Shimming padlocks - through the pins

[talbuz]

Just for fun, I have sometimes opened pin tumbler padlocks with a method I have not yet seen mention of in print or in forums, one which does not use a tension wrench. I thought I'd mention here for interest's sake.

It reminds me of opening doors with a credit card, both in the way and it works and in the fact that it does not work on all locks. Looking at the front of the cylinder, i.e. at the keyhole, of some pin tumbler padlocks (the type on which this method works), one can just make out the side of the first pin through the miniscule space between the cylinder and the lock body. Many pin tumbler padlocks, probably the majority, have a ridge between the cylinder and the lock housing which makes this impossible.

A very thin shim is needed. I use one of the thinnest from a set of feeler gauges used for cars. Insert the shim between the cylinder and the lock body until it stops when it hits the side of the first pin. With a hook pick, 'pick' that pin while keeping a gentle pressure down on the shim. This is slightly tricky, as the shim being very thin is not very amendable to a pressure downwards without bending. The pin is pushed until the shim slips right through the shearline, between the upper and lower pins of that first set, stopping as it hits the second pin. Now its just a matter of repeating pin by pin in time-honoured SPP fashion until the shim lies between all the sets of pins.

With the shim still in place, its just a matter of turning the cylinder, even just using a pick handle, and the lock opens.

(Should a shim with sharp edges be used, caution is needed when pushing on the shim. I never had any problems with these feeler gauges as they are not sharp. I think a set should be in every picker's kit)

Last night I bought an EXtra dimple padlock for practice. After picking it a couple of times with my Goso rake, I decided to try this method. The shim went all the way in, but the cylinder would not turn. Not sure why as Im not so familiar with the inner anatomy of such locks, but maybe there's some physical feature that stopped it.

[straightpick]

Pretty nifty! Unfortuneately there are very few locks that this method can be used on, in this manner. I have always used shimming to to open mortise cylinders to be repinned when the key wasn't available. You remove the cylinder and the cam from the back, insert the shim from the back and lift the pins, starting with the last one as you push the shim in. When you shim the last pin, turn the plug slightly, pull the shim back out and use a follower to push the plug out, then repin the plug.

In regards to the dimple lock, the shim probably seperated the bottom and top pins, but not at the shear line, which is why the lock didn't open.

[talbuz]

Yes thats a possibility. I dont understand how it would enter between the pins but not at the shear line. I think I need to study a good diagram of a dimple lock, but not much of those around.

[weerwolf]

Last night I bought an EXtra dimple padlock for practice. After picking it a couple of times with my Goso rake, I decided to try this method. The shim went all the way in, but the cylinder would not turn. Not sure why as Im not so familiar with the inner anatomy of such locks, but maybe there's some physical feature that stopped it.

Maybe there are more than one row of pins. With a dimple lock , you can have 2 or 3 rows easely.

[raimundo]

I have seen some chinese padlocks, solid brass that do not have the shim blocking flange on the end of the plug, its uncommon to see this, but it still happens. Long ago, before kawneer came along and made the aluminum door locks there was a type of aluminum door lock in the 60's and early 70's that had a small cylinder, which we called peanut cylinders, and these could be shimmed from the front. I use a piece of metal from one of those flat rectangular plastic things that come stuck to stuff you buy. Its a very thin shim.

[talbuz]

Yes true I have used it on different Chinese made brass padlocks, they have a tough exterior but a tendency not to have that flange.

But its interesting that there were also doors that could also be picked this way. Thanks Ray I like that idea for a shim.

[Satan130]

not to go about bursing bubbles, but check out "page 5" (technically page 7) of the LSI guide to lockpicking. I'm preaty sure that's what your talking about, so it has been published.


despite that, that's great if you found it on your own.

[cppdungeon]

LAB makes shims for this. I have a few, and they do come in handy when you need to do it from behind on practice locks. Fortunately for my neighborhood, i haven't seen any that can be shimmed from the front. I'm glad they have invested at least that much in their security.

--Cpp

[Squelchtone]

not to go about bursing bubbles, but check out "page 5" (technically page 7) of the LSI guide to lockpicking. I'm preaty sure that's what your talking about, so it has been published.

despite that, that's great if you found it on your own.

Sorry to burst YOUR bubble, but what they're talking about in this thread is using a shim to attack the lock from the front. We all know it can be done from the back when a lock is sitting on your workbench (as in the LSI guide), but attacking it from the front when the lock cylinder is mounted in a door or in a padlock is what they're talking about. Most better made plugs have a lip with a larger diameter than the rest of the plug which stops this sort of reverse picking attack (if I can call it that), but as the OP said, cheap padlocks are fair game.

=)
Squelchtone

[talbuz]

I stumbled onto this when practicing picking padlocks, and I never actually tried it from the back of a lock because it mainly raised my interest as to whether it could be used as a NDE method. Not that it beats SPP or raking IMO, but I found it interesting that there were locks that had such an obvious vulnerabiity, albeit not the majority of them. I dont have any expectations that some form of this wasnt published yet, so no bubbles there But thanks for the reference from that guide, interesting to see there are ready-made shims for this, they look easier to work with (push) than the feeler gauges.

[Squelchtone]

interesting to see there are ready-made shims for this, they look easier to work with (push) than the feeler gauges.

You can purchase them from our site sponsor.

http://www.lockpickshop.com/LSMOV25.html

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Squelchtone

[talbuz]

Thanks for the info Squelchtone. I would buy them except for the fact that for some reason those particular suppliers dont ship to some countries, mine included. I fail to see why, I know its not a legal issue as I have bought stuff by mail from at least 4 other suppliers, including the other sponsors of this site.

[Satan130]

not to go about bursing bubbles, but check out "page 5" (technically page 7) of the LSI guide to lockpicking. I'm preaty sure that's what your talking about, so it has been published.

despite that, that's great if you found it on your own.

Sorry to burst YOUR bubble, but what they're talking about in this thread is using a shim to attack the lock from the front. We all know it can be done from the back when a lock is sitting on your workbench (as in the LSI guide), but attacking it from the front when the lock cylinder is mounted in a door or in a padlock is what they're talking about. Most better made plugs have a lip with a larger diameter than the rest of the plug which stops this sort of reverse picking attack (if I can call it that), but as the OP said, cheap padlocks are fair game.

=)
Squelchtone

...oh, i thought that's what they were talking about in the lsi guide.

i have to learn to read better.