What's the difference?

[fgarci03]

Sorry for the (probably) dumb question.

But what's the difference between a Mortise and a Curtain Lever locks?
As far as I can see they are both lever locks so I don't really see the difference. English not being my first language makes some concepts harder to understand.

My best guess would be (if I quite understood the Glossary post) that they both work the same way on the inside. The mortice lock is usualy mounted "inside" the doors, and

the curtain is a security barrel that restricts access to the lever pack and acts as the bolt thrower.

I don't quite understand this quoted (from the Glossary post) part.

Thank you!

[MacGyver101]

They are both mortise locks. I'm sure that someone else who works with them more can suggest a better definition... but happy to give it a try.

A "curtain" is essentially a "C"-shaped tube, inside the lock, that wraps around the sides and the back of the key. If the lock doesn't have a curtain, then your tools (to tension the bolt and pick the levers) can all move independently -- but, if the lock has a curtain, it restricts access to the inside of the lock: it restricts you to just a thin slot where the "bit" of the key would normally fit. This doesn't stop lockpicking -- but it does make picking harder, by limiting the degree of access you have to the levers and bolt. You typically need a specially shaped pick (a "curtain pick") to work around the restriction.

Hope that helps a bit.

[EmCee]

That's about it.

'Mortise' just means that the lock mechanism is installed in a slot or cavity within the door; as opposed to being surface mounted on the door.

A mortise lever lock can be a curtain lock or a non-curtain lock.

With a non-curtain lock, one of the bittings or cuts on the key is used to pull the bolt back (or push it out to lock), while the other bittings lift the levers. These locks can be picked with wires or 2-in-1s, since there is nothing to stop the two wires or the two legs of the 2-in-1 moving independently, one tensioning the bolt while the other lifts the levers. So, for example, you can put one wire into the lock and turn it to tension the bolt, then add the second wire and turn it to reach the levers (or with a 2-in-1, you can put the pick into the lock, then turn one leg to tension the bolt while the other leg is still pointing at 6 o'clock, then turn the second leg to reach the levers).

As MacGyver says, with a curtain lock the 'C'-shaped 'tube' (the open side points down when the key is removed) means that the key fits though a thin slot. As soon as the curtain is turned, the slot moves out of the keyway and the solid wall of the 'C' blocks it. The curtain has a flange at one end of the 'tube', and it is this flange that operates the bolt, not one of the bittings of the key. To pick open a curtain lock you still need to tension the bolt. You can only do this by turning the curtain, which then blocks the keyhole and prevents you putting a second wire in. A curtain pick has two parts, a tension bar whose purpose is to turn the curtain and tension the bolt, and a separate picking wire. The parts are designed so that once the bolt is tensioned, the wire can still move independently and with enough room to reach through the 'slot' and reach the levers. A 2-in-1 would not work.

[fgarci03]

Thank you!

I was going crazy with this. Now understand it!

Not trying to push it, but about these picks.. There is so much variety of locks in the market with different sized keys. Wouldn't we need a pick for each one? Or they usually fit most of the locks?

Anyway, you already helped me! Thank you!

Be safe!

[EmCee]

In the case of non-curtain locks, you will see that the 'keyhole slot' in the face of the lock is sometimes longer and sometimes shorter. The wires or the legs of the 2-in-1 need to be trimmed so that they fit. A 'longer' wire or 'longer leg' of a 2-in-1 will not fit into a 'shorter keyhole slot'. On the other hand, if the wires or legs of the 2-in-1 are cut shorter so they fit that lock with the 'shorter keyhole slot', then they are probably going to be too short to reach the bolt and levers of a lock with a 'longer keyhole slot'. However, not every single make of lock is different, so you will need several wires/2-in-1s, but not one for every type of lock.

It's a bit more complicated for curtain locks because there are other differences in the internal design of different makes of lock. However, in most cases the difference will be in the wire, so you might need to make additional wires to suit different locks, but the tension bar can often/usually be the same. That said, you need different tension bars to suit the different gauges of lock (ie the diameter of the top part of the keyhole).