How do you open a padlock?

Answer 1

The best and most effective way to open a padlock is by using the correct key or combination. There are however a variety of other ways to open a padlock. Since padlocks are designed to keep personal property secure then clearly manufacturers are always coming up with new ways to make it difficult to open them unofficially. This has created an ongoing challenge to many people across the globe in creating new ways to pick padlocks.

There a few common methods of open padlocks unofficially:

PickingPicking a padlock is not common in criminal activities since it requires a great deal of skill and time to learn. It is however used by many lock-smiths to open a padlock without having to damage it. Lock pick sets are readily available on the market and consist of a variety of picks and torque wrenches.

The torque wrench is placed into the locking cylinder first and a tiny amount of pressure is use to turn the barrel. The pick is the used to stroke the pins within the cylinder. The key to picking a padlock is to use apply just the correct amount of pressure on the torque wrench rather than the technique or movement of the actual pick. This is where most people go wrong. If the correct amount of pressure is used then the tiny imperfections in the pins will cause each one to jump into alignment before the other. A few strokes will cause all the pins to align and open the padlock.

Bump KeysMany cheaper padlocks do not use as many pins or might not be made as precisely in the factory. As a result they can sometimes be opened using a bump key. These are like normal keys but have uniform grooves.

Image: http://www.nothingbutpadlocks.com/images/locks/bump_key.jpg

The key can be forced into the locking cylinder with force or a quick "bump" which can cause the pins to be aligned correctly. There is a small amount of skill required but much less than picking a lock in the above method.

Shackle ShimsThe U-shape or shackle of the padlock is locked into the body using small spring loaded bolts. Once again in cheaper models of padlock there can be a tiny gap where the shackle enters the body. A shackle shim is a very thin piece of metal such as the tin used on a can of coke and this can sometimes be used to slide down the side of the shackle and into the body of the lock. If pushed deep enough it can push open the locking bolts used to secure the lock. Combination padlocksCombination padlocks use ball bearings in their mechanism to determine when the correct combination is used. However, as these bearings align correctly you can sometimes feel resistance when pulling on the shackle. This can indicate that the number is correct or at least exactly 5 away from the correct number if the bearings are designed to align on the other side of the padlock.

This method does not always work since many better quality combination padlocks have overcome the problem with more precise manufacturing techniques.

Other sources of information:

Lock picking forum

http://www.lockpicking101.com

Additional technical details

http://www.nothingbutpadlocks.com/advice/padlock-picking

Padlocks shims

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Padlock-Shim

Bump Keys

http://www.wikihow.com/Bump-a-Lock