'Bump' Keys?

[davidsouth82]

Hi there,

I'm (obviously) new to this forum, and after sifting through hundreds of posts decided to sign up. I've been fiddling with locks for a couple of months now, mainly just learning techniques and using home made tools to pick (very) basic locks!

Today I saw an article on Bump Keys and I'm a little bemused as to how they'd work. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand the mechanics of the technique but it was the actual implementation I was stuck on. As far as I understand the lock must be the right way up for gravity to 'help out'. This I assume is with the pins at the top.

Almost every single lock in my home is the other way up when locked, with the pins at the bottom. Am I right in thinking that this makes them resistant to bump keys?!


Thanks for listening,
Dave.

[SFGOON]

There's a way to hit a cue ball so it stops dead when it hits the pool ball. It's that sort of force that allows locks to be bumped. Although I'm not sure, I don't think that gravity is fast enough to keep the pins in contact with the drivers for the split second when they're apart. You have inertia to deal with, as well as the friction that the plug is putting on the pins. You should still be able to bump them, if that is the case.

[treboR]

My homemade bump key works on upside down locks. It does take a little longer though.

[cutter1400]

The theory behind bumping locks is similar to those office toys. You know the ones where there are five metal balls hang from a frame. You pull back one ball and it swings down into the other four. The middle three don't move at all but the far one jumps out and swings back. With a bump key you are doing the same thing. The pins on top are jumping out of the cylinder for a breif moment while the pins in the middle don't move. Gravity has little effect on the process so it should work upside down.

Cutter