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As some of you may know, I recently purchased an old bank to turn into a brewery. If you guys need any proof before helping me with these locks, just let me know what you want to see.

Being a picker, I'm of course fascinated by all of the safes, doors, safety deposit boxes, and all manner of other goodies in here to play with. The vault has a sort of back room in it that's split off with a gate:



There's no key for the lock. There's an identical gate in the front that someone took apart--the lock turns with any key. Here are some close-ups.





There are no visible pins, so my guess is a warded lock. But would a bank have locks so insecure?

Looking at the keys for the safety deposit boxes, they certainly look like wards:





Thanks for any advice!

They are actually lever locks, not warded.

Riyame is correct about those being lever locks. And if you need some place to dump those old locks, bet some of us here would be willing to help take them off your hands.

At least you can be fairly certain that the cash will be secure when you close for the night. An actual bank vault may be a bit more secure than, say, a Sentry safe.

Gordon

Thanks! That'll get me going in the right direction.

Got a few more closeups for you guys. The levers seem to enter the keyway as the lock is rotated counter-clockwise. Any suggestions besides a drill?

Have you tried removing the screws on the front of that door panel and see if the lock can be accessed? If you can get the lock out, you can send it to someone here who can make you a key. Then you have a place to toss the troublemaking drunks at your brewery... your own personal brig!

Gordon

That's a neat idea Gordon. I can only get to the back of the lock that's been disabled, though. I'll have to take it apart and see what's inside, I guess.

Either way, I'd love to learn if this type of lock can be picked. I've got all the time in the world to work on it.

To answer the question - yes, they can be picked. But it will probably be one of our European people who are able to tell you how to best go about it. Know the process, but as they would likely have far more experience than I, probably best to allow them to answer.

Gordon

The safety deposit lock looks like a Mosler 5700 or 3175.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=mos ... tedIndex=7

The lock requires both a guard key and the renter's key to open the lock. There is an expensive tool to open the lock through the renter's keyway, used when misuse of the guard key results in bending the guard levers.
http://www.lockmaster-benelux.eu/conten ... appen.html

Also tools for pulling the cylinder:
http://www.mbausa.com/item.asp?num=MB25

Picking the safety deposit lock (or the door lock) involves a knowledge of lever lock mechanisms, special tools and a certain amount of luck. The technique involves putting pressure on the bolt with one tool while lifting each lever in turn, feeling for a slight "give" much like in picking pin tumblers. But as Gordon says, other than on safety deposit locks and a few other specialized applications, lever locks are not used much in the U.S. and there aren't a lot of folks adept at picking them. A locksmith that services banks might help with removing the lock and making a key for the door.

If you end up considering destructive techniques, such as pulling the plugs, have a think about whether you want to preserve either the locks, or the doors themselves.

Pulling the plugs is pretty quick, but if you want to preserve the locks, you can drill through the doors for the lock mounting screws, or the screws that hold the hinges in place. These holes could be repaired, should you want to restore these boxes to a functional state. It is quite simple to make keys for these locks, once you have access to the internals & the drilled holes can be repaired.

If you don't pull the plugs, you should also be able to sell the locks, if you do not want to keep the safe deposit nests.

You can take measurements from the door that is already open to make up a template so you know where to drill.

...Mark