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- Archive-name: locksmith-faq
- Last-modified: 95/2/26
- Version: 5.1
-
-
- alt.locksmithing Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
-
- [I changed jobs in October and the FAQ has been missing ever since.]
- [Well, it's back. The WWW version has moved to "www.indra.com" and the]
- [FTP archive to "ftp.indra.com". Other than that it is unchanged. I have]
- [received a variety of suggestions and additions, which I will be integrating]
- [into this FAQ shortly.]
-
- [Changed location of WWW version and FTP archive from std.com to indra.com.]
- [Noted that Hobbit's Simplex rant is temporarily unavailable.]
-
- _________________________________________________________________
-
- This FAQ does not attempt to teach you locksmithing, just to answer
- simple questions, give you some hints on getting started, and point
- you to sources of information. Also included is a glossary of common
- terms. The Appendix covers many supply places, books and tapes.
-
- This FAQ is posted monthly to the USENET groups "alt.locksmithing",
- "alt.answers", and "news.answers". The lastest version of the FAQ
- should be available from the USENET FTP archives on "rtfm.mit.edu" in
- directory "/pub/usenet/alt.locksmithing". You can also retrieve this
- FAQ by email; send mail "mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu" to with "send
- usenet/alt.locksmithing/a.l_a_t_F_A_Q_(F).Z" contained in the BODY of
- the message.
-
- A hypertext version of this FAQ may be accessed on the World Wide Web
- using "http://www.indra.com/archives/alt-locksmithing".
-
- Questions Answered:
-
- 1. Where can I get a lock pick set?
- 2. How can I make my own picks and tension wrenches?
- 3. Is it legal to carry lock picks?
- 4. Where can I get the "MIT Guide to Picking Locks"?
- + I can't print the Guide!
- 5. What books can I get on locksmithing?
- 6. What are "pick guns" or "automatic pickers" and do they work?
- 7. How do I open a Kryptonite lock?
- 8. Can the Club be picked? Is the Club any good?
- 9. How can I get keys stamped "DO NOT DUPLICATE" duplicated?
- 10. Do Skeleton Keys Exist?
- 11. Should I bother with high security ("pick proof") locks for my
- home?
- 12. What should I do after I read a book?
- 13. How do I continue learning about locksmithing?
- 14. How do Simplex pushbutton locks work?
- 15. Is there a formula that can find the combination of a Master Lock?
- 16. What is the "shear line".
- * Other online locksmithing related resources
- * Glossary
- * Appendix of sources, books, videotapes.
- * Credit & Thanks
-
-
-
- 1. WHERE CAN I GET A LOCK PICK SET?
-
- Try a locksmith supply house. Look under "Locksmiths' Equipment &
- Supplies" in the Yellow Pages. Your State or the company may have
- requirements, such as having to prove you are a locksmith or showing a
- drivers license; call and find out. Also look for mail order houses in
- the Appendix.
-
-
- 2. HOW CAN I MAKE MY OWN PICKS AND TENSION WRENCHES?
-
- You can file or grind picks out of spring steel. It is best to use
- spring steel - sources include hacksaw blades, piano (music) wire,
- clock springs, streetsweeper bristles (which can be found along the
- street after the sweeper has passed), etc. In a pinch safety pin
- steel, or even a bobby pin (much worse) can be used. When grinding,
- keep the steel from getting so hot as to anneal (soften) it. You may
- have to re-harden/re-temper it. (See a book on knife making,
- gunsmithing, or machine shop practice for a discussion on heat
- treating steel.) Some people prefer a rigid tension wrench and just
- bend a small screwdriver for this, but many prefer a slightly flexible
- wrench and use spring steel.
-
- The "MIT Guide to Picking Locks" and the "Eddie The Wire" books (see
- below) cover making these tools. There are many places you can buy
- picks and tension wrenches. See the appendix.
-
-
- 3. IS IT LEGAL TO CARRY LOCK PICKS?
-
- This depends on where you are. In the U.S. the common case seems to
- be that it is legal to carry potential "burglar tools" such as keys,
- picks, crowbars, jacks, bricks, etc., but use of such tools to commit
- a crime is a crime in itself. Call your local library, district
- attorney, or police department to be sure.
