Miller 6-lever brass padlock with push key

[fjardeson]

I have two Miller 6-lever brass padlocks. They are flat brass and use a push key into a slot in the bottom. One has a key, and works great. The other has no key. Has anyone sucessfully picked one of these?

In Pulford's "High-Security Mechanical Locks" there is a great description of how the mechanism works. Sometimes if I tension on the hasp I can get some of the levers to "set", but I don't think that's the way to go - the mechanism design forces a jam if you tension the hasp. (I just proved this using the one with a key, if I tension the hasp, inserting the key does nothing.)

I don't see an obvious decoding method as all the levers are identical except for their coding notch (like a Chubb Butter's system lock). A nice bonus is once the lock is unlocked, the levers freeze at their opening level, so if I can pick the durn thing once, measuring and making a key would be easy.

[TheSnakey]

try and make yourself a key

[raimundo]

I have always liked these locks, never successfully picked one, and I envy you for having them, especially with a working key.
I can't help you at all, but tell us how you came accross them.

[fjardeson]

Raimundo - good ol' EBay usually has some of these, that's where I got mine. With key, you'll get into the $75-100 range; without key, you can get them under $45. With keys are rare. I am designing a device similar to a tubular pick for the ACE lock with "feelers" and a variable friction lock on the feelers; that might work because there is definitely some tactile feedback from the mechanism. Pics to come, and hopefully a pic of the other one opened.

[raimundo]

I once made a tubar pick that had two sets of four sliders on both sides of a flat piece of metal, I think I used a spring and wood clothes pin with the wood on both sides of the the metal base and slilders to put friction on the sliders, it can be increased in friction by wrapping rubberbands around it, the wood is pressed into the sliders.

perhaps, you could use part of this idea to make sliders for the push key, sandwiched between two wooden parts of a clothes pin. the sliders should come out the other end of the the wood overlay, so that the ends are not inside it and digging into the wood.

[greyman]

The Miller is a great mechanism, to be sure. I haven't picked one either, but I have played with a tool for one. It's just like an axial pin-tumbler lock pick but obviously with 1 row of 6 wire sliders. I don't quite understand how you tension the beast. One of the levers has to get pushed down further than the others but I'm not sure if it has to "bottom out". If it does, once you figure out which of the 6 it is, you should get some results. I have seen on another thread on LP101 a picture of a screw tensioner for the Miller. You insert it in between the shackle and the case and crank it up - apparently the force is enough to apply tension on to the crank that touches the levers. I have no reason to doubt the idea, but I haven't tried it myself.

On ebay UK Millers are around 10 pounds sterling - there was one this week.

cheers

greyman