Island Locks - Locksmith Courses - Lock Picking - Lock Opening - Locksmith Tools

Thanks to Jay for arranging the meet on Saturday

Simon the lock impressing was very interesting, and Micks euro lock takes the biscuit [great for Jays biscuit tin]

Stuart the warded lock was nice,I tryed for one that size on the bathroom but the misses wont have it,perhaps next meet we can all swap some locks for practice?

Stuart if I can find the other wellington mortice cylinder I will bring next time thanks all Phil. 

Members Meeting - Hi Guys, sorry I couldn't stay at meeting; I had 2 jobs to do on Saturday. Gutted I missed Simon's key impressioning. What a fantastic looking rim lock I believe it was Jay had on the table.  Just wished I had more time to examine it as I have a passion for old locks.  Hope Jay shows it next time.  I would love to have a look inside at the workings.  Once again, a great big thank you to Jay for arranging the meeting.  I'm looking forward to the next one.  I will put any work on hold for the next meeting.  All the best. 007 Dan

Hi all and thanks to Jay for arranging the meeting. Simon thanks for the intro into impressioning, good to see how to put together a starter kit that don’t cost a fortune.

dan the old lock was mine, i will bring it next time. all good the meeting was nice..

 Hi Stu - sorry about the lock !  I just assumed it was Jay's.  What a fantastic antique to own.  Would be very pleased if you could bring it to the next meeting so I can have a good look at it.  I've always got my eyes out looking for locks like this.  Never seem to find them for sale anywhere.  I can only find pictures on the internet of these type of locks and to actually hold one and look at it would be fabulous.  Can't wait for the next meeting.  I've got a key that I've had since I was approx. 15 years old.  I will bring it to the next meeting.  I showed it to a couple of locksmiths and they couldn't give me any idea on what type of lock this key may have belonged to so I'll get you and you and Jay and others to have a peep and perhaps the mystery the may be solved once and for all!  Hooray and thanks to Jay for Island Locksmiths meetings. All the best 007 Dan.

I have defeated Mick's lock with the 'Trap Pins' after thinking it through for a while. Should have really done it a long time ago when they introduced trap pins in domestic cylinders.

The technique will work on any cylinder with most Trap Pin types. Let's just say for now that the TP's, after picking can't be manipulated in any way due to the way they work, no access to them through the plug. The way I have found to get around it prevents the TP's setting when rotating the plug.

Jay, looking forward to next meeting to see how you got around the trap pins.

cant wait too see the new method

Count me in on that euro cylinder,is it a side bar? It would be great if someone could put a drawing/photo of this euro with the position of these trap pins.

Also any way of knowing before you start,ie through the keyway?

@Phil: It's a technique for cylinders with 'Trap Pins' and won't work on cylinders with Side bars, they work in a different way.

Thanks for the diagram Jay,so its the correct key that prevents the trap pins entering the plug [looks like spool pins in the diagram] very effective,would it be a shimming method?that you have used as you pick the lock.

Thanks Phil.

@Phil: Yes, it's the key, and it's heights,  that prevents the trap pins setting which are like small spool pins but thinner. No form of shimming can be done as the pins are trapped in the side of the plug, and they also can't be pushed back down, though the diagram could make it look so.

Jay I thought that maybe if you could find a micro thin and flexible plastic you could insert between plug and the hull casing therefore not allowing the trap pins into the plug after picking the normal picks?

Sorry Phil, had that one

One word Jay, impressioning?

@Keith: Your right, they can be impressioned like a standard cylinder, but I am doing it from a picking point of view.

Oh dear back to the drawing board then, i have not come accross any of these so far but i would be interested to know the technique in case i do.

Hi Guy`s and Girls, Hope the members meeting went well,sorry could not attend.

Some sad news,one of the Pimlico Plumbers boys who attended  one of Jays two day courses has been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

This is very bad news for me personally, as Dave is a friend,work colleague and a very genuine person.

After his two day course  he was a total pain in the arse about locks, wanting to know what tools to order and keen on setting up practice sessions to gain more knowledge.

In life we meet people who you can trust and those  you know to avoid, Dave would be by your side when the chips were down, and lift you back up.

Keep faith in all we do, be nice to people and live every moment.

Please support Jays mountain climb and stick together.

God Bless.

"build it and they will come"

@ Martin: Really sorry to hear about Dave and please let him know that I am thinking about him and his family as I have personal experience, as many of us do, of what they all must be going through. Not forgetting yourself and all of his friends also.

"Keep faith in all we do, be nice to people and live every moment."

Couldn't agree with you more Martin as I am sure many others would agree.

Martin, although I don't know Dave, please pass on my best wishes to him too. Sometimes it just helps a little to know that people out there are thinking about you.

Jay, many thanks for hositing another great meeting! Always so much to learn at your sessions, and great to exchange tips with like-minded people. The Thumb-turns look great! (Thanks for sharing the 'defeat the trap pin' technique with us too! How you ever worked out how to bypass it with a tooth-pick, paper-clip, piece of cotton and some super-glue, I will never know!)

A Big thanks to Dan too! You're one 'sound bloke'! I owe you!

Also, thanks to Phil, Mick and Stu  (in no particular order) on the Mortice Locks. All interesting stuff! Looking forward to the next one now!