by raimundo » 17 Dec 2008 10:01
Yep, lever tumblers, I really like those old bronze padlocks. Not to say I can pick them all. Yours looks like a fairly easy one, possibly 3 or four levers. The keyway spinner/post/curtain or whatever its called,
(Greyman, you must know the proper terminology) will most likely be able to tension the bolt, and the picking is done with a large hook or an L shaped pick of very stiff wire.
While writing this, I had a concept that may be worth trying
1 cut a blank the width of the keyway with a 45 degree tip, out of a stiff plastic credit card or a card of that type that has no embossed writing.
2 push your blank in until it stops then force it down a bit deeper, this should leave a mark on the 45degree tip angle. this mark will show you where to cut into that tip to improve the shape of the blank, which you do by making the tip cut perpendicular to the length of the blank.
This mark can also be assumed to give the depth of the deepest possible cut also.
3 put your plastic blank in the lock and if possible, put a tensioner in the open back end of the keyway.
you cannot tension the plastic blank, but if you tension with the wrench, you should be able to leave a mark on the edge of the keyway, if this mark is cutting hard into the edge of the plastic, its may be a ward but if it gives a bit, that is a tumbler. cut a warded lock type slot there.
4 at this point, you are now looking to confirm the number of levers in the lock by using the plastic blank and the steel tension wrench in the back part of the keyway. you may do this by copying your plastic blank and trying to go from all low cuts, (think the concep of a 999 key) rotate this and look on the edge for tumbler marks, look for marks that cut into the plastic edge with some force, rather than weak marks, the concept here is to build the key from deep cuts up to the full key, the opposite of impressioning from the full blank down to the key, this is a build up done with a number of plastic blanks in which you are searching for the tumbler cut depths.
I don't know how well this will work, its just a concept that came to me while writing this. You might even be able to fold the plastic card in half before forming the black with the fold as the permanent back edge. this may also help in putting to edges into the same keyway simultaneously, and also strenghen the plastic as you work on it.
This is an untried concept, if you try it, keep thinking about what you are trying to accomplish and you will probably learn some other points about the lock and how to suss out the tumbler depths.
Wake up and smell the Kafka!!!
