Great Moments in Picking Thanks to Papa Gleb
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 5:23 amRecently in an ebay auction I got a Smith and Egge pancake push key padlock with no key. Very cool little lock that is likely from the early 1900s. While it is cool on its own I really wanted to open that sucker. So I went in search of youtube goodness. A quick search revealed an excellent three part video series by our very own Papa Gleb that can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC-3Dhq7g2g
I will not steal his thunder but, the videos are very instructive on the manner in which the locks work and how best to pick them. So armed with that information I headed straight down to my shop and built the tool that he describes in the video. The only wood I had was a tongue depressor. As a result when I put the binder clips on, the wood flexed and the center pins lost pressure. A vise grip on those center rectified that quickly. I applied outward pressure on the shackle by passing a rope through the shackle and gently pulling on it while I inserted the tool. Less than thirty seconds later...open. One of the coolest opens I have ever had.
I was now on a mission to make the tool better. Following Papa Glebs suggestions I built a nicer tool so that I could control tension better than with the hilbilly rig that I poppped it with the first time. I did not have the leather that he suggested so I used a bit of inner tube as my gasket to create friction. Boom opened again.
So now I need more locks like this to work on. I have stretched my ebay budget to the limit and have a couple more on the way now. I will let you guys know how that goes. I have always enjoyed this hobby because I see locks as a puzzle and the key as the solution. In this situation time has lost the original solution but, an exchange of information has led to a new solution and in who know how many years the lock opened. Thanks to Papa Gleb and to all of those here who take the time to share information that leads to these little victories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC-3Dhq7g2g
I will not steal his thunder but, the videos are very instructive on the manner in which the locks work and how best to pick them. So armed with that information I headed straight down to my shop and built the tool that he describes in the video. The only wood I had was a tongue depressor. As a result when I put the binder clips on, the wood flexed and the center pins lost pressure. A vise grip on those center rectified that quickly. I applied outward pressure on the shackle by passing a rope through the shackle and gently pulling on it while I inserted the tool. Less than thirty seconds later...open. One of the coolest opens I have ever had.
I was now on a mission to make the tool better. Following Papa Glebs suggestions I built a nicer tool so that I could control tension better than with the hilbilly rig that I poppped it with the first time. I did not have the leather that he suggested so I used a bit of inner tube as my gasket to create friction. Boom opened again.
So now I need more locks like this to work on. I have stretched my ebay budget to the limit and have a couple more on the way now. I will let you guys know how that goes. I have always enjoyed this hobby because I see locks as a puzzle and the key as the solution. In this situation time has lost the original solution but, an exchange of information has led to a new solution and in who know how many years the lock opened. Thanks to Papa Gleb and to all of those here who take the time to share information that leads to these little victories.