How to identify a lock?

[hamANDcheese]

Just joined the site. I have had a look through old posts, so apologies if this is already covered elsewhere.

How do I identify a lock? (Second hand, can't see brand names or any codes on it.)

[GWiens2001]

Pictures help greatly.

Gordon

[hamANDcheese]

That's what I mean. How can you or I tell just by looking at it? Is there a book or reference that lists locks with pictures?

Or did you mean I should take some pictures and post them?
(Either way I'd like to know how to do it myself in the future.)

[fgarci03]

It's a matter or experience. Like when you see a car without make or model stamped on it. You know what it is. Some times it's the warding that gives away the lock (on GeGe's for example), sometimes it's the kind of pins you can see on the inside (Mul-T-Lock).

Or we can be left knowing nothing

Could you post a picture of that lock? If any of us can identify it, we will tell you what gave it away!

[phrygianradar]

One way I have identified locks, and other things, is to look at it and try to type in the most prominent features of it into Google image search and then just go through the pics until I see what I'm looking for. For instance; measure it and type in "3 inch brass padlock pin tumbler..." add any markings or numbers (I know you said second hand without markings, but you may get lucky) and you can kind of narrow it down. If it looks old you may want to search for "old padlock..."

I just saw an interesting lock the other day on a storage unit that is right next to mine and my wifes unit. It was a discus lock that had a dimple type of keyway. I had never seen this before and there was a sticker covering the name brand. Since it isn't mine I didn't want to mess with it, so I just Google searched for "dimple discus" and came up with a picture of the exact same lock I had seen. It was a MiniCo discus lock.

That is how I do it! Hope that helped a bit... happy hunting!

[hamANDcheese]

I must have confused myself. It does have the brand on it. Says Primus. But from google I can tell there are lots of different Primus locks. So I still need a bit of help.

I would post the picture I took but I can't find how to attach it?

[hamANDcheese]

http://postimg.org/image/7hfqljy5h/

[hamANDcheese]

Hope the link worked. Sorry about the quality. Can you tell I don't take the family photos in this house?

[phrygianradar]

I'm not really sure there is much more info to give you on this if all you want is to identify the lock. Schlage makes the Primus lock. What are you exactly trying to figure out about this lock? How to pick it? How it works? It is kind of hard to tell what is driving your curiosity beyond what can be learned from reading info about the Schlage Primus. Here is a link to more info about this kind of lock:

http://www.lockwiki.com/index.php/Schlage_Primus

[hamANDcheese]

How do I do know what type of primus it is? The link says theres classic, xp, everest. Mine looks different to the picture on that page.

Ultimately I want to open the bugger without destroying it or the cabinet its on. Bought the cabinet from a bankruptcy auction as is (no key).
Not sure if I want to pick it, I gave that a go on some other locks years back and could only get one of them. Never got the knack for it. I did manage to impression a couple. But I haven't done any of this in years.

[phrygianradar]

If you want to get into that lock without destroying it, you need to call a locksmith. These type of locks are notably hard to pick, any type of them. I don't want to burst your bubble, but trying to brush up on your lock picking to pick up Primus would be a real time investment.

[Evan]

Well since no one else has identified the actual lock yet, let me be the first:

It looks like it is an Olympus Cabinet Lock equipped with a Classic Schlage Primus cylinder in what appears to be a Quad keyway...

Evidence for this conclusion is as follows:

-- OP states application is on a cabinet
-- there is a hazy shadow of the Olympus logo in the appropriate position
-- the size of the face of the cylinder is too small to be a std mortise lock
-- the face of the plug lacks the Everest logo
-- the keyway is not an open classic one

There is good news for the OP here, that must be the type of cabinet lock that accepts the Schlage key-in-knob cylinder so it is just a matter of having someone either pick or destroy only the plug and replace the cylinder...

~~ Evan

[phrygianradar]

Thank you Evan! Big guns to the rescue!

@hamANDcheese: Let us know how it all works out now that you know what you are up against. Hope it has a happy ending.