Lock Troubles :)

[alexander]

Ok, so as one of my hobbies, i collect locks, not just any locks, the higher security and the less common the lock is, the more desireable it is for me to have it. My collection is small, but i only just started...

 

So yesterday i decided that i wanted to take some shots of a my Abloy PL330 padlock with a protec cylinder, and all was well, until i decided to take the lock apart, to show the internal workings of the lock, it was a discovery-learning experience, until i had to put it back together. Mind you this is the first time i have taken this thing apart, i dont know how (rather i didnt know how) the lock works internally, and the cylinder is comprized of some 30 parts (not your simple pin tumbler), not all of which are very obvious as to where they go, and my tripping while carrying them in a little box really helped to mix these things up really good.

 

So, after 2 hours of trying to put this lock back together, a light bulb went off and i figured out a method for piecing the lock back together, (i will post pictures in a few days) now, only one problem remains, after 4 hours of frustration and finally successfully putting together this lock, my key does not work... so something got rearranged wrongly, can you say, fun times :naughty:

 

figure i'll post a howto with pictures for piecing your protec cylinder back together, if you happen to have one of these, though most people even in finland don't, even if they have a PL330 or any other abloy padlock really, they all take the same type of cylinders, and you can get most in the 6 different cylinder configurations that they come in. Something about buying a high security padlock that looks like others, but paying much more for it just because it has currently an unpickable cylinder (and its been out for over 2 years), anyhow...

 

Anyone else, interested in locks, is a locksport enthusiast, collects locks, is a locksmith and have probably never even heard of the protec cylinder, or has any comments, suggestions, tips?

[Mercedes Benzene]

When I was little, my biggest hobby was collecting keys and locks. I was just fascinated by the entire concept of the mechanisms, design, function, etc.

In 4th grade, we had to do a project/presentation on a profession from colonial America. I chose locksmith. We were supposed to present for 5 minutes.

I ended up getting lost in passion and talked for 25 minutes.

 

I don't bother to collect keys or locks anymore, but one of my fondest memories of this hobby was, once again, when I was little. I was walking with my cousin in a vast forest behind his house, as we often did when we were bored. We loved stumbling upon ruins of abandoned houses. I would scavenge the ground for cool things. One time I came upon a very old, extremely rusted lock. I wish I still had it, but it was very degraded and fell apart.

It was a lock of this style (approximately): http://img2.timeinc.net/toh/i/a/repair/old-locks-03.jpg, but since i was a kid I didn't really care about time period or the like.

 

Perhaps it's time to restart this old hobby. :naughty:

 

A Note On: Great hobbies of past.

MB

[alexander]

then you'll like these pics of my lk 1200 and last night's shot of the PL330:

 

Locks - a set on Flickr

 

I really enjoy locks, their mechanisms, and telling, or better yet showing people how insecure their lock situation is, it's really a lot of fun to know a lot about something most people never cared to think about...

 

And being an enthusiast, i tend to educate people about locks, cylinders, setups and security, not only that, you look at a lock and you sometimes get surprised at what you find and where. For example we sell these fire proof fairly highly secured filing cabinets (i wont name them to not advertise), so one day, snooping around the back, i noticed the lock on it out of the corner of my eye, and it immediately interested me, the cylinder Medeco but the neat thing is that the lock cylinder sits inside another cylinder, the only things holding them together are 2 small glass rods, if someone decides to jam a blank and spin the cylinder, the glass rods break and the lock becomes inoperable. A few months ago, the local locksmith spent over 2 hours drilling out the core because someone broke the rods.... It's then when you appreciate the ingenuity that goes into these high security locks....

 

Next lock i am hunting down in good condition is a Sargent and Greenleaf 833, which was a replacement for the lk1200 in 83-84

[alexander]

HA, i figured out how the lock works, i can now figure out how to get my key to work... oh soo close :)

 

yes, tutorial will be put up eventually :)