Mentor Me Please

[portcityflyer]

I recently purchased a self storage business. Some of my problem children are trying to thwart my eviction attempts by using the circular padlocks made by Brinks and sold at the Walmart down the road. These are the same padlocks as in this website's header.

What tools and literature do you recommend for me to learn to pick these locks as I can not get my bolt cutters on these particular locks. Also, how do these locks rank in complexity for a beginner like myself.

I have always had mechanical projects going on from repairing HIVAC to building airplanes. I just need a kick start on this project so I don't have to call the local locksmith every day.

[jordyh]

Regular lockpicks (I prefer SouthOrd) will do fine.

Fair chance you can rake it, most circular padlocks aren't great on the security department (well, my abus seriously wasn't that hard, and i have a few,so the estimate is: easy.)


My advice: raking.
Picking will do it within minits too.
There are probably no spool pins, serrated pins or mushroom pins in it, so it isn't very hard (pins to make picking harder, also so called "security pins".)

If you think you need practice, just buy exactly the same padlock and get familiar with the feel of it.

Also i'd like to advice you to brush up your knowledge a bit (if you think you need it), by reading THIS.

yours truly,


me

[jordyh]

By the way, is this the one we're talking about?

[portcityflyer]

Yes, that is the lock. I have ordered the 14 piece SouthOrd tool kit with the instructional CD. I will buy one of those padlocks and practice in the comfort of my LazyBoy recliner. Hopefully I will be able to master the technique and blow past those locks out at the warehouse site. I hate to mechanically remove the locks because I will scar up my doors.

[zeke79]

Picking the lock in the comfort of your Lazy boy will be much different and much easier than when you actually go into the field to pick these locks. The height of most hasp & staples on storage units that I have worked on are about waist level and the keyway seems to always be facing the direction with the least working room. On top of this you will be kneeling on gravel or hot/cold pavement which will make matters worse. If you want a new hobby, this is one of the best ways to spend money and pass time. If you are just wanting to remove locks in a timely manner as part of your storage business then a DC to AC inverter in your car along with a dremel tool and reinforced cut off disks will make short work of these locks.

[portcityflyer]

Good advice. The problem with the cut off disks, I have electric and pneumatic and can access the locks with both, is that the padlocks fit so tightly under the door handle you can not access the shanks. By the time I cut through the lock I will cut into the door and or handle assembly. For entry it is possible for me to drill out the four rivets holding the entire door handle assembly in place on the roll up door and just remove door handle and lock. However, I am trying to learn a more elegant way of performing this operation.

[SFGOON]

Zeke is right - destrucitve entry is the way to go if you're dealing with deadbeat types. Those circular padlocks are difficult to pick, just chop 'em off.

[pizarro]

If he's dealing with one type of lock mainly, can he use a bump key on them? I've heard that they can be fairly quick to master (especially as you said there are no security pins in the lock).

But me being a newbie as well, I havn't got round to trying bump keys, as I'm doing lockpicking as a hobby, I like the challenge.

[TOWCH]

A cordless drill would solve your problem nicely. The plug is restricted from rotating by the pins. Drill out the pins and the plug will rotate.

[portcityflyer]

The standard padlocks are no problem for our bolt cutters. Five seconds and they are off. It is just these darn circular Brinks locks. If you guys can imagine they fit under the door handle so tightly that you can not get any mechanical methods in position to make the cut. If there is a way to mechanically remove them by cutting the face and not the shanks, let me know. I can cut at the face easily.

[portcityflyer]

Towch,

Are you recommending drilling right into the top of the key slot where the pins are located? This is the only brass area so I suppose a 1/8" bit could drill right into that location. Elaborate on your method.

[Varjeal]

We generally only discuss NDE methods on this site. However, some study of where the key goes in and applying a drill bit of the proper size to follow it will be your solution.