at http://www.multipick-service.com/en/start_en.htm but never seen one of these locks open'd

I guess due to the lack of information this makes these locks more secure. I know they can be impressioned as well.

Cheers

Jlo

by **Varjeal** » 1 Nov 2003 13:51

Among other things I'm searching for, I'm also looking for information on these locks. It just doesn't seem to be available on the net, I might actually have to go to the library. :roll:

by **Mister Hobbs** » 1 Nov 2003 21:15

I have just started to expand into these after over ten years of lockpicking. I have some Mosler-Diebold lever tumbler locks (safe deposit locks) coming in the mail next week. I will have enough to mount them and to alter one of them so I can see what I am doing when manipulating it and then transfer that over to picking one blind with no visual reference at all. That is probably going to increase the learning curve on what promises to be something that is relatively hard to pick with drilling for a visual on tumbler "windows" for reference.

The British Standard is supposed to have false notching in the windows of each tumbler and this more or less acts like mushroom, spool or serrated drivers in pin tumbler locks.

The stump which is on the bolt can also be serrated on the lever tumbler lock with matching serrations on the leading edge of the tumblers to foil manipulation.

You need special turning tools (tension, torsion wrench, etc.) for these locks, HPC makes a set of four and barring that you will have to make them by hand out of piano (music) wire because they are totally different from regular wrenches.

by **Varjeal** » 2 Nov 2003 0:04

Mister Hobbs: Greetings and welcome to LP101. Thanks for your post.

I, too, have several S&G S.D. locks, but I don't have any picking tools for them as of yet. Looks like I may need to either make or buy some.

I'm the moderator of this forum and Mr. Picks is the admin. Should you have any questions or comments on the site in general, please feel free to p.m. either of us anytime.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Sincerely,

Varjeal
Moderator

by **Jlo** » 2 Nov 2003 4:41

Hi,

Thanks for your input. Would be very interested to hear back from you on how you got on with the lever safe deposit locks?

Kind Regards

Jlo

by **Mister Hobbs** » 2 Nov 2003 9:18

Varjeal,

Actually, I have posted here before but a demon ate my Yahoo E-mail account and no matter what I do, I cannot get back into it. So I dumped my old name here, etc. I attached something as a signature on that post above but it did not come through.

I left this site for a while because it was taking on a nutty feel to it. But I see some things have become better, came back and took a peek. I did PM "Mr. Picks" last night.

On the levers...

You can use regular hook picks on them of various heights, you will want various heights as well for reason.

In a pin tumbler lock, you can have a key combinated for high-low-high, but only to a certain degree or the driver (top pin) could totally enter the plug and hopelessly jam the lock. That is, you can only have the high-low-high or low-high-low combination so much, too much of a good thing would be disaster, right?

This makes the pin tumbler lock incredibly hard to pick at times without the addition of anti-pick drivers like mushrooms.

With the lever tumbler lock, you can have a high tumbler and an unbelievably low tumbler right next to it, etc. This is problematic in a lock like a lever tumbler lock where you MUST start over if you overlift a lever tumbler. With a pin tumbler, you might have to release tension and start over, maybe - maybe not. Sometimes you can let up on the tension and scrub them down with a riffle rake. But with the lever tumbler lock, you MUST start over.

HPC makes a very large hook pick, in order to pick these locks you need to get about four of them and two regular hook picks. Leave one of the regular hook picks "original" and don't alter it. The other one you want to use a whetstone and a little oil and take it down about 2mm. On the very large hook picks, you want to leave one "original" and then take the next one down 2mm, then the next one down 4mm, etc.

That way, you have an assortment of specialized hooks because that is precisely what you are going to need along with the four HPC lever tumbler wrenches, I think HPC calls them, "Letter Box Wrenches."

These specialized hook picks will allow you to pick the levers and not disturb levers that have already been picked, i.e., you won't be overlifting them.

by **The Key Maker** » 15 Nov 2003 6:02

I went to my local lock smiths, a co0l guy, and the shop was totally full of broken stuff and loads of locks everywhere. Anyways he sold me a lever lock for like 5 quid a 3 lever lock. I ended commin out of there with loads, he GAVE me a 5 lever lock with a rotating anti pick coller, another old 3 lever lock, a europian profile cylinder, a yale 5 pin tumbler, a wafer lock and a load of pins springs wafers and empty cylinders for me to look at. OOOO plus a gun cabinet 7 lever lever lock all for my Â£5. Nice guy. Anyways its amaizing you take them apart and you can instantly see the mechanism. U will definately have to look at one but basically you align the levers so that the bolt can move accross!!! simple but hard to pick.

*****Anyways he showed me how to pick one,. You need a different sized pick for each type but there isnt many different types (there expensive tho!!) I think they may be hobbs picks but he didnt call them that he just called them lever picks. Basically you shove it in, and add tension to the bolt, at the same time a little lever goes in, all part of the same pick and you turn that and lift up the levers!!!! Right on !! The more levers the harder it is. I cant find a picture of one anywhere!! They oooked just like hobbs picks but had 2 pertruding little handles comming out that one you added tension too and another you lifted the levers up with. Anyone finds a pic of what you think i am tryin to explain then post the link!!!!!!!!

by **Chubby** » 15 Nov 2003 8:51

Don't double post there's a good chap!... :wink:

by **Jlo** » 15 Nov 2003 13:25

Hi The Key Maker,

Sounds like you had a good visit with your locksmith. I am guessing you are based in the UK.

Will turning the lever pick also turn the antipick coller in the 5 lever BS Standard lock?

Cheers

Jlo

by **The Key Maker** » 15 Nov 2003 15:51

Yes, it does turn the color!! Thats why the have to be specific sizes!!

Chubby what ya suggest i do if i wanted my post on both links seen as they are both appropreate and this more than the other post!! Answer that, thats a good chap!!!

by **Chubby** » 15 Nov 2003 18:06

***Formally Known as Picker_Level-0 *****

eyes faut dar wuz somfink famiilliilliar r'bowt yus poost i reckoogniced ya noaw! lol... :lol:

by **The Key Maker** » 16 Nov 2003 18:24

Chubby :- Cool :wink:

by **sidpick** » 4 Oct 2004 17:57

Heres a little piccy of a curtain pick in action against a non BS yale lock,

When practicing with this tool I found it easier to see the levers going up and down, once practiced with this tool, pop some tape over the hole switch the levers around and keep picking, works on a few lever locks i've got but other people on this site have had more joy than me!

UK Mortice Lock

UK Mortice Lock

lever lock picking

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