Bump Key HAMMERS--please post ideas, designs, pics, info etc

[devildog]

Ok, there's been a lot of really informative, high quality info. posted recently on bump keys (many thanks to Zeke and TheMaster ), due to the amount of interest in them, and that's great as it's been long overdue (TOOOL seems to have this odd and annoying ability to put out lots of really INTERESTING information that gets everyone's curiosity up while lacking anything truely helpful in duplicating what they're demonstrating ).

But! I'd love, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, to get lots of ideas for actual bump key HAMMERS, as according to TOOOL and Zeke (and they both do seem to really know what they're talking about), the design and characteristics of the hammer is actually more important than that of the bump key itself! The key can be constructed very haphazardly with odd peaks and valleys and it will conform itself to the shape that it needs to be due to its soft brass construction versus the very hard steel of the pins, but the hammer is either good or it's not, and if it's not then that's REALLY going to mess you up regardless of how well your keys are made.

Now, I've heard a few ideas about attaching various things (inline skate brake, piece of cutting board, etc.) to a ruler, and that is supposed to work pretty well. I was just hoping we could get some more variation and details (PICTURES!!!).

I'm posting this because I've got a whole bunch of bump keys that were machine cut, courtesy of keysman (a locksmith, by the way), so I know that there's NOTHING wrong with the keys themselves (yes, I lowered the valleys to a 10 cut, used a caliper to measure them, and took .5mm off the tip and shoulders) and I haven't been able to bump anything yet. I'm quite sure this is due to the fact that I'm using a plastic screwdriver handle as a hammer , unless someone else has another idea as to what it could be.

So, ideas, designs, info and especially pictures would all be appreciated!!

Say, I don't suppose anyone has a Tomahawk, or knows where they could get/borrow one, who could post a picture of it next to a ruler and maybe weigh it or get the tech specs for it?? That would be kinda nice...

[ThE_MasteR]

Well, I thanks for for posting this because I am in need also of a hitting tool for bumping.

Not to long ago, Robertb made something from an idea I got, and it turns out to work pretty well.

He took 2 flexible aluminum rulers, the flexible ones, and took maybe 1/7 of a mallet's rubber head, and screwed it in the rulers ( the to rulers where joined togheter I think)

I am sure there are many more better ways of making a tool like this. In the Bumping Revisited video from B.Wels, he shows a a tool that a guys made out of a scuba diving foot thing, and also one out off a car bumber due to it's good regidity.

I am sure people will come up with some exellent ideas and they will post them here.

[zeke79]

Tip number one I can give you is while you are learning have copies of a bumpkey made to practice with. Keep your original to go back to as most keys here in the US are not nearly as hard as keys supplied with most Euro locks. This will also give you the ability to move the shoulder around and experiement with depths that may work better than others.

As far as striking the key goes, I find that a lighter hit with a heavier screwdriver handle works better than a harder hit with a lighter screwdriver handle. As far as striking goes it seems that everyone does it slightly different. A tomahawk style tool does work best by a large margin.

[ThE_MasteR]

Well, the Tomahawk is made out of PVC and a rubber head. I sure that it's not only that 90 year old physics guy that can do this. The reason why it's so accurate, is because he calculated how much energy it would take for the pins to all lift with a certain amount of rigidity produced by it's swing.

Surely someone can make a PVC clone that's good enough.

[keysman]

Everbody is going to have their own favorite, the one that works for them,
I personally like the handle off a 12 oz ball pean hammer. But that is just me.

The rulers looked like a good workable idea, someday I will give it a shot.

The real trick is to use something that will cause the key to "snap" into the lock causing the pins to jump.

Well ,that and getting the turning timming down.

[funboy79015]

For a bumping mallet, I use a rubber stopper screwed onto a hacksaw blade.

[quickpicks]

for the tip of my hammer I have been using a peice of solid teflon (this stuff is not fun to cut) and it works pretty good.

[devildog]

What's your actual hammer, though? I'm guessing a ruler, but...?

[quickpicks]

yeah but I am testing some new materials. I'll let you know how that goes in a few days. I need some new Corbin and schlage bump keys cut first because the other ones went to hell when I took the shoulder back too much.

[vector40]

I've got a metal rule with a block of wood on the end. I also have another identical ruler and one that's 6" only. I'll let you know how it works in a few days -- but on the upside, if it's too flexy, I can always just choke up on the handle to shorten the swing.

[ThE_MasteR]

Looking foward to your reply on that vec..

[devildog]

Ok, now that photobucket is back up, here's what I've got so far:

I'm using a plastic ruler (who didn't get one of these bloody DARE things in 8th grade?) that's rather stiff, for plastic, with a pair of pink erasers taped to the end with electrical tape:







It swings and feels great; very solid, snappy thump when you hit the palm of your hand with it, and it feels weighty towards the end and quite whippy, BUT I STILL can't bump anything. I really don't understand it--I swear that stupid key should be perfect--10 cuts in all the valleys, rounded valleys, smooth straight ramps, .5mm off the tip and shoulders...GGGRRR!!

I'm thinking about getting a small hammer handle to see if something harder doesn't work better than those erasers...Suggestions?

[treboR]

Devildog, that looks like it should work. I used 2 metal rulers and part of a rubber mallet. I found that the way you swing it effects its performance. The same seems to be true of everything else I have tried ie. screwdriver, hammer handel, etc. There is a thread I started with pictures of mine and a link to a video of it in action.

[sivlogkart]

I played just a little with bumping ages ago, and all this talk is making me think I ought to start it again. I know the basic physics of bumping is well understood, but how carefully has it been studied. It appears to me that there might be room for a bit of good applied mathematical modelling here. What do you think?

[ThE_MasteR]

We need a math theacher here..