Anyone know (or care) about warded locks?

[9jack9]

I've been experimenting because I can't find much about MODERN warded locks.

The two single-side warded were easy, trigger one one side and one spot. The one needing a double sided skeleton key needed two triggers hit before it would open.

Red circles show where on the shackle the cutouts are. The double-sided, double spot had TWO cutouts on the shackle on opposite sides. And neither was facing the center of the lock when it was locked.





Shackle cutouts in red circles. Spots needing to be triggered by key or pick in blue circles.

Can anyone point me to an internal diagram for this type of lock?

[GWiens2001]

There are not any real 'modern' warded locks. They are among the oldest types of locks.

Here is a link to Bosnian Bill's Lock Lab webpage. The first section has a picture of a warded padlock cutaway, showing how they work. As I don't have his permission to repost his picture, am providing a link to his page where you can see the picture.

There is not really anything to see on a warded lock like those in your picture. The wards, and a stiff wire spring that drops into the cutouts in the shackle.

Gordon

[9jack9]

The one needing two triggers to open seemed interesting because they didn't need to be hit at the same time.

[kwoswalt99-]

The one needing two triggers to open seemed interesting because they didn't need to be hit at the same time.

The shackle spring was strong enough to hold one of the latch springs.

[gumptrick]

I tend to associate warded locks with the cheap modern designs where the focus is low-cost and low-security. I don't find those to be very interesting at all and they're rarely of any challenge at all to even a newbie picker. Once you know how they work then it's usually a no-brainer to open them up. Easier than a Master no. 3.

But there are some very exquisitely made antiques, as well as some rare high security versions. I find those very interesting. Check out the photos by Gordon in this thread:
http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=64147&p=477768

I wish there was some more information about those more readily available--both the old "works of art" and also the more modern high security types.

[peterwn]

Seems with modern machine tooling manufacturers can produce cheap pin tumbler padlocks as cheaply as warded or wafer padlocks. Squire in UK used to produce warded padlocks with corrugated double bitted keys. The locking mechanism was a U shaped flat spring that engaged slots either side of the long leg of the shackle and the tip of the key would spread the two limbs of the spring. The top range one was a laminated padlock with an extra mechanism they called a 'pilfer bolt' which also had to be retracted. If you filed a key to make a skeleton key the odds are you would remove the part that operated the 'pilfer bolt' and so it would not work.