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

[devildog]

Oh, I absolutely agree. This could definately do with some professional engineering, modeling, and R&D.

I think that some type of spring-loaded striker that fired a rubber/plastic/whatever hammer out at a rate of speed already calculated in conjunction with the weight of the striker such that it delivered the optimum amount of energy in the optimum manner would be outstanding, and it would be easier to carry around than a hammer--I've got something in mind about the size and shape of a small-medium flashlight with a spring loaded rubber/plastic striker that could be cocked and fired--would take a lot of the inconsistency out of the process that comes along with having a human being what throws the hammer/striker.

[ThE_MasteR]

Yeah, but would you need a different striker for each lock ? Each lock has it's own amount of energy that needs to be transfered thru the bottom pins due to the different spring tension that each lock has. You would need a tension adjuster to be able to set a what rate it would have to be sprung at.

[Mad Mick]

Just a random thought...
Anyone tried attaching a bump key to a staple-gun type mechanism?

[devildog]

Oh, and a tension wrench with a little clamp on the end to attach to the key so that people like me STOP HITTING THEIR FRIGGIN' THUMBS!!!!!

[Mad Mick]

Well, you could always slip a wrench through the hole in the bow...

[vector40]

I was just about to type "Preliminary results: Disappointing." But then all of a sudden... the lock started opening.

Pardon my French, but this is ****ing FANTASTIC. I haven't gotten a rush like this since the very first time I picked a lock. Every time this key turns I feel like my *ss is on fire.

It's a short swing, turn-after-it-hits and resetting every time. And no, I'm not great at it yet -- I haven't really figured out the trick, I'm just able to repeat it relatively successfully. But man oh man... I'm in love.

BUMP KEYS = AAAAAAAWESOME

[vector40]

Oh, by the way... you may find that old locks with very worn bottom pins won't bump -- the tips are too rounded. I repinned my practice lock to get it to work.

[treboR]

Vector40, what types of locks are you bumping?
I so far have only bumped kwickset and schlage.(the only brands I have both keys and locks to.)

I am just curious.

[vector40]

Just a Schlage mortise. (The one Varj sells, actually.)

[ThE_MasteR]

Way to go Vector40 !!

The feeling I got when I first bumped a lock, well, I almost fainted

Where did you get your keys ?

[devildog]

That's a really funny coincidence, as I FINALLY bumped my schlage last night!! Woohoo!

It is a really good feeling too, a little different from picking a lock because it's so sudden.

What was I doing wrong? Well, number one: those rubber erasers WERE too soft--I used the handle of the biggest flathead screwdriver I've got. And number two: I wasn't hitting hard enough at all--imagine your hammer is your weapon of choice, and you're sitting in front of a hole in your wall where this huge rat lives and when he pokes his head out your objective is to decapitate that sucker ! THAT'S how hard to hit it.

I'm going today to Lowe's to get a hammer handle which I think should work really well. I'll let you all know how that works out. The striking material DEFINATELY needs to be relatively hard (definately harder than soft rubber) so, as someone else already mentioned, it makes that key SNAP into that lock so it shoots those pins right up--I think the cutting board idea definately has promise, and rulers are still viable but you need to make sure that they're fairly stiff, so the aluminum ones at hardware stores would be good, but I saw some at walmart that were real floppy and are not what I'm talking about. The only catch is that the striking material should not be harder than the brass which the key is made out of for obvious reasons, so hard plastic/rubber/composites are probably your best bets, and maybe some aluminum, brass, or copper would work as well, but be carefull there and make absolutely certain that you're not using steel or you could end up doing to your bumpkey what you did to that rat earlier...

[devildog]

Well, you could always slip a wrench through the hole in the bow...

Oh yes, I know, but it really tends to come out a lot when the key is struck; a screwdriver wedged in tightly seems to work best right now, but I really think that a tension wrench with some kind of small clamp, perhaps like a vice-grip mechanism, would be best.

[ThE_MasteR]

I got a 2$ rubber mallet yesterday, and I will try bumping a masterlock padlock and i'll let you know how this thing goes. I don't feel like utting hte ribber, because I will defenatly be needing the mallet for other things, and I even got a good special on it so..No cutting.

[vector40]

Where did you get your keys ?

Just a friendly lockie.

[vector40]

Okay, has anyone given the pull-out method a try? Because I've been having some REALLY good success with it, combined with a long, strong swing, and a shoulder-trimmed bump key. (To clarify: I'm not using an unmodified 999 key, I'm using the sort we'd ordinarily use for minimal-motion. However, I've tried with an unmodified bump key too, and that also seems to work -- not sure yet whether one does it better.)

Maybe both methods work well on low- to medium-security locks, whereas minimal-movement really shines on the super sexy ones? What I noticed is that this shitty Schlage-clone mortise I have, one of the easiest practice locks I own (bad as a Kwikset, pretty much), works REALLY well with pull-out but I couldn't get it to work with minimal-movement at all, maybe because the tolerances were so messy that the small motion just got swallowed.

Anyone else?