Warded Padlocks - A Guide by illusion

[vov35]

Currently filing down a warded master lock key I found on the ground a year ish ago.

Let's see if it'll open my lock? it fits...

[vov35]

works beautifully.

You'd think it'd be a LITTLE BIT harder to get something that claims to be secure open...

[anthrax28]

Uau, que coisa pré histórica. Aqui no brasil isso nunca chegou a ser comercializado, So simple.

[SavhD]

Great guide!!!

[Oldfast]

Thanks for the nice guide Illusion. Some people may think these locks are to simplistic to mess with, but that's all the more reason to take some time to get familiar with them (and it doesn't take long). They're inexpensive and hold up well over time. Obviously, you wouldn't want anything too important behind the doors these padlocks are placed on, but they do serve their purpose. Lets face it, when most people look at a lock... they see a lock - mission accomplished.

For what it's worth, here's my small collection of warded padlocks and some skeleton keys.



These are all Masters. From left - right: A 510 (removable hasp), a 370, and a 500. The three in the upper-right are all 22's. The two smaller ones are 10's. The keyways are a kind of zig-zag pattern. Notice that some of them are in the opposite direction. I guess you could say that some zig, while other zag (I know I'm using some pretty technical terms here so try n' stay with me now ). Just another way to lessen the odds of a key working in more than one lock.





The two keys on the left that I filed down will open all of these locks (minus the two small #10's). I made one "zig" key and one "zag" key to pass both keyways. The five flat picks are a set I purchased years ago, but it's really not necessary to spend any money on these. If you were to make one of the L-shaped picks and file down two keys like I've done, I'd imagine that'd be sufficient for the vast majority of these locks. Master also produces these warded padlocks.



The keyways are different, but again, opposite directions to limit the use of unauthorized keys. They use a one-sided key that also could be cut down for a skeleton. You'd have to either grind it thin enough to pass the ward, or make two (one for each direction). The L-shape key will open these, but you need to activate two different components in two different spots- one on either side of the last ward. In other words, the deepest two spaces. I find it seems to work best when the second to the last space is done first, then turn the pick in the last one (deepest in the lock) to open the lock. Sometimes you may need to work both spaces more than once, jumping back and forth between the two while pulling on the hasp. Experiment for a for a few minutes and you'll have it down in no time.

[Bomberh44]

Illusion bloody Magic!

[wagna]

This has really helped my understanding on warded Padlocks, great information thank you

[clearmoon247]

As far as warded locks are concerned, I have found that modern warded locks (all the ones I've come across) a slightly modified binder clip works as a makeshift warded lock pick. If you take the metal arm on a medium sized binder clip and remove half of it, just past the curve, you have a good reach into the keyway have proper turning ability. At work, one of the supervisors purchased a number of padlocks to be issued for lockers. I asked him for a binder clip, bent it, the grabbed a box of warded locks and went from lock to lock, popping each one open within a couple seconds. Needless to say, he was shocked. To me, a warded lock is just a fancy do not disturb sign, especially in an office building

[ice_man]

grate tut thanks

[raimundo]

On the laminated padlocks the wards are simply the restricted hole through the lamination while the lamination for the actual locking spring has an open hole and also has the spring pinched into it.

On some of these locks, the lamination for the spring is visibly thicker, perhaps so the pinch on the spring is stronger or simply to pass the cross bar of the key without dragging.

since some such locks have two locking springs in laminations separated by a ward lamination, you can actually see from the outside which laminations are slightly thicker.

there are versions in which there are two ward laminations between the two locking lamina. this is also sometimes visible as thicker lamina seen on the outside.

a T bar pick can open most of these but sometimes the double locking lamina make it difficult to do with the single T pick
and require a double cross bar pick and this should be made in two versions, one to pass a single lamina between the cross bars
and another that passes two lamina between the cross bars.

[daniel22747]

I was wondering if you could just make a simple pick warded pick from wire or paer clips or something like that.

I got some warded picks on the way to me but I am going to try the wire method out too!

[daniel22747]

Actually I have found that some of your really small warded locks can be opened with just about anything you can fit in there and then turn it with it!

[MrAnybody]

I was wondering if you could just make a simple pick warded pick from wire or paer clips or something like that.

I got some warded picks on the way to me but I am going to try the wire method out too!

I don't think you'd have the rigidity with wire/paper clip. Give it a go, but having enough force to get any rotation would be difficult.

[MrAnybody]

Actually I have found that some of your really small warded locks can be opened with just about anything you can fit in there and then turn it with it!

Ok, yep. Really small warded locks could be do-able.

[Cub]

Thank you for this guide! I found a warded padlock lying around and had no idea how to pick it. Now I understand!