Ledger locks

[el_jeff]

Hi,

Firstly it should be stated that I am an utter novice at this. Sorry.

I work in archives and we have a number of ledgers and books that are locked. I have acquired a lock that has been forced from its ledger and I have opened it up to have a look inside, see pic.
As stated we have a number of these ledgers and I work for an authority that has nothing in the way of budget for paying someone to use their expertise to unlock them.

I guess this post is simply a beg for information on the lock, whether it's feasible for a novice to attempt and any other info or knowledge anyone wishes to impart.

Thank you for your time and wisdom.

[Jacob Morgan]

It is a lever tumbler lock.

How many levers are there? (The levers are the pieces of flat metal in the middle that have leaf-springs on one end.)

Yes it is feasible to pick these locks but it is something that you would have to learn through study and practice, and you would need to buy some tools.

Do you suspect that they all take the same key? If so a locksmith might be able to fit a key to this lock at a reasonable price (visit a brick-and-mortar locksmith shop) and that would be easier than trying to pick them all. Might come out costing less than buying a book on locksmithing and buying the tools.

[billdeserthills]

Thanks for the pic, that lock is cool
I think making a key is your best bet, first you need the blank
I had a friend who used to just make his own blank, as they can be hard to find,
he would just take a piece of bar brass and drill the hole for the post, then simply
remove anything that doesn't resemble a key
once you have the blank, all you need is a thin flat file to cut the blank

[averagejoe]

There are simple ones that are warded locks, more complex ones like the lever lock version you have there and even really complicated ones that have a Bramah style mechanism.

Each requires a different approach and skill level to unlocking them and unless they came from the same place it is likely they each take a different key.

Posting your location may help locate a somebody in the area that would help you open them.

[ratlock]

Its not too difficult to use your own home made tools, either from an old key cut down to tension the bolt. Or bent a wire to fit round the post on the middle of the keyway to do the same job. I bent this one round a 3 inch nail to get the bend.


Once you get the tension on, bend a wire pick to go into the keyway to lift the levers. Its a little fiddly untill you get the hang of where to place your fingers, and to feel what your moving inside the lock. But with a little practice it will soon become easy.