Identifying a new (to me) kind of lock.

[Clutch13]

Alright. So, today at work i found an old ATT calling card vending machine in a storage closet. Ever interested in discovering new things -- no matter how useless on the surface -- i checked out the locks on it. It had 2 tubular locks; seemingly one for the face to open and another for the cash box (like a pay phone). It also had a 1/4 inch head phone jack next to the cashbox lock, prehaps some sort of alarm system input? Anyway, the jack is not what caught my eye. There is a second lock on the face, set on a mechanism much like the tubular locks you see on other vending machines (soda, candy, etc) in that after unlocking it unscrews from the mechanism, thus freeing the face.

This third lock (the second on the face) is a design i have never seen before. It appears to be pin and tumbler, but the pins, tumblers and springs are aligned horizontally; very similar to how the pins are set in a tubular lock. But the pins are set in a verticle stack. Imagine if you cut the bottom out of a regular pin and tumbler lock, then turned the lock so the original key hole faced upwards, and the missing bottom was the new key hole.

So you look in the key hole and see this:

___
|O|
|O| (With the "O"s being the front -- or the keyside face, if you will -- of the pins)
|O|
|O|
-----

If you will forgive my horrible ASCII art. I would post a picture, but i am not allowed to have cameras at my place of work.

Has anyone ever seen this type of lock before? Does it have a name? I think i know how to pick it, but are there special tools or techniques?

Thank you for your time.

~Clutch13

[The Lock Artist]

Let me see if I understand you correctly, it is like a tubular lock, but instead of being arranged in a circle the pins are in a straight vertical line

[Clutch13]

That is correct

[Squelchtone]

Look up TuBAR.

Was it like the one in these pics? viewtopic.php?f=9&t=42981&start=0

Squelchtone

[Clutch13]

Very similar. Actually, come to think of it.. The lock was pretty old and the cover plate was kind of loose. It may have been covering one of the "stacks" of pins. So that may be exactly it.

Thank you very much, Squelchtone.

I wonder if these locks have the same problem as tubular locks with the pins setting in other pins holes... Of course it would only be able to happen with the center 4 pins, after a 1/4 turn.

Looks like i'll be adding another item to my shopping list.

[Clutch13]

I apologize for the double post. But i take back my question about the pins. It shouldn't be an issue because of the "half-moon" cut out that allow movement of the lock.

Going back to total newbie here, it seems you would be best to make a custom tension (or torsion) wrench, and use a feeler or diamond head pick to push each pin in until that half moon cut out sets? It would be a brand new set of "feels" to get use to. Challenge accepted.

[zeke79]

Spring tension on the pins is heavy so it can be a pita but still possible. Tension is tricky as you block access to the pins. Two wrenchs and swapping them while you work gets around it. Have fun and good luck.

[Eyes_Only]

Spring tension on the pins is heavy so it can be a pita but still possible. Tension is tricky as you block access to the pins. Two wrenchs and swapping them while you work gets around it. Have fun and good luck.

Zeke!! I didn't know you're back. How are ya?