Dissasembling a padlock...

[rean1611]

i know this might seem a tad strange but i want to dissasemble a padlock, it is a true value kind ( Basicly masterlock) and i wanna take the locking mechanism out of it for studdying purposes... could someone help me out...

[helix]

A lot of locks have a hex screw in the hole where
the shackle clicks. I don't know the specifics of the lock
you are talking about, but have a look there
and see if it does.

If you post the make AND model of the lock or
post a picture of it or describe it real good
you should be able to get someone who can give a
more personalised answer to your question.

When you know the make and model, do
a search for 'make AND model AND disassembly'
in that format.

[n2oah]

If its laminated...fire up the dremel with a cut-off or sanding disc for metal. Then you need to grind down the 4-6 rivets the hold all of the sections together. Once they're all ground down, put the lock in a vise and get a hammer and a nail. Make sure the lock is in the vice nice and tight, with the ground down rivets facing up towards you. Next, take the nail and align it with the shaft of the ground down rivets. Hold the nail firmly and give it a TAP with the hammer. Better to use small taps and have no broken fingers then killing the thing and getting yourself hurt. Repeat the tapping until the rivet has popped out the other side of the lock. If the rivets aren't moving down any, you'll need to try the next method.
You can also try to cut the bottom wafer (layer) of the laminated lock off. Make sure you cut in between the rivets and all the way through the the wafer, but not too far. Knock off the part you just cut off, then you will have acess to the cylinder.
On some better locks, you will find a screw under the shackle, if this is so, loosen the screw until it comes out. The cover of the cylinder will fall off, and there you have acess to the cylinder.

[rean1611]

yah that one looks like it will work, it has 8 "dots" on the top and bottom of the lock and it is layered like that, thx.

[Chrispy]

Thermite

[Spry]

Yea, n2oah's way is the best. Just grind off the rivet heads then punch them out.

I disassembled a lock for a drafting project, and it worked out great. Does anyone know how to take apart locks that aren't stacked plates? Like brass locks, and deadbolts etc.. (without damaging them beyond recogniton)

[raimundo]

look carefully at the laminated padlock, sometimes there is a punch that does not go all the way through which is there to simulate a rivet, Master does this, probably the knockoffs too. This punch looks exactly like a rivet, except that sometimes you cannot see the other end on the bottom of the stack. rivets are pressed to expand them, and will expand inside the first laminations, but if your lock has six apparent rivets on the top and only the corner ones on the bottom, I recommend that you pick a lamination about 3 into the stack from the bottom, and cut into that lamination with a hacksaw at a diagonal to the lock body so that you will cut into the length of the rivet with the least extra cutting of the lamination, cut the same lamination on all four corners of thelock, and when the four rivets are cut through, you can take the lock apart.
The reason to do it this way is because the rivets on the corners will not open the case when just ground to flat, they are expande inside that first laminaation, this is not true if you go about three laminations deep in the stack.

[raimundo]

brass body padlocks usually are drilled for the pins, and also for the locking dogs. the drill holes are press capped with brass rod and the grind on the surface hides this. Look carefully along the edge of the lock body for differences in color of the brass that show a row of holes capped with brass. If you cannot see this, use a small tool of some sort to hammer carefully along the edge of the lock, this will drive some of the caps deeper in and you will be able to see the slight line of the caps. look for these after each strike of the tool, (beat it with the handle of a stainless butter knife, that would be a small tool with the right heaft) If you beat madly on the edge of the lock without looking after each strike, you may hide the marks you are looking for, so look after each strike. These locks are not meant to be dissasembled, so you will have to decide whether you want to drillout the cap you find. On very old padlocks, with a coined logo, on the face of the lock, the logo itself may be a press fit cap.

[Mad Mick]

viewtopic.php?t=1890&start=0

HTH.

[rean1611]

thx