Schlage Wafer Tumbler Locks

by **illusion** » 2 Sep 2005 14:09

hey all!

this is my first post, but im not here 2 n00b (well perhaps a bit).

im sure this is stupid but i've got a real interest 4 old locks... when i came across the 'Schlage Wafer Tumbler Lock Picks' I got hooked straight away, but i cant find info on the locks themselves- other than the fact th@ they r not installed anymore. Does anyone here know anything?

by **n2oah** » 2 Sep 2005 18:24

Schlage wafer locks are a pretty easy pick as far as I've heard. They are installed on older houses.
Schlage wafer locks
Schlage wafer locks 2
Schlage wafer locks 3
I have no clue how you pick them, though. Did the tool come with instructions?

by **vector40** » 2 Sep 2005 19:02

It does come with instructions and is dead simple.

I actually have never even seen one of the locks, but this is one of the very few things that is so straightforward that I have no concern about being able to open one the first time I encounter it.

by **illusion** » 2 Sep 2005 20:27

Thanks n2oah!

That lock looks weird as hell... or rather fun as hell

- shame it only ships 2 the usa :evil:

i really want 2 find 1 th@ i can pick, but looks like finding 1 is gonna be hard, perhaps someone here would know y they stopped making them - i heard they were expensive, so maybe people realised they were a waste of money??

well thanks 4 the help

by **Chucklz** » 2 Sep 2005 20:38

Wow, these wafer locks are being sold less than a mile from my current location. Exciting. Anyway, the wafer locks are fairly easy to pick with "standard" picks, althoug the special ones make it lightning fast. When I got my set, the set up keys did not fit in the lock ! They were stamped out of some sheet brass, and the tips needed to be filed so they fit in. Hard to explain without a visual, but it took about 10 total minutes until they were in tip top shape and I was opening the back door.

by **illusion** » 3 Sep 2005 3:39

the picks themselves arrived 2day

no instructions came with them though

any ideas how i could find out - perhaps a nice person in this forum will help? :wink:

I know what u mean Chucklz - when they arrived i couldnt figure out y there where grooves running along the keys, but stopped when they got 2 the end. I figured it out asoon after and kicked myself followed by filing them down...

still cant find anywhere to buy them - when i told the locksmiths nearby the guy looked puzzled when i asked him if he knew anywhere i could get Schlage Wafer tumbler locks and only told me they dont make them anymore...

thanks 4 the help once again

by **vector40** » 3 Sep 2005 4:19

No instructions? Bummer.

I'll type mine up if nobody else has a link or anything like that.

by **illusion** » 3 Sep 2005 6:37

vector40 wrote:No instructions? Bummer.

I'll type mine up if nobody else has a link or anything like that.

Havent found a single guide on the net - th@ would be awesome if u could post the instructions!

this is not really related 2 my original question as such.... but could someone tell me a way 2 buy relatively cheap locks online which ship 2 the UK??.

by **fixer** » 3 Sep 2005 8:48

The Schlage wafer locks are no longer made.

Unless someone happens to have some very old stock, you almost certainly won't find any for sale.

by **Chucklz** » 3 Sep 2005 13:01

These are quite easy to get on with. While there appears to be 4 different set up keys, in reality only two are commonly used. Assuming the lock is installed correctly, insert the appropriate key so that the flat edge faces UP in the lock. Next, insert the probe along the top of the flat edge, apply "heavy" tension and pull the probe out. Feather the tension a few times and the lock should open.

by **illusion** » 3 Sep 2005 18:28

Chucklz wrote:These are quite easy to get on with. While there appears to be 4 different set up keys, in reality only two are commonly used. Assuming the lock is installed correctly, insert the appropriate key so that the flat edge faces UP in the lock. Next, insert the probe along the top of the flat edge, apply "heavy" tension and pull the probe out. Feather the tension a few times and the lock should open.

thanks!

now all i need 2 do is find one of these locks and try it out... i swear there is a conspiracy regarding these locks cos information is rare and the locks themselves seem 2 be unobtainable

thanks again 4 all the help

by **vector40** » 3 Sep 2005 19:09

Transcribed.

The Schlage Wafer Picking Set, SPW-3, was specifically designed for the Schlage "A" and "W" keyways for Schlage Wafer Locks consisting of seven tumblers: one master, three series, and four combinations.

There are two pairs of keys in this set. One pair for the "A" sections and the other for the "W" section. In addition, there are two types of keys used in the "W" section. One half of each pair is for each type.

<picture -- basically, if you hold up either set, folded so the keys are 90 degrees to each other, with one key facing DOWN, with the bump at its tip facing TOWARD you, and the other key facing FORWARD (so its bump is DOWN), then the downward key is the Type 2, and the forward key is the Type 1>

To find which type key is required, insert each key into the keyway. The correct key should make you feel a slight resistance about 1/8 inch before the key bottoms in the lock. The incorrect key will feel loose and freely drift out from the bottom of the keyway.

After determining the correct key, slide the pick on top of the key all the way into the keyway. Note: The level on the pick should be facing up. Apply slight tension by using the mate key as a tension lever. Note: If the type 2 key is used, apply tension counter-clockwise. If type 1 is used apply tension clockwise.

As you maintain tension, withdraw the pick from the keyway with an upward pressure on the top of the pick. If the lock does not open, lightly lessen the tension until you hear a tumbler "snap" down and the lock should open. Since locks vary, some will require repeated lessening of tension to release the wafers.

On a simpler vein, this is the technique shown on the Storm lockpicking DVD: Insert the proper key (nub down), insert the needle along the top of the inserted key as far as it goes, apply light tension, pull the needle out, release tension gradually until you hear/feel a click, then just turn the key -- it's open. If you hear multiple clicks or it doesn't open, just repeat the process.

by **Saedis** » 3 Sep 2005 20:50

FB devotes I believe their largest lesson on these JUNK out of production locks.

I fell asleep several times working through that lesson...

My boss calls them junk and has demonstrated to people who have them how easy they are to bypass in mere seconds (for him anyway) then he upgrades all their knobsets to some decent modern schlage locksets.

by **illusion** » 4 Sep 2005 6:50

thanks 4 those instructions vector 40

well i finaly found a sclage wafer tumbler *w00t* the locksmith i talked 2 before had one lying in a bucket of random locks and parts and hadn't bothered 2 look...

I know why these were stopped now! they open so easily with the special picks, before i left i had managed it within 11 seconds - which 4 me picking a lock is good.

Thanks every 1 who contributed and helped me...

Now i have 2 find another lock which loads of people don't know and pick th@...

Schlage Wafer Tumbler Locks

Schlage Wafer Tumbler Locks

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