-
- Places where it *is* illegal to carry lock picks:
- The District of Columbia.
-
-
- 4. WHERE CAN I GET THE "MIT GUIDE TO PICKING LOCKS"?
-
- The author of the "MIT Guide to Picking Locks", "Ted the Tool", has
- posted a PostScript(TM) version of the Guide which can be retrieved
- via ftp from:
-
- ftp.indra.com:/archives/alt-locksmithing/MITGtLP/MITLockGuide.ps.Z
- You will need a PostScript printer or previewer to view this file.
-
- Dave Ferret scanned/typed in a version of the Guide, it is a file of
- the text of the Guide and a collect of GIFs of the diagrams. This can
- be found in ZIP and tar format in:
-
- ftp.indra.com:/archives/alt-locksmithing/MITGtLP/unofficial
-
-
- 4B. I CAN'T PRINT THE GUIDE!
-
- Try deleting the two lines that read:
-
- statusdict /lettertray known {statusdict begin lettertray end} if
-
-
-
- 5. WHAT BOOKS CAN I GET ON LOCKSMITHING?
-
- An excellent encyclopedic reference:
-
- The Complete Book of Locks & Locksmithing, 3rd Ed.
- C.A. Roper and Bill Phillips TAB Books
- ISBN 0-8306-3522-X (Paper) 0-8306-?522-1 (Hard)
- $18.95 (Paper) $26.95 (Hard)
-
- also many people think highly of:
-
- Eddie The Wire: How to Make Your Own Professional Lock Tools
- "Eddie The Wire" Loompanics Unlimited
- ISBN 0-685-39143-4
- 4 Volumes $20
-
- Your local book store should be able to order these for you. You can
- find other titles under "Locksmithing" in the Books In Print Subject
- Index, which any decent bookstore should have. Also see the Appendix.
-
-
- 6. WHAT ARE "PICK GUNS" OR "AUTOMATIC PICKERS" AND DO THEY WORK?
-
- A "pick gun" is a manual or powered device that uses a vibrating pin
- to try to bounce the pin tumblers so there are spaces at the shear
- line so the the plug can rotate. They are not a panacea, aren't always
- effective, and the net seems to feel that these are no substitute for
- a little skill with a pick and learning how locks work.
-
-
- 7. HOW DO I OPEN A KRYPTONITE LOCK?
-
- Easiest: If you registered your lock, call or write Kryptonite for a
- new key. Or call a local locksmith, they should be able to pick and
- re-key the lock for you.
-
- Easy: Get a car jack and jack it apart. Careful, otherwise it is very
- possible that you'll damage the bike.
-
- Easy: Use a cut-off wheel in a Dremel tool to cut the lock at the hole
- in the shackle (where there is the least to cut.)
-
- Harder: If it doesn't have the newer brass jacket, peel back the
- plastic coating on the key end, drill out the pin that holds in the
- cylinder, remove the cylinder, open.
-
- Hardest: Chill the metal of the "U" with liquid Nitrogen or Freon,
- smash with hammer. While this is a "well known" method, it may be an
- urban legend.
-
-
- 8. CAN THE CLUB BE PICKED? IS THE CLUB ANY GOOD?
-
- Stan Schwarz writes:
-
- I used to have a "Club", purchased on the recommendation of a
- coworker. The first time I tried picking it, it took me
- approximately 30 seconds, using the cap of a Papermate Flexgrip pen
- for tension, and a bent jumbo paperclip to rake the pins. With
- practice, I was able to reliably pick every "Club" I encountered in
- 5-30 seconds using these tools.
-
- However, it doesn't really matter, no car thief is going to pick it,
- they are going to cut the soft plastic steering wheel with a hacksaw
- or bolt cutters and slip the Club off.
-
- It has also been claimed that the Club can be broken if you grab it
- with both hands, put your feet on the dashboard, and push with your
- legs and pull with your arms as hard as you can. Be sure to wear
- gloves!
