Whats Wrong With My Bump Key

[jlyoung89]

I have always been intrested in lock picking, but I never took the time to learn about it until my 3 year old neice locked my sister out of the house and I had to kick down the door.

So I did some research and I figured it would be benifical to have a bump key handy just in case something like that happened. So I made 2 bump keys while following the driections in a youtube video. And I understand that it takes a degree of skill and practice but I find it hard to believe that with a good bump key I couldnt get it to work once. I am pretty sure that I made an error while making the key. Could someone please tell me how to get it to work?

Thanks.


K1
(I believe I cut the vallys too low on this one)

K1

K2
(This one looks right to me when compared with pictures of other bump keys but still wont work)

K2

[Solomon]

It would be more beneficial (and sensible) to keep a spare key of your own... maybe not as cool or impressive, but at least you know you're getting in with the key.

Trust me, unless you know exactly what you're doing through lots and lots of practice, this sort of method isn't something you should be considering for emergencies - and even then, if you can get your own key there's no need. This goes especially for bumping, cos it's tedious and unreliable... not to mention it's 10 times more likely to cause damage than picks.

Bumping isn't as easy as the media makes it out to be. It's not just a case of smack and turn. You need to get the tension just right and find the right amount of force to hit the key with aswell, same as if you were using a snap gun. In saying that, even badly cut keys will work so the keys aren't the issue here. My first ones were terrible, but I still had success with them... the valleys on the first ones are far too steep and narrow but the last 2 look perfectly useable to me. You just need to practice.

That, and talk to your sister about getting spare keys for each others places. Makes life much easier.

[jlyoung89]

I don't mean just with my sister, you never know when someone will get locked out or when you will lose a key. But just out of curiosity, would a snap gun be a better investment, and is it easier to use.

[Solomon]

I don't mean just with my sister, you never know when someone will get locked out or when you will lose a key. But just out of curiosity, would a snap gun be a better investment, and is it easier to use.

Nope. They take a ton of practice just like everything else and they're still not particularly reliable... although that could just be my experience with them, I don't have a lot of patience for tools that don't give any feedback so I haven't practiced a lot with it. I prefer to pick by hand, only really bought a snap gun to play around with. I've never opened anything half decent with one but some people are very good with them and I'm sure with (considerable amounts of) practice you could open most locks reliably with one.

Bumping is easier than using a snap gun because you don't have to focus on depth or alignment of the needle, that's about it. There is still a skill to it and there is more than one technique for using them aswell. But unless you're gonna get seriously into picking and reach the point where you can at the very least open half of all locks you run into, helping people when they're locked out isn't very realistic.

[jlyoung89]

It's got to the point now where even if I never use this bump key I want to be able to do it because Ibhavent been able to. It's now a challenge ya know lol. I've used this key with various amounts of pressure on the cylinder and various amounts of striking force. Each time I release the pressure I can hear the pins fall back into place but the cylinder will not turn. I'm not sure if the cylinder pins are jumping above the shear line, if the upper pins aren't going above the shear line, or both. But it is irritating me that I can't get the cylinder to turn in this manner. Is there any tips or methods you could provide to assist?

[Solomon]

Not really man, bumping isn't something I do a whole lot of either. Even with perfectly cut keys it's very hit and miss, only other thing I can suggest from my own experience is to try bumping it then turning very shortly afterwards... I've found with spooled locks that you need to do it that way, to avoid getting trapped in a false set. Good luck

[Squelchtone]

. Is there any tips or methods you could provide to assist?

Yes. Look at an actual Kwikset key, the shape of your cuts is not correct, and the depths are off in several spots. This needs to be really really accurate, not just accurate to your eyes from 3 feet away.

google images of KW1 bump keys, you'll know what I mean.



Squelchtone

[jlyoung89]

It's hard to see in the photo, how tall are the teeth on the key supposed to be

[Squelchtone]

you should use that new site called Google...

I just did, it was super easy and look what I found: http://www.bump-j.com/New_15_Bumpkey_te ... s-DIST.pdf

As far as depth and spacing goes: viewtopic.php?p=161428

here's a huge jpg you can resize and print out: http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/8436/key1yf7.jpg


Do some searching please, this stuff has been covered already...

Squelchtone

[EmCee]

Just to add to Solomon's good advice to forget about bump keys and get spares cut for you and sis; plus his sound comment on the fact that bumping takes a lot of practice and even then won't always work....

...you said

I don't mean just with my sister, you never know when someone will get locked out or when you will lose a key.

In addition to the fact that it takes practice, another reason bumping isn't as common or as easy as it is sometimes made to appear in the press is that a bump key is specific to a certain make of lock with a certain pinning and a certain shape of keyway. You won't make one bump key that will work on all those locks you're worried about people getting locked out of or losing their keys for - unless all those people have exactly the same locks.

I'm certainly no expert on bumping but I know a UK lockie who is recognised as an expert in bumping, and believe me he has CASES of SETS of bump keys in his van...not a single key in his pocket.

Cheers..