How does a wafer lock work?

The wafers nestle into a groove in the lower part of the outer cylinder (green) preventing the plug (yellow) from rotating. When the correct key is inserted, the wafers (red) are raised up out of the lower groove in the outer cylinder, but not so high that they enter the upper groove in that cylinder.

Are wafer locks hard to pick?

Picking wafer locks is much easier than picking pin tumbler locks, mainly because of how easily they can be raked. All you have to do is insert your torsion wrench, apply very minimal pressure, and insert your rake. Jiggle the rake around a little bit, and eventually, the wafer lock should open.

Can you pick a double sided lock?

Double-wafer locks have wafer tumblers on both ends of the plug. To pick these locks, you work the wafers on both sides as you apply pressure with the tension wrench. Wafer locks are found in most filing cabinets, lockers and cars, as well as in many padlock designs.

How did old locks work?

By the Middle Ages, some warded locks made by English craftsmen were quite intricate. They were designed with a set of obstructions, sometimes shaped as circular plates, which kept the lock mechanism secure. When a key with matching notches was inserted in the keyhole, it would unlock the bolt.

What is a dimple lock?

Dimple locks are basically pin-cylinders that use the flat side of the key's blade as the biting area. So rather than cutting into the edge of the key as in a standard pin-cylinder, dimple locks turn the key ninety degrees and cut onto the flat side.

Picking Wafer Locks Explained

What are master wafers?

Some locks are designed to work with two different keys. The change key will open only that specific lock, while the master key will open that lock and several others in a group. In these locks, a few of the pin pairs are separated by a third pin. This third pin is called a master wafer or spacer.

How does a tubular pin tumbler lock work?

The design of a tubular lock is similar to the pin tumbler lock, in that there are several stacks of pins. The key is a cylinder shape with notches cut around the outer or (rarely) inner edge. Each of these notches depresses a single pin inside the lock to a specific height allowing the lock cylinder to turn freely.

What locks are hard to pick?

What is a snowman lock pick used for?

These locks, which are known as fixed lever locks, are for example often used in office furniture. The rake technique is then used. In principle, the snowman pick can also be used to rake perfectly normal cylinder locks, but the relatively large size of the snowman means this is sometimes somewhat cumbersome.

What is the oldest key in the world?

How did medieval door locks work?

To open the lock, the key is inserted in the keyhole on the top of the body and then drawn through the slit, which compresses the springs so that the shackle can be withdrawn. This design allows one or more ward pins to be attached on the end with the openings. The key bit has notches for them.

What is the oldest type of lock?

Early history. The lock originated in the Near East; the oldest known example was found in the ruins of the palace of Khorsabad near Nineveh. Possibly 4,000 years old, it is of the type known as a pin tumbler or, from its widespread use in Egypt, an Egyptian lock.

What is a tubular lock pick?

Tubular Lock Picks

The Ace lock (also referred to as the tubular lock) is a higher security pin tumbler lock. The pin tumblers are arranged in a circle and the locks require a different type of key to open them - a tubular key. The key's bitting is disposed radically on its end.

What is a slider lock?

A slider is a wafer-like object used as a locking component in many locks. Sliders are primarily used in additional to traditional pins or wafers as secondary locking systems, such as with sidebars. Some locks use sliders as the primary locking mechanism, notably the EVVA 3KS and EVVA DPI.

Do locks have tumblers?

Pin tumblers are most commonly employed in cylinder locks, but may also be found in tubular pin tumbler locks (also known as radial locks or ace locks).

How does a disc detainer lock work?

Design. Disc tumbler locks are composed of slotted rotating detainer discs. A specially cut key rotates these discs like the tumblers of a safe to align the slots, allowing the sidebar to drop into the slots, thus opening the lock. Unlike a wafer tumbler lock or a pin tumbler lock, this mechanism does not use springs.