-
- The Club is useful as a deterrent, a car thief may pass over your car
- for something easier. But if a thief wants your car, the Club will not
- stop him. An alarm with an ignition kill and a theft recovery system
- like LoJack is a better, but more expensive, option.
-
-
- 9. HOW CAN I GET KEYS STAMPED "DO NOT DUPLICATE" DUPLICATED?
-
- Some locksmiths will take the Nike approach and "Just Do It". Some
- will even stamp "DO NOT DUPLICATE" on the copy for you. If that
- doesn't work, label the key by sticking some tape on the "DO NOT
- DUPLICATE" stamp and try again.
-
-
- 10. DO SKELETON KEYS EXISTS?
-
- "Skeleton Keys" are keys ground to avoid the wards in warded locks.
- There is no analog with modern pin tumbler locks. Master keys may open
- a large set of locks, but this is designed in when the locks are
- installed.
-
-
- 11. SHOULD I BOTHER WITH HIGH SECURITY ("PICK PROOF") LOCKS FOR MY HOME?
-
- Why not? If you are installing locks, the better quality ones are not
- much more expensive, and are physically more secure (e.g., have
- hardened inserts to protect against drilling.) However, note that
- protection against picking doesn't add a large amount to your security
- since burglars almost always go the brute force route. Regardless, you
- should have a deadbolt, and check your window security.
-
-
- 12. WHAT SHOULD I DO AFTER I READ A BOOK?
-
- After some reading, then the next thing is some experience. Go to
- K-Mart, buy a deadbolt lock for around $10, and take the entire thing
- apart (you'll need tools like screwdrivers, and perhaps a pair of
- pliers) to see how a pin tumbler lock works. K-Mart carries a clone of
- the Kwikset which is made to be very easy to take apart. (Key-in-knob
- locksets are both more expensive and harder to take apart.)
-
- You then can practice picking this lock by leaving out all but one
- stack of pins. This will be exceedingly easy to pick, and will mostly
- provide experience in manipulating the pick and tension wrench. Then
- put in one more pin stack and try again - feeling when one stack is
- picked and then the second one will let the cylinder move. Keep on
- adding stacks. Try picking with the curved finger, and also raking.
-
-
- 13. HOW DO I CONTINUE LEARNING ABOUT LOCKSMITHING?
-
- There are several things you can do to continue learning more about
- locks and locksmithing. One, of course, is to subscribe to a
- locksmithing magazine. Some years ago I compared the National
- Locksmith to the Locksmith Ledger and felt that the latter was a bit
- better on technical info. Call yourself a Student Locksmith, or
- perhaps a Security Consultant (surely you have given some advice to
- *somebody*!).
-
- But all this reading won't help all that much, so you have to continue
- buying various types of locks, taking them apart, figuring out
- everything about them, and installing, removing, modifying them. Buy
- some key blanks, make up a master key scheme, and file the keys to fit
- (assuming you don't have a key machine) - filing may take a few
- minutes, but it does work. Maybe buy a re-keying kit (kit of different
- size pins, with a follower) and do some re-keying for your family or
- friends (the same size pins fit, I think, the familiar Kwikset and
- Schlage pin tumbler locks) so that their deadbolts can be opened with
- their normal front door key. Or buy a deadbolt installation kit (hole
- saw plus template - I think that Black and Decker makes a good one,
- available at better building supply places) and put in a few deadbolts
- for your family and friends - charging them only for the material plus
- a couple of bucks towards the installation kit - and re-key the
- deadbolt for them, too.
-
- Buy or make a pick set, and use your practice locks to practice
- picking. Do you have a good locksmith supply catalog? If not, give a
- call to a local supplier, or perhaps to Kenco of Omaha, Nebraska (they
- have an 800 number) and get their catalog - they sell lots of goodies
- including most everything I've been discussing. Help people at work
- who have been locked out of their desks or filing cabinets. Desks
- usually have wafer tumbler locks which are *much* easier to pick than
- pin tumbler locks. Filing cabinets are not as easy to pick, but are
- pickable (actually some are very easy to pick - they vary greatly) and
- also can be opened by pushing a flexible plastic ruler past the
- sliding drawer - carefully inspect some working cabinets to see what
- I'm talking about.
