Chinese barrel type lock - very old

[tansu]

How do I open a very old, 18th or 19th century, Chinese lock in the shape of a cylinder with a rectangular slit at one end? Thank you.

[MacGyver101]

Unfortunately -- or fortunately, if you're trying to open it -- the "ancient Chinese" dial padlocks that you normally see for sale (or, at least, all of the ones I've seen for sale on eBay and in Hong Kong) are all modern reproductions that aren't made with particularly high tolerances.

You can normally just apply some pressure to the shackle (i.e., try to slide it out) while spinning the dials; you'll find that one of the dials is a bit harder to turn... simply turn that dial until you feel it "click" into place, and then repeat with the remaining dials until the lock opens.

They are a very old design, and nice looking locks. (Similar ones were made in Iran around the same time.)