Help with a very old lock

[keysersöze]

I'm new to lock picking, and I have been trying newer, simple techniques to open up this old model master lock I came across, but I still can not get it open. It's very similar to the one in this picture:

I can not find an exact picture of it though, any help with locks like that would be awesome.

[l0ckp1cker]

You cannot find an exact picture?
Can't you make one yourself? Is the lock yours / in use?

[raimundo]

I remember those locks but I haven't seen one in years, last general use of them was to secure canvas bags over parking meters for whatever reason. but some cities may have a lot of them. Its a lever tumbler I think but I really cant remember. Look for a number on it. that would likly be the key reference. Things like this may have as many as 200 variants of the key but the liklyhood of it coming from a set that is all keyed alike is high so it is also possible that you may find a key that fits. Antique stores often have a cigar box of old keys under the counter, typically tryouts for old trunks and locked drawers, but they will throw any old looking key in there.
They'll sell them if you find what you like, they'll sell anything they have.

[TigerDragon]

I've got one of these, but it needs some cleaning up. Mine has some rusty spots on the casing, and was hanging on a nail in the shed. Previous owners left it behind when we bought our house.

[keysersöze]

The locks mine, yes. I found it on some old locker in my garage.
It has the imprints 99 49 on it.

[nothumbs]

Here's a great animation of that type of lock:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lever_tumbler_lock_animation.gif

Here's an exploded view:
http://books.google.com/books?id=Vnlcq4FHHgEC&pg=PA171&lpg=PA171&dq=lever+tumbler+master+lock&source=bl&ots=X041soY7l8&sig=y7rq_ZL46ffeh4sNPKhDIeRKe8U&hl=en&ei=_Lw6So-XK4ewsgO1kZ3kCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10

This video may be useful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il1L14hyWSE

[jpb06080]

That is not a lever lock. It is a warded lock which can be opened with regular warded skeleton pick shaped like an L.

[Raymond]

On the contrary, this Master is a lever lock. It just uses the two levers to directly lock the shackle. Each lever has a hook that fits into the shackle cut out. The levers are moved front to back in conjunction with wards. Also the levers can have more than only one depth cut on the key. The wrong key will not turn because it is 1. not cut deeply enough in that space, or 2. the ward blocks it.

Yes it can be picked with an 'L' shaped pick or almost any curved pick but do so while pulling out on the shackle.

[thedominator7a]

you could probably use a warden pick to pick these locks..

[maintenanceguy]

This one has a very, very simple mechanism. It's not a lever lock.

The key just pushes the latch out of the way. The latch is holding the shackle.

The only thing thing that makes this even a little difficult is that there are two latches and they both need to be moved by the key so if you're sticking a bent piece of wire in there, you're only retracting one latch.

I've got one. don't know where I got it. It took a few minutes to figure it out but once it's open, you'll be able to see the two latches by looking down into the shackle hole.

[musicninja17]

I have just aquired one of these from my grandpa, only it has the numbers "65 66" stamped on it. Fortunately, i got the key with it too, and despite it being old, it works very well. Does anyone know exactly how old it is?

[musicninja17]

^correction...it's 65, 66...not the other way around....

[pjzstones]

i got one of these today. it has 66 49 on it. i got it at a flea market for 50 cents. unfortunately there was no key. does any one know how old it is? i think i've heard that they're from around the 50's, 60's, but i can't remember. i'll post if i get it open and how.

IIRC, and my memory is not that great, these were produced between late 1940- something to mid seventies..