Lever impressioning

[daedalus]

Has anyone tried to build/used something like the Falle self-impressioning key for Lever locks? Seems like an easy tool to build and pretty effective(if it does in fact work). Any success/not so good stories?

[pinky]

they work really well , of the kits safeventures make all give opening times of approx 5 mins a lock tops.
the easiest to use is the union and the hardest is the profit.

although accurate and well made, still a problem at 2am in pouring rain, the kits depend upon eye sight and accurate measuring with verniers as you are dealling with differences in measurements of .3 to .5 of a mm between pin sizes

[Jimmie]

In Fr our domestic lever locks are bigiest than the ones used in UK

I've tried to impression these Fr locks different times with poor sucess

I've tried the technique explained in a small UK manual which explains you need to remove the part of the blank which activates the "bolt talon" and gives tension during the process with a tensioner made from a piano wire

please ... could you explain ... and if you have pictures !! )

I've better success with a HOBBS pick ...

I've thought to make a "variable key decoder" like the European variable decoder sold by Falle explained before in some LP101 posts

Jimmie

[tri-city]

one example i know this is good for is the era invincable. there levers are either high or low so when picking it helps to know at first... get a key blank and file half way through the key section not from top to bottom but through the thickness of the key. then put a piece of plastercine on the key to build it back up into a normal thickness of the key.. carefully put the key in and turn until the levers touch.. make an impression and carefully remove the key. if it is on of the low levers ( i think , either 6,7,or it will make a long mark on the key if it's 1 to 5 it will make a short mark. bearing in mind that this lock is british standard and has anti pick gates in it, you will now know which levers are high and which are low. in which case you should be able to pick it in minutes with a standard curtain pick. my advice is to seriously study the inside of the lock first to see what you have to acheive, i don't know what you equate a british standard to in your country, but i'm talking about levers with anti pick gates. that's why you need to study your lock, levers and all. ENJOY

[Chris B]

[Jimmie]

I thank you very both together for your infos

I've sent some Fr lever lock jpg to Tri City cause I don't know how to post them on the forum

the Fr lever domestic locks don't have false cuts ... and the lever bellies have a relationship with the cuts of the key ..; these bellies are not identical and can be read with an otoscope or by decoding with plasticine or marker ink or Typex liquid (paper correction fluid)

Jimmie

[tri-city]

what i think chris was talking about there is impressioning from the back of the pack. I was talking about impressioning from the front. Here you have only 2 types high levers and low levers. there are a few more ways as well. if you was to use the francis indicator pick what you could do is to insert the pick and feel where the pick touches the bottom of the lever, then make a mark on the indicator wheel where it touches. a high lever will make a mark at about 12 o'clock on the wheel where as a low ;lever will make a mark around 1/2 10 or 11 o'clock this way you know what you dealing with. this is obviously from the from of the pack.. alternatively you can use a scope to see for your self. it's about a 2 or 3 minute opening that way.... i saw the picks i hope you got my message thanks matey

[Chris B]

[tri-city]

alright chris thanks very much. i just want to say that pinky didnt teach me to pick curtains, only with wires, i learnt the hard way. i'd be interested to see some history, a little while ago i read something in a book about hobbs, i know i think it might have been the one on how to make your own pick guns. i didn't study it to much though. i just want to say that that would be a good title for a book, you want to get writing chris.

[Chris B]

[Jimmie]

I've read the books by C HOBBS, on locks, safes and construction of safes
I've also read some good books by George Price "teatrise on locks safes and security" He wrote also some books on burlary reports in the years around 1860 in London

it is amazing cause most of the tools we use today had been already invented without the use of electricity of course

In particular a very similar tool described in the book as a kind of extractor has been used in NL to break out some renter safes

I've tried different times to buy some books sold by the technical museum in London but it is very very expensive to get these old books photocopied or on CD

thanx again for the good links you just posted and for your explanations

by the way I'm improving my English !!

Jimmie

[Chris B]

[Jimmie]

Chris ... thank you so much for your welcome !!

You know I've got some problems with my English when I've been in UK ... speaking English with a Cockney is a difficult experience for a Froggie ... even with the help of some beer mugs !!

most of the books I have on lockcmithing/picking are in English cause in Fr the lock trade art is always more or less a secret transmitted from master to apprentice

I've some books in Fr of course but not a lot ... of course we could share our infos ... no problem

I do like the old books too cause I've learnt a lot on trade tricks ... and the book by HOBBS is really a "bible" ... the 2 in 1 pick is very well explained and so how to use it

I'm also a key collector... but I collect rather the very old keys

I could private mail you some pics of them if you want ... some of them are from the 17 th and 18 th centuries

à bientôt

Jimmie

[Chris B]

[tri-city]

thanks for the links chris , i was interested in the hobbs 1, i have been studying it. i'll look at the others later.
thanks mate
by the way has anyone got the isbn no. for the hobbs 2 in 1 book, i would be very interested in a copy.