Tapping/knocking/hammering a lock open

[kiko187]

did a search thru the forums to see if its been talked about, but oddly I dont see talk of this anywhere...

I have, in the past, used a tension rake and a combo of scrubbing / tapping the lock with a rubber mallet to open a lock (mostly deadbolts).

The tapping works lovely on old locks, because the pins move freely and will "knock" into line easier.

I've done it in the past, in PLACE of scrubbing, then moved directly to individual pin manipulation.

Is this a bygone technique or am I daft in thinking that this noisy method is worth the effort?

[pointofview]

I know this technique as "Rapping"

[kiko187]

and here I thought you'd need a beat box for that... jk

thanks, guess it was called knocking when I was showed it so now I know why I didnt see it:)

[scrapheap]

I did a simple version of tapping once a few years ago. I lost the key to my bike lock and as it was a simple padlock and there was enough slack in my chain I just took the padlock and hit it against a near by wall. The padlock sprang open and I was able to cycle home. Not only that but the padlock seemed to work fine with the spare key as well.

I now have a better padlock form bike which takes a bit more skill to open.

[seahawk]

make sure not to get the kryptonite evolution 2000-without the new part.

[silent]

OK im reading the post and notice something. Scraphead, how did you apply tension to the plug and hit it against the wall?

[pickersRus]

Yes indeed rapping still has a place in this day and age. Here is a quick rundown of the rapping procedure..........insert tension wrench ,apply light torque in normal opening position , using a soft-faced hammer strike the side of the lock containing the springs and upper pins , this force causes the upper pins to push back against their springs raising them above the shear line.
Another way of rapping is simply applying force to the locking mechanism itself. This only works on inexpensive type padlocks and combination locks because they contain a spring loaded locking dog that simply mates with a notch cut out of the shackle. Normally this type of opening is attempted by using a brass bar and a hammer. Simply place the bar by the shackle and strike the bar once with a swift violent blow. The bar then spreads the force of this blow over the shackle causing the locking dog to move away from the notch thereby causing the lock to open.

[mcm757207]

OK im reading the post and notice something. Scraphead, how did you apply tension to the plug and hit it against the wall?

You don't need to apply tension.

[CaptHook]

This was a huge problem with early cable style gun locks. The springs could not overcome the inertia of the dogging when swung and struck against something. Same problem exists in some cheaper padlocks out there. Why use the 2 cent spring when the 1 cent spring will suffice....
Chuck

[Hojo]

If fact, I can open a lock cylinder with my bare hands.....basically try to push the cylinder through with your thumb, then whack it with a peice of wood and it acts as a snap gun, you get the tension from pushing....It takes a while to learn but its a neat trick...

[silent]

I need to buy some cheap locks and try this out.

[kiko187]

http://www.multipick-service.com/orga/d ... n88150.wmv


these "power keys" would sure make knocking locks a lot easier

gotta get some US versions made....

[Kwikset]

I watched a locksmith open an office door that I could not get to respond at all, with some of those keys, a tension wrench through the hole in the key, and hitting it with a screwdriver. Popped it open in seconds. Was pretty cool.

[toomush2drink]

Those power keys or rap keys as we call them in the uk are easy enough to make, just take a key blank and make a series of say all 2 cuts. You then make a few keys covering a few of the cuts to make your set.

To use place the key in the lock and pull it back one pin.Now apply gentle tension on the key as if you were trying to open the lock then give the key a sharp tap with a hammer keep ing your fingers out of the way !!(plastic hammers are good).
It works the same as a pick gun really but in a manual sort of way.

[scrapheap]

In reply to a question earlier about how I applied tension to the pad lock while hitting it against the wall. The easy answer is that I didn't. The padlock only had one bolt that locked one side of the shackle.

When I hit it against the wall the kinetic energy in the lock was transfered to the bolt as it was the only part of the lock that could still move and this pulled it away from the shackle where the spring poped it open. Just goes to show why padlocks need bolts on both sides of the shackle.