What is this feature called?

[Erdnaseuk]

Hey all.
I am from the UK and I recently purchased a new lock to practice on. It was from B&Q and cost £10. At the time they obly had this and a YALE lock availible.I am impressed with the overall quality and smooth operation with the lock. It as came pinned as a deep reach, has two spool driver pins and a service hatch.

What is this feature called? I cant of been the only person to come across one.
In the fourth chamber there is a "platform". Due to this only short pins can be used (as the longer one which came with the lock will sit on /past the sheer line) Also it restircts the action of the pick (unable to raise the pin from the "bottom" of the keyway and have to rest the pick on one of the wards and tilt at about a 45 degreee angle to be able to move the pin.
What is the technical / correct term for this feature? I can bypass it but I would just like to know what its called.

[ARF-GEF]

I'm not sure. Either I haven't seen sth like that before or I don't know what you mean.
Is there a way to make a photo of it? Maybe after disassembly?

[Squelchtone]

Hey all.
I am from the UK and I recently purchased a new lock to practice on. It was from B&Q and cost £10. At the time they obly had this and a YALE lock availible.I am impressed with the overall quality and smooth operation with the lock. It as came pinned as a deep reach, has two spool driver pins and a service hatch.

What is this feature called? I cant of been the only person to come across one.
In the fourth chamber there is a "platform". Due to this only short pins can be used (as the longer one which came with the lock will sit on /past the sheer line) Also it restircts the action of the pick (unable to raise the pin from the "bottom" of the keyway and have to rest the pick on one of the wards and tilt at about a 45 degreee angle to be able to move the pin.
What is the technical / correct term for this feature? I can bypass it but I would just like to know what its called.

Hi,

You're not really using the terminology we are used to in locksport/locksmith conversation, could you please post a photo of the lock, the key, the keyway, and the feature you have a question about the "deep reach" or "the service hatch"? I'm having a hard time visualizing what it is you are asking about.

Who made your lock? you mentioned Yale was the other choice, but who made this one?

to upload a photo, go to http://tinypic.com/ and then after you upload it, Copy/Paste the link in your reply here

Thanks
Squelchtone

[Erdnaseuk]

Hey thanks for the reply. Sorry I picked up some terms from books. By deep reach I mean a long key pin at the front of the lock - i picked this term up from the exercise section of practical lock picking. By service hatch a feature that allows you access to the pins and springs without needing to shim / pick the lock.
Heres the photos
Entire lock http://i43.tinypic.com/i3tduv.jpg
Service hatch attatched to lock http://i41.tinypic.com/szfssp.jpg

This is the bottom (opposite where the pins would sit) of the cylinder and is the picture of the feature I am talking about (This is the only photo I can get that shows it) if you look the first chamber and the last three chamber is clear as normal, The 2nd chamber looks blocked http://i42.tinypic.com/fz1091.jpg

hope this clears things up

[Solomon]

I'm not sure if there is a proper agreed term for that "service hatch", I've always just called it a retainer clip. Handy feature but they can be a pain to snap back on correctly... I've found them annoying at times when it comes to rekeyable padlocks cos if it isn't on properly you can't get the core back in. So you have to fiddle with it until you get it right.

I have no idea why the 4th chamber looks blocked in your photo, it's kinda blurry. Can you get a high res photo a bit closer up? Failing that, when you pin that chamber up, what happens? If I'm understanding your original post correctly, the pin stack in the 4th chamber actually sits on that ledge/platform/whatever and the key pin blocks the shear line, so the key doesn't actually work... if that is the case then you have a faulty lock; that chamber has somehow not been drilled correctly. If the key does work then it's possible that the pin stack is set at its rest position and isn't actually moved at all by the key. Again, this would be a case of faulty manufacturing and not an actual security feature.

[Squelchtone]

Agreed with Solomon, please take some better photos if possible, and when you are holding the plug (the chrome thing you called a cylinder) take a photo on a sunny window sill (unless you're in England where its never sunny, lol) put plug on a coffee cable and use a lamp to light up the area. Take a photo of the holes from the top of the plug, not through the key broaching as was done already.

I'm not sure what off brand lock you got, but it almost looks like they didnt drill the plug's pin chambers all the way in all the holes.

can you put the 5 key pins in the plug or only 3?

By the way, here in the states, we call the part of the lock where the springs normally live a "bible", the part the key goes into is the "plug" and the rest of the lock is the lock "body" or "shell" I believe the entire assembly is called a "lock cylinder" and you have variations such as the Rim cylinder or Mortise cylinder. The service hatch, I would normally call that a "bible cover" or a "cover strip" but yours isnt the kind that slides in, so I guess it can't be a strip, it would be a "bible cover" I suppose this may vary geographically, but service hatch sounds like something out of the tv show LOST. =)

Have a good day, show us some more photos when you get a chance,
Squelchtone

[ARF-GEF]

Can you get a high res photo a bit closer up?

And a bit less blurry. I think the resolution was not too bad, what I found preoblematic is the lack of sharpness. And try moving closer to a source of much natural light, like the window
To be honest I tried to ID what you meant but I couldn't really make out any details due to the things being out of focus and blurred :S

Also any idea on who the manufacturer is or what the product is called?

[Erdnaseuk]

they were the best pictures I can get. When a friend comes around I will use his camera. Next time Im at B&Q I will find out with manufacture made the lock
with that fourth chamber you can use small pins / repin it in orginal configuration and the lock will work and it will work with the key. however if you use longer pins the lock will not work as the key pins sit past the sheer line.
Interesting people seem to think it a defect - looking at the machining and finishing of the cylinder and the "platform" it look to me like it supposed to be there. I thought it was a pick resistant feature.

Happy Picking All