locked room mystery

[raimundo]

A door closer and snap latch is not really secure. a piece of metal cut out of the top of a tin can with tin snips in roughly a cross, with a short wide cross over a longer piece can be made to carry flat in the wallet, and when necessary, the long ends can be bent down to snap into a strike plate while the shorter wider parts of the cross bridge the strike hole. this can be put in temporarily and later removed. in a wooden door frame, a screw can be driven into the depth of the strike hole to prevent the snap latch from going in far enough for the deadlock to engage. this is also possible to prevent even high security locks like medeco from actually going deep enough into the strike hole to deadlock, in fact it can even be accomplished with chewing gum. chewing gum along the top of the door beneath the closer with an incompressable element, can prevent the door from fully closing, leaving the snap latch just a millimeter short of droppin into the strick hole. A piece of chewing gum can be made to stick a two inch piece of cord with a thick knot on the end so that it dangles over the door about an inch, then when someone opens the door, the the cord is brushed aside, and when the door closes, it slams on the knot and fails to close fully to let the snaplatch strike. The knot is dangling just about where the doorcloser arm is, and the length is just long enough to position it right where it blocks the door from closeing. So check for these devises on all locked door mysteries.

[raimundo]

decided to claim a natural copyright on this next idea, as my last post in this thread was all about how deadlocks are bypassed by keeping them from striking to full bolt throw, so that the deadlock cam will fall behinc the bolt, this the the copyrighted idea, put the bolt on a ratchet and pawl like a handcuff so that it locks every eighth inch of throw that goes into the strike hole. also every other varient from the half inch ratchet to the millimeter. Now if any lock company wants to hire me, contact me by pm.

[vector40]

How about just building in a colored indicator window, or something similar, on the thumbturn side -- to flag if the lock has engaged fully? Silly for most applications, but for high-security entrances where you want to know that the lock is indeed locked, it could do the trick.

[digital_blue]

Maybe I missed something. If this indicator window is installed on the thumbturn side, how will you know it's locked. Aren't you usually locking it from the outside?

db

[kodierer]

The locks themselves are pretty standard, I didn't catch the brand name, but not they aren't high security like a medeco. The strike, and steel door frame would prevent anything like carding. As to asking the kid, they did, and he said that he found the lone key on the floor. The VP didn't believe him. I think they somehow managed to steal a different key, and replace it before it was noticed. All the locks in my school are keyed alike. The VP wanted to know about the other possibilities anyway.
I pick locks underneath my desk, and I sit in the back. When your a quiet kid like I am people don't pay attention to anything you do.(I guess no one but the teacher)

[bembel]

The strike, and steel door frame would prevent anything like carding.

Door latch opening cards (not credit cards) could do that easily.

[vector40]

It's the QUIET ONES YOU GOTTA WATCH, kodier

It's not impossible to loid open a properly-configured latch even with a guarded strike, but it does seem rather unlikely without a shim of quality material -- I mean, I doubt you could do it with your Costco card.

db: Yeah, I guess that's a good point. Put an indicator on both sides... disadvantage is that anyone walking by could see if it's NOT locked, but really, that's just incentive to remember to take care of it. "Security by obscurity" isn't supposed to apply to deadbolts.

[digital_blue]

I actually like raimundo's idea. The bolt really should be locked regardless of how far out it comes.

db

[raimundo]

Do you know the difference between a snap latch that snaps closed when the door closer shuts the door and a deadlocking latch which has a second part behind it that does not go into the strikeplate hole and 'deadlocks' the latch, I once saw an installation where someone filed an extra hole in the strike plate just to let this extra part go into the strike hole. It was assumed that this was done by some fool who didn't understand the concept, and was trying to correct a '"flaw" in the strike plate, but it could have been done by someone who was trying to make a bypass work. personally I would try a z wire before a plastic or mica. the concept is better, and will get behind the latch. In loose fitting door frames, even deadlocking latches will not work properly and the bolt can be pressed back. Very few simple snaplatches are made any more, the deadlocking latch is the standard now.

[JoR]

Just with regards to the lockpicking - I wouldn't tell anyone except close friends about your skills, or show off (I'm not saying you do) in front of people, you get a bad reputation "Oh, look at him, he's a dirty criminal!111 He'll rob your house!!1" etc. and if anything untoward does happen you usually get the blame.

[NKT]

Just to re-open this for a second...

I simply wait till the door bolt is fully thrown/locked, then mark the bolt. Put a thickish black line down it with an indelible marker pen.

The line can be seen when the bolt is fully engaged, but if it hasn't, then the line isn't there, so you can tell at a glance. There isn't anything obvious, either, so the casual observer couldn't tell - it still looks like a perfectly normal lock if not quite closed, and you forgot to check.

Since indelible marker isn't always that indelible, it may also tip you off to some idiot trying to card the lock, since it will scrape off (parts of) the line.

[rayman452]

Let me guess:

VP; vice-principal, equivalent to deputy head.

hub; I would guess a network hub for computers.

Picking in class; well I don't know, but schools seem to be different in North America (evidently in Canada as well as the USA). Paying attention in class doesn't seem to be expected to the same degree as is traditional in Britain.

Hey hey, I find that offensive. I just am able to complete all my work really quickly, so that I have time for other things. In Canada, we also get some time in class to do homework for that night, so if we have any questions, we can ask the teacher. Being one of the brighter bulbs in the class, I am able to finish the homework with ease, giving me time in class for other things. In the UK, they don't have homework time in class? So theres no moment in class when the teacher isnt talking? Intersting...

[kodierer]

Since you guys decided to reopen this I will tell you the outcome.
Everyone knows I can pick locks, and no one suspects me as a criminal. I even did a demonstration in school on locks, and picking them.
The kid found the key on a janitors cart, and took it when they weren't looking. He however didn't steal the hub. They key was stolen from him by the kid that went in there, and took it. He knew the hub was in there because the kid who stole the key went in there to see if there was anything cool to steal, but I guess he didn't actually take anything.
Do to many recent events such as a kid being found with a gun, this incident, and another incident where a kid brought an explosive to impress another kid the school has decided to put cameras up in the hallways to monitor student activities.

[digital_blue]

The kid found the key on a janitors cart, and took it when they weren't looking.

The simple answers are usually the correct ones.

db

[master in training]

a kid being found with a gun, this incident, and another incident where a kid brought an explosive

im glad i dont go to that school!!