Question for Greyman

[Legion303]

I have a Champion 6-lever Miller padlock like the one in your book (pg. 380 on the Google Books preview), and I'm wondering if you have any insight as to how it can be picked. You gave it a 3-4 (out of 5) pick resistance rating, so there must be some way. :P

With the one I have, the top lever in the pack had rusted badly enough to break the spring, which means I might be able to get a very thin pick over the top of the pack and push directly against the locking mechanism, but I don't see any obvious way to pick this lock if it were in prime condition. The only thing I could see working is some type of impressioning, but the specifics elude me at the moment.

-steve

[locfoc]

it's just an old lever padlock, the levers don't even have false cuts in them.
if you can't pick it try to impression a key to it, that should help your quest.

oh ya don't keep tension on the shackle if that's what you where doing or it will keep itself locked, you need let the spring mechanism do the unlocking work for you.

and you can't push against the mechanism, you need to let the mechanism slide into the gates in the wafers then the shackle can be pulled upwards.

[Legion303]

The spring mechanism won't do the work, because there's a single spring biasing the shackle blocker, opposing the other 5 which aren't. The tension on that one spring isn't enough to let the gates of the others catch on the blocker's hook.

-steve

[locfoc]

That is why you need to push the 5 levers up at the same time in their picked position.
You can send me the lock I will open it for you and make you a key. and I think it's 6 levers not 5. but try this:
take paperclips, straigten and shave them down and wrap them up with a rubber band really tight
now push them up each one against a different lever and adjust their distance then hold tight and push forward
holding each one in their position.

my memory could be really shotty on this lock I haven't seen one in a long time. But I don't remember having much trouble with it. I'm going to check my books here for you.

yea, a make-shift home-brew can work, you need to push the levers up at the same time in the correct position, like I thought I said.

[greyman]

Only just noticed this thread. The Miller 6-lever is a great lock. I don't know how to pick it. I have tried at a friend's place with a 6-feeler pick (like the one a poster just suggested to make with paper clips and a rubber=eraser . I got nowhere with it. I could not locate what I call the "actuator lever" - ie the one that must be pushed in to maximum depth. My theory is that if you push this one nice and hard, you can feel the gates on the others.

There is a thread somewhere on LP101 showing a picture of a tensioning tool for Miller. If I remember correctly, it required a screw to apply serious pressure to the shackle. It seems that this will apply some inward pressure to the crank and make the lock pickable.