What does the word "Hardended" mean?

by **JustinR** » 12 Nov 2004 22:31

On most padlocks say "Hardened" on the shackle.
What does that mean?

by **Exodus5000** » 12 Nov 2004 22:35

The steel has been heat treated to make it harder, so you can't break it as easily.

by **mbell** » 13 Nov 2004 5:09

Naturally the grade to which shackles are hardened varies. I cut one 'hardened' cheap padlock with an angle grinder to see how easy it was and it took 4 seconds flat.

by **captainsawdust** » 13 Nov 2004 7:10

Some cheap and medium expensive 'hardened' padlocks are even easier with a pair of bolt croppers than a disc cutter

by **SFGOON** » 13 Nov 2004 18:45

"Hardened" just means the greasy thug with the bolt cutters is going to have to give himself a bit of a hernia cutting the lock. It's there to make Mr. customer feel extra safe.

by **JustinR** » 19 Nov 2004 22:11

How could you cut a shackle thats not hardenend?

by **PickPick** » 20 Nov 2004 4:54

wirecutters, boltcutters, saw, thermic lance, cutting charges, angle grinder, laser, abrasive water jet, plasma torch, oxy-acetylene torch, acids, many ways to cut metal

by **gee252** » 20 Nov 2004 5:33

most padlocks will pick quicker than cutting them, a friend of mine payed Â£30 for three small master padlocks keyed alike came in a big fancy carton stating they where hardened and had a big sticker on them saying tested under attack i opened them in under a few seconds he was gob smacked.
i think manufactures give alot of people a false sense of security, if people where more aware they would spend a bit more on security.

by **coolman** » 21 Nov 2004 0:25

i tryed makeing knifes

and you harden the steel by heating it up and dunking it in water this makes it hold an edge but makes it brittle ok :wink:

by **walrus** » 1 Dec 2004 23:03

related to coolmans comment. this may be a little off subject but it may help somebody in making picks.

i tryed makeing knifes and you harden the steel by heating it up and dunking it in water this makes it hold an edge but makes it brittle ok

Back in my scouting days I had a leader who would make knives. Very interesting. He would sometimes use some untraditional materials for blades. (saw blades, files, etc.) they looked awesome. anyway. when he had to harden his steel he would heat it glowing red for several minutes (using an ordinary propane torch) and quench it in oil really quickly, (just standard motor oil i think) then he would do it again but quench it with water, (and do it slower) and finally he would heat it up and not quench it. I am in no way a metal worker or have much experience with it, but he said this method hardened the blade but also made it less brittle/likely to break. it makes the molecules in the steel condense and keeps them from expanding again, i believe. or something along those lines.

by **walrus** » 1 Dec 2004 23:42

sorry for the double post but this thread reminded me of the funniest experience I had with a hardened lock (arnt they all hardened anymore? anyway.) My exbrother in law had one of those self-mini-storage garage things rented a few years ago. he split (hence, EX brother and law). They called my sister to come and get his stuff since he no longer was paying for it I guess. it had one of those round padlocks where the bolt goes into the body and it is impossible to break it open like a normal padlock.
Neither of us knew much about locks, and it was obvious that boltcutters would fit over the bolt like a blonde in the corner of a round room, so our solution was brute force. I found a cinder block by the dumpster and just went at the lock like it owed me money. The whole locking mechanism broke off. not the lock. The thing the lock was attached to. the door looked like the kind used on loading docks of big warehouses, the kind that rolls up at the top, and the locking assembly was welded to the front of it. the whole steel plate broke off. I was so scared that I was going to have to pay for the door. but looking back on it, it was quite a humorous event. and no I didnt pay for the door, the woman who owned the storage complex pinned it on my exbrother in law along with the rest of his unpaid debt. moral: hardened (or maybe just round) padlocks suck, just pick em. but those were good times. ahh, the memories.

by **monkey2674** » 3 Dec 2004 17:59

Actullay you can cut those round locks with bolt cutters. You just have to really sqeeze it in there, trust me ive done it when I lost the keys to a storage shed. But it would be much easier with a oxy-acetylene torch. It will just melt that baby :twisted:

or you could us some skill and pick it but all that fire :twisted:

What does the word "Hardended" mean?

What does the word "Hardended" mean?

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