Mysterious Lock

[Macay]

When it comes to lock picking I'm no Arthurmeister, I've learned by doing though that leaves me on the end when it comes to the lingo. I can pick most tumbler locks, got a decent set and security pins are nothing spectacular, but I ran into a lock that confounded me.

It's built into a drawer and looks rather like a Push Lock. The drawer is open and on the end of the lock there is a horizontal plate that I suppose gets turned when opening the lock thus putting it in a vertical position that would allow the drawer to be opened.

Now I don't have much experience with wafer locks which is certainly what this thing looks like, but the strange thing about this lock is that its flat when going down and has odd, and rather irregular indentations when going up. So it clearly doesn't use one of them fancy double-sided keys that wafer locks do. I raked it with the round pick like I do with wafer locks but got nothing, poked up into the indentations with all kinds of things and got nothing, maybe I'm not doing it right but I feel downright confused. Can't pick out and gut the lock either without cracking it out of the drawer.

Any ideas what this thing is? Suppose it's just a push lock but I barely know what that is.

[unlisted]

take some photos and host them, and link them to this site.

PLEASE! do not use a photo hosting site that makes you view adult material.

Thanks

[Schuyler]

If you have any trouble with hosting, you're welcome to shoot them to me and I can toss them up somewhere. No promise I won't show unlisted adult material, though.

[unlisted]

If you have any trouble with hosting, you're welcome to shoot them to me and I can toss them up somewhere. No promise I won't show unlisted adult material, though.

(I don't mind if its you showing it to me.. I just mind when you gotta csee adult crap when your just trying to see a simple lock photo)

[raimundo]

the "when going down" and "when going up" lost me, Im not sure what he means,

but I dissagree with the people and I know there are many of them, who think the ball pick is the only way to open wafer locks,

raking with a halfdiamond is better, it can lift individual wafers just a bit higher from the adjacent wafers on its tip, the ball can only lift the wafer and interfer with the wafers in front and in back of the individual wafer and there is less varience in the height to which it can lift any of them above the near wafers.
make your own half diamond, the ones from southord and such are mostly shaft and not much height to the pic tip. they need the thick shaft cut down.

[zeke79]

but I dissagree with the people and I know there are many of them, who think the ball pick is the only way to open wafer locks,

raking with a halfdiamond is better, it can lift individual wafers just a bit higher from the adjacent wafers on its tip, the ball can only lift the wafer and interfer with the wafers in front and in back of the individual wafer and there is less varience in the height to which it can lift any of them above the near wafers.
make your own half diamond, the ones from southord and such are mostly shaft and not much height to the pic tip. they need the thick shaft cut down.

Rai,

A great statement there. The diamond pick is overlooked in both raking and SPP capability. The diamond has great control on lifting pins when you have one way back in the lock and cannot get a hook under. The diamond then comes into play and with great control you can lift that pin way back there with the leading edge of the diamond simply pushing it in slowly. A progressive set of diamonds which is something I want put together in a custom set has great capability in scenarios I stated above which are pretty common in locks with tighter keyways. The diamond can lift pins with the leading edge by pushing the pick in against the pin to be picked or the diamond can be put under the pin and used like a hook pick to lift the pin and it can also be used very effectively as a rake. All of these picking methods from the same pick make it very versatile. The diamond pick offers this same capability with wafer locks.

Zeke79

[LocksmithArmy]

the "when going down" and "when going up" lost me, Im not sure what he means,

but I dissagree with the people and I know there are many of them, who think the ball pick is the only way to open wafer locks,

raking with a halfdiamond is better, it can lift individual wafers just a bit higher from the adjacent wafers on its tip, the ball can only lift the wafer and interfer with the wafers in front and in back of the individual wafer and there is less varience in the height to which it can lift any of them above the near wafers.
make your own half diamond, the ones from southord and such are mostly shaft and not much height to the pic tip. they need the thick shaft cut down.

I do not think I would ever pick with a ball. I find it more for raking them. I would definatly go for the half diamond to pick one. but excluding the duo raking with a ball has always worked... it's not the only way but its not a bad way to open them.

[cppdungeon]

I actually prefer a hook. However, I still have no idea what this lock looks like. pics please!

--Cpp

[poor paperclip picker]

... So it clearly doesn't use one of them fancy double-sided keys that wafer locks do. ...

Not all wafer locks have double sided keys, or wafers on both sides of the lock. I have ran across more single sided wafer locks than I have double sided.

[jdislandlock]

100 % agreee - i used half diamond for most of my picking procedures

but I dissagree with the people and I know there are many of them, who think the ball pick is the only way to open wafer locks,

raking with a halfdiamond is better, it can lift individual wafers just a bit higher from the adjacent wafers on its tip, the ball can only lift the wafer and interfer with the wafers in front and in back of the individual wafer and there is less varience in the height to which it can lift any of them above the near wafers.
make your own half diamond, the ones from southord and such are mostly shaft and not much height to the pic tip. they need the thick shaft cut down.

Rai,

A great statement there. The diamond pick is overlooked in both raking and SPP capability. The diamond has great control on lifting pins when you have one way back in the lock and cannot get a hook under. The diamond then comes into play and with great control you can lift that pin way back there with the leading edge of the diamond simply pushing it in slowly. A progressive set of diamonds which is something I want put together in a custom set has great capability in scenarios I stated above which are pretty common in locks with tighter keyways. The diamond can lift pins with the leading edge by pushing the pick in against the pin to be picked or the diamond can be put under the pin and used like a hook pick to lift the pin and it can also be used very effectively as a rake. All of these picking methods from the same pick make it very versatile. The diamond pick offers this same capability with wafer locks.

Zeke79

[LocksmithArmy]

... So it clearly doesn't use one of them fancy double-sided keys that wafer locks do. ...

Not all wafer locks have double sided keys, or wafers on both sides of the lock. I have ran across more single sided wafer locks than I have double sided.

I would say most wafer locks that I have seen do have a double sided key, but they do not need one, they have one so you can put the key in upside down and it will still work but they do have wafers on only one side for the most part.

[poor paperclip picker]

true. my bad. I guess I was trying to say that, just because it doesn't have 2 sides of wafers, it can still be a wafer lock. If that makes sense.

[Legion303]

Re: picture hosting, let's remember that LP101 has attachment capabilities now. Just make sure you resize your pictures before attaching them so I don't have to scroll sideways 1800 pixels just to read posts.

-steve