Double Locking?

[dev070]

I have an old brass lock from Barjan that I haven't been able to pick for the life of me. I looked up the model on the internet to make sure that it didn't contain security pins (beyond my capabilities at this point). This is the exact lock and the description says "Double locking for added security." What, exactly, does that mean?

[Safety0ff]

It means that there's two locking dogs instead of one. To shim this lock you'd need to shim both sides instead of just the one.

[globallockytoo]

More often than not...it doesnt mean there are two shear lines. So shimming two separate pin stacks are unlikely.

Most likely it implies that they key requires to turn twice to unlock the lock.....probably a double-throw bolt.

[Safety0ff]

I meant for shimming the shackle NOT the pins. Having two locking elements meens it's it's less susceptible to being bypassed via the back of the keyway with a straight pick. It's not bypass proof (there exist tools such as peterson "silver bullet".)

In any case, it won't affect picking the the lock. What are you using for picks? (Please don't say paperclips)

[n2oah]

I meant for shimming the shackle NOT the pins. Having two locking elements meens it's it's less susceptible to being bypassed via the back of the keyway with a straight pick. It's not bypass proof (there exist tools such as peterson "silver bullet".)

Peterson's American tool also serve to bypass a double-locking mechanism.
"Double-locking" is a fairly ambiguous term, and in different contexts, it can mean different things (such as with handcuffs or padlocks).

[MacGyver101]

I'd agree, regarding the ambiguity of what "double-locking" could mean... but in this case, I'm 99.9% sure that "double locking" means what Safety0ff suggested. (The original poster provided a link to a picture of a no-name brass padlock.)

In this case, both the left and the right side of the shackle are secured into the padlock body. (This is in contrast to cheaper padlocks, where only one side of the shackle is locked in.) Depending on the exact details of how it's constructed, this can make it both harder to shim open the padlock and harder cut off the shackle. (It doesn't, however, effect the difficulty of picking open the lock.)

Judging by the keys in the sample image you linked to, it looks like it has a pretty unobstructed keyway and not much variation in pin height: it looks like a good practice lock to get started with, to build up some skills and confidence. (Some of the cheaper padlocks require a lot of tension: try pushing the shackle in while picking it... you might find it much easier to open when you're first starting.)

Hope that's of some help...

[dev070]

Wow, thanks for the help guys. If I apply a lot of tension to this lock (which I tried first because it is old) it seems to lock up the pins so that I cannot push them up into the shell. This was originally why I believed it may have contained security picks (I read somewhere that this locking up was because of security pins). I have been able to snap-pick it open with very light tension, but have had no luck pin-by-pin.

[Safety0ff]

Lighten up the tension when you're picking it. It might contain a spool or two, don't be deceived be the price, but rather than by applying heavy tension you'll find out if it has security pins when/if the plug false set's.