-
-
- 14. HOW DO SIMPLEX PUSHBUTTON LOCKS WORK?
-
- Hobbit has written an excellent discussion on workings of Simplex
- locks. Hobbit left FTP Software and his FTP archive is currently
- unavailable. This is expected to change by the next time this FAQ is
- published at the end of March. Stay tuned.
-
-
- 15. IS THERE A FORMULA THAT CAN FIND THE COMBINATION OF A MASTER LOCK?
-
- Not as far as anyone knows. You can buy code books with which will
- tell you the combination for a give serial number, but these are big
- somewhat expensive books that list every lock.
-
- However, John F. Bousquet <bousquet@crl.com>writes:
-
- There is another way. There is a shirt picket sized formula book.
- From the serial number you determine which of several progressions
- were used by the factory. Then a guide number is found from the
- table to devide into the serial number and a remainder is found.
- This is referenced on a page in the guide. The last digit is
- manipulated and that narrows it down to about 5 possabilities. I
- bought one of these 20 pace packrt Try out combination finders and
- never wound up using it. Now I just call it up on notebook computer.
-
-
-
- 16. WHAT IS THE "SHEAR LINE"?
-
- Visualize a door lock - there is a fixed block (the lock body) of
- metal with a cylindrical hole in it - the axis of this hole is
- horizontal. It is filled with a "cylinder", which is the part which
- turns with your key - and something attached to the rear of the
- cylinder actuates the latch/bolt when you turn the cylinder. There are
- some small vertical holes drilled in both the cylinder and the fixed
- block so they match up - and they are in a straight line which is the
- same line as the key. Each hole (pin chamber) is filled with (at
- least) two pins (small cylindrical pieces of metal) but the pins are
- of varying length, and there is a spring at the top of the chamber so
- that the pins are pushed away by the spring. The bottom pin is short
- enough so that it will be pushed completely down within the cylinder
- and the top pin (imagining right now there are just two pins - extra
- one are only used for master keying) goes from inside the cylinder to
- inside the fixed block. Now the cylinder can't turn, because in each
- pin chamber there will be a pin blocking the "shear" line - the line
- where the pin chamber would "shear" apart when the cylinder turned.
-
- You put your key in - and the different heights on the key are made to
- "complement" the different lengths of the bottom pin so that all of
- the bottom pins are raised up just to the "shear line" between the
- cylinder and the fixed block part of the lock. Then the key can turn
- the cylinder around its axis and actuate whatever internal mechanisms
- are inside.
-
-
-
- OTHER ONLINE LOCKSMITHING RELATED RESOURCES:
-
-
- * Graham Pulford's "Catalogue of High Security Locks"
- ftp://ftp.indra.com/archives/alt-locksmithing/hiseclox.ps.Z
- * "MIT Guide to Picking Locks"
- ftp://ftp.indra.com/archives/alt-locksmithing/MITGtLP/MITLockGuide
- .ps.Z
- * Hobbit's Simplex lock description - Temporarily unavailable.
- * The Online Loompanics Catalog
- gopher://gopher.well.sf.ca.us/00/Business/catalog.asc
-
-
-
- GLOSSARY:
-
-
-
- blank
- A key that has not yet been cut to fit a lock.
-
- core
- A removable cylinder and plug, used in a interchangeable core
- system.
-
- core key
- A key which is used to remove a core.
-
- cylinder
- The part of the lock in which the the pins are set and which
- contains the plug.
-
- cuts
- The notches cut in the key to make it fit a lock.
-
- key way
- The slot in which the key is inserted.
-
- master key
- A key which opens a group of locks designed to match it.
-
- pin tumblers
- The pins in the lock which are moved to the shear line by the
- key.
-
- pin chamber
- the tubular hole in which pins and a spring stay.
-
- plug
- The part of the lock which the key is inserted and is rotated
- by the key.
-
- wafer tumbler
- Used in locks which are less expensive than pin tumbler locks.
- They behave somewhat similarly.
-
- warded lock
- A lock using wards to keep an incorrect key from entering the
- key hole and turning.
