Locked out of the house in the middle of the night? Have you lost your lock key? Before you hire a locksmith to open it, try breaking the lock yourself. Most home or office keys are locks that can be easily opened using a scribe and an L key, both of which can be obtained from common household materials that are improvised.
Although the process is simple and can be mastered with practice, breaking the lock requires a lot of patience. To do this, you must insert a thick metal stick or needle and then move the stick until you hear a click or the wheel turning. This article will show you what you need to do to break the lock.
Step
Step 1. Understand how your lock works
The tubular pin lock has a tube that rotates inside the housing (see illustration below). When locked, the tube is held in place by several pairs of pins. The top pin of each pair joins the tube section and housing, preventing the tube from turning. When the correct key is inserted, it pushes the pin pair up so that the top pins are no longer in the tube. When this happens, the tube can be moved and the lock will open.
- Pay attention to the five pairs of pins. The yellow pin will go into the tube and the silver housing that surrounds it. The spring provides repulsion to keep the pin in place.
- When the key is inserted, the groove and lock pattern will push these pins up until they reach the correct height and make all the yellow pins pop out of the tube, allowing the tube to rotate and the lock to be opened.
Step 2. Buy a pusher L wrench and a plug
Each plug is designed to address a different problem. A pressing L wrench, or torque, is a device you use to apply pressure to turn the lock tube. Professional key-breaking tools can be purchased in certain sets (see picture), but many key-breakers make these tools themselves with good quality. See the Things You'll Need section below for more information on how to make your own push-button L lock and plug.
Step 3. Insert the pusher L key into the bottom of the keyhole
Step 4. Determine the direction of rotation of the tube that is useful for opening the lock
If you use this lock frequently, you probably already know the direction. Otherwise, use a pusher L wrench to apply power to the tube, first clockwise then counterclockwise. Feel the stiffness of the stop. If you turn the tube in the wrong direction, your movement will stop firmly and firmly. If you rotate it in the right direction, the movement will be more flexible.
Some types of locks, especially padlocks, will be able to open and not depend on the direction of rotation of the tube
Step 5. Apply a small amount of force to the pressing L wrench in the right direction, then hold it
The power required will vary from lock to lock and from pin to pin, so you may have to do some experimenting. However, start slowly.
Step 6. Insert the plug into the top of the keyhole and feel the pins
With the plug still in the keyhole, you can push up and feel the pins running through the end of the plug. You can press them up and feel a push back when you release the pressure. If these pins are very easy to push up, turn the pusher L wrench more firmly. If neither of these pins is pushed up, lower the power until you can squeeze it. Alternatively, you can "scrape" any existing pins before attempting this step (see the Tips section below).
Step 7. Push the pin hard up until it “inches in
“Press with enough pressure to overcome the downward pressure generated by the spring. Remember, these pins actually consist of a pair of tiny pins. Your plug will press on the bottom pin, which will then press on the top pin. Your goal is to push the top pin out of the tube. Then, when you stop pressing, the bottom pin will go back into the tube, but the pressure on the tube will result in a mismatch between the hole in the tube and the hole in the housing, and the top pin will stay in the tube without falling back down. You will hear a soft click as the top pin drops onto the tube. You can also hit the bottom pin with little or no resistance from the spring – when this happens then you're likely already in the “in” position on the top pin.
Step 8. Continue pressing and repeat the last two steps for each remaining pin
You must maintain power in the tube to prevent the pin from falling again. You may have to increase or decrease the power slightly for each pin.
Step 9. Use a pressing L wrench to turn the tube and open the lock
Once all the pins are cleared, you can rotate the tube. Hope you have chosen the right direction to turn it. If not, then you will have to repeat the whole process from scratch and reset all the pins.
Tips
- You can't see into a keyhole, so use your hearing and senses to guess what's going on inside. Be patient and do it methodically, paying attention to the slight clicks you may hear and the resistance you feel. With the information you gather in this way, you can imagine the inside of the key.
- If you're really lazy, you can buy plugs online and you just plug and play.
- The pins will be set in order from front to back or back to front; You will need to do a little experiment to determine the right direction for your locks. Usually this sequence is from back to front, but you may have to start in a different order.
- Breaking the lock really depends on the pressure you apply through the L wrench. You'll need to keep trying to find and maintain the right amount of force to push the top pin out of the tube, and at the same time make sure the pins are set and stay in place.
- Use enough force to apply pressure to the pins so you can overcome the force and friction of the springs. Do not let the bottom pin get caught between the tube and the housing.
- A technique called “scraping” can be used as a shortcut. To scrape the pins, insert the plug (use a paper clip with a few bends) and insert it all the way to the end of the keyhole without applying pressure to the tube. Then quickly pull back the plug, rubbing it against the surface of the pins while applying a little force to the pusher L lock. In theory, you could unlock the lock by simply scraping it once or twice, but generally scraping will only reset some of the pins, and you'll need to repeat this process for the remaining pins.
- If the key is a simple key, such as a cash box or desk drawer lock, you probably don't have to break it. Insert a flat piece of metal until it touches the end of the key, then turn it clockwise while moving it up and down. If you're lucky, you can unlock it in just a few seconds.
- Some keys are in an “upside down” position (especially in Europe). The pins are located at the bottom of the tube and not above it. The procedure for unlocking like this is the same, with the exception that you have to push the pin down. If the lock is opened by inserting the key in reverse (with the serrated side facing down), the pin is under the keyhole. Once you insert your plug into the keyhole it will be easy to judge whether the pin is at the bottom or the top.
- Lovers of locks and ways of opening them usually don't like the use of paper clips, safety pins, and hair clips. Their argument is usually that these improvised tools are more difficult to use than plugs specifically made for unlocking. While this is generally true, they can still be an effective solution if you have the patience and are willing to practice using them.
- The number of pins varies from one key to another. Padlocks usually have 3 to 4 pairs of pins, while door locks usually have 5-8 pairs.
- Scraping the plugs finely will help you make it easier to insert the plug into the keyhole and the maneuvers you make with it.
- Know when it's a good time to break the lock. Do you want someone to break into your house keys just for fun? Otherwise, don't wander around town trying to break people's locks. This may seem fun, but you could be considered a serious crime.
- Key-breaking has become a popular hobby favored by puzzlers. If you want to learn this hobby, start practicing with a cheap and very simple lock, or even a lock with all but one of the pins removed. Look for old keys too, either online or from antique shops.
- Locks other than tubular pin lock types, such as wafer tub locks, or tubular locks can also be opened, but the procedure is slightly different.
- Never break a lock for the wrong reasons.
Warning
- When you do this correctly, the lock won't break, but if you apply too much force to the tube or apply too much pressure on the pins, the lock mechanism can be damaged.
- There are many laws regarding breaking locks, possessing the equipment, and making improvised tools. Most states in the United States have specific laws in their criminal codes that make possession of "robbery's tools" a separate and distinct crime, but how this crime is regulated depends largely on the individual state. Check local laws in your area. And of course, don't unlock anyone else, unless you want to get into trouble.
- If the pin doesn't move when you press it up, you may be applying too much force and the tube is in the wrong position with the hole in the housing. If this is the case, you will need to release the power a bit. Unfortunately, if you do this, some of the pins already set may fall back and you'll have to repeat the whole process. Change the order of pin pressing if needed on the next try.