-
-
-
-
- APPENDIX
-
- Here are some of the things collected about locations and
- availabilities (most are from alt.locksmithing). We do not endorse any
- of these, but feel that you can get information by reading. As of this
- writing Septon is the only supplier that will sell to overseas
- customers.
-
- Septon, Inc. P.O. Box 9, Maiden-on-Hudson, NY 12453
- (800) 537-8752 voice (914) 246-3416 fax (914) 246-0638 outside North
- America
- Will sell to overseas customers, but requires credit cards and a U.S.
- $100 minimum order on such sales.
-
- Call for Catalog.
-
- Phoenix Systems Inc. P.O. Box 3339, Evergreen, CO 80439
- 303-277-0305 [Survivalist Group, all though the "Shoot all the Commies
- for God" stuff is kept to a minimum.]
-
- Call for Catalog.
-
- Here are a few titles: (with Library of Congress Catalog Number)
- - - ----------------------
- Title: Locksmithing
- Author: F.A. Steed
- LC Number: TS 520 S73 1982
-
- Title: All About Locks and Locksmithing
- Author: Max Alth
- LC Number: TS 520 A37 1972
-
- Title: Professional Locksmithing Techniques
- Author: Bill Phillips
- LC Number TS 520 P55 1991
-
- or you can buy books from (no credit cards)
-
- Loompanics Unlimited
- Publishers & Sellers of Unusual Books
- P.O. Box 1197
- Port Townsend, WA 98368
-
- When they say unusual, they mean it! Everything from igloo
- construction to techniques of execution. There is now a $5 charge for
- their catalog. As far as we know they do not have a phone or fax for
- orders.
-
- #52042 B & E: A TO Z - HOW TO GET IN ANYWHERE, ANYTIME (VHS TAPE) by
- Scott French, 1987. Nearly two full hours of on-site techniques to get
- in any building, beat any lock, open any safe, enter any car. Price:
- $59.95
-
- #40031 INVOLUNTARY REPOSSESSION -OR- IN THE STEAL OF THE NIGHT by John
- Russell III (64pp, 1979). Written by a private detective for auto
- repossessors. All the standard methods of entering and starting
- locked, keyless automobiles are given. Price: $10.95
-
- #52050 TECHNIQUES OF BURGLAR ALARM BYPASSING by Wayne B. Yeager
- (110pp, 1990). Alarms covered include: Magnetic Switches, Window Foil,
- Sound and Heat Detectors, Photoelectric Devices, Guard Dogs, Central
- Station Systems, Closed-Circuit Television, and more. Price: $14.95
-
- #52047 THE B & E BOOK - BURGLARY TECHNIQUES AND INVESTIGATION by Burt
- Rapp (149pp, 1989). This is an investigatory guide and practical
- manual designed for the police officer in charge of a burglary
- investigation and its follow-up. Price: $14.95
-
- #52054 TECHNIQUES OF SAFECRACKING by Wayne B. Yeager (92pp, 1990).
- Chapters include: Safe Mechanics and Operations, Guessing the
- Combination, Manipulation Techniques, Safe Drilling Methods, Punching
- and Peeling, Torches Etc., Explosives, Miscellaneous Methods of Safe
- Entry, Safe Deposit Boxes, Deterrence and Prevention, and more. Price:
- $12.00
-
- #52052 HIGH SPEED ENTRY - INSTANT OPENING TECHNIQUES (VHS TAPE - 1Hr)
- 1990. Topics include: the Rabbit Tool and Hydra force door openers,
- the Omni Force jam spreader, the best exothermic lance in the world,
- two tools that open almost any auto in America, electronic locksmiths,
- rippers and pullers, shove knives and re-lockers, and more "techie"
- tools. A complete source guide is included. Price: $39.95
-
- #52032 THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO LOCK PICKING by Eddie the Wire (80pp
- 1981). The very best book ever written on how to pick locks (quite the
- claim). Topics covered include: Basic Principle and General Rules, How
- To Mount Practice Locks, Warded Locks, Disc Tumbler Locks, Lever
- Tumbler Locks, Pin Tumbler Locks, Wafer Tumbler Locks, Lock
- Modifications To Thwart Tampering And How To Overcome Them, Various
- Other Ways Of Bypassing Locks And Locking Mechanisms. Price: $14.95
-
- #52040 HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN PROFESSIONAL LOCK TOOLS (4 Volume set) by
- Eddie the Wire (31pp, 1980; 50pp 1981; 44pp, 1981; 55pp, 1986).
- Basically this set describes how to make all the tools mentioned the
- above book along with mass production techniques, carrying cases,
- using a PC to generate pick profiles, making "soft" break-ins, how to
- "case" a subdivision, and more. Price: $20.00
-
- #52044 PERSONAL PICKS (VHS TAPE - 72min) by Eddie the Wire, 1988.
- Demonstrates the step-by-step process of making lock tools in the home
- workshop. Price: $29.95
-
- #52051 EXPERT LOCK PICKING (VHS TAPE - 60min) by Ron Reed, 1990. The
- author has won the California Locksmiths Association lock-picking
- championship (I guess that's good). Uses specially designed cutaway,
- see-through locks, so you can view the inside mechanisms of working
- locks as they respond to picking techniques. Price: $59.95
-
- #52048 ADVANCED LOCK PICKING by Steven M. Hampton (50pp, 1989).
- Describes the inner workings of the new high-security locks and
- includes templates for making custom tools. Schematic diagrams for
- portable electronic picks to open magnetic key and card locks. Tips on
- enhancing finger sensitivity, concentration power, constructing
- practice lock boxes, and more. Price: $10.00
-
- #52045 CIA FIELD-EXPEDIENT KEY CASTING MANUAL (48pp, 1988). How to
- make a duplicate key when you can keep the original only a short time.
- Price: $8.00
-
- #52043 HOW I STEAL CARS - A REPO MAN'S GUIDE TO CAR THIEVES' SECRETS
- (VHS TAPE - 45min) by Pierre Smith, 1988. How to open and enter
- practically any modern automobile and how to start them without the
- key. Price: $49.95
-
- #52016 HOW TO FIT KEYS BY IMPRESSIONING by Desert Publications (26pp,
- 1975). Subjects covered include: Fitting bit keys, Fitting flat steel
- keys, Fitting lever tumbler keys, Fitting disc tumbler keys, Necessary
- tools, Techniques of obtaining impressions, and more. Price: $7.00
-
- Wheeler-Tanner Escapes
- 3024 E. 35th
- Spokane, WA 99223
- 509 448 8457.
-
- Mainly Magic/Escape Artist supplies, but that includes lots of
- locksmithing equipment and books. If you need more info, jusk ask.
- (Catalog is $2, refundable w/ 1st order).
-
-
- CREDIT & THANKS
-
- The alt.locksmithing FAQ was put together from postings by
- spike@indra.com spike@world.indra.com (Joe "Spike" Ilacqua), and
- hes@ncsu.edu (Henry Schaffer), with a major data collection effort by
- sanguish@digifix.com (Scott Anguish). Edited by hes. Translated to
- English by eliz@world.std.com (Elizabeth Lear). Send comments,
- criticisms, and complements to "alt-locksmithing-faq@world.indra.com".
-
-
- The following have contributed to this FAQ:
- Scott Anguish <sanguish@digifix.com>
- J. James (Jim) Belonis II <manager@dirac.phys.washington.edu>
- Stephen J Berch <sberch@world.std.com>
- John F. Bousquet <bousquet@crl.com>
- Chris Boyd <clb@oc.com>
- Robert Bruce Findler <rf27+@andrew.cmu.edu>
- Hobbit <hobbit@ftp.com>
- Marcus Jenkins <marcusj@apricot.co.uk>
- Larry Margolis <margoli@watson.ibm.com>
- Andy McFadden <fadden@uts.amdahl.com>
- Stan Schwarz <schwarz_sm@dir.texas.gov>
- Thomas E Zerucha <zerucha@shell.portal.com>
- --
- Indra's Net -- Internet Access with an Attitude
- Email: info@indra.com URL: http://www.indra.com
- Modem: (303) 786-7405 Voice: (303) 546-9151
-