The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing Bill Phillips Sixth Edition McGraw-Hill New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto Copyright © 2005 by Bill Phillips. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-158896-5 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-144829-2. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trade- marked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringe- ment of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. For more information, please contact George Hoare, Special Sales, at [email protected] or (212) 904-4069. TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill’s prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms. THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTH- ERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the con- tent of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise. DOI: 10.1036/0071448292 Professional Want to learn more? We hope you enjoy this McGraw-Hill eBook! If you’d like more information about this book, its author, or related books and websites, please click here. For more information about this title, click here Contents Foreword by Greg Mango, Editor, The National Locksmith ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xii Chapter 1. A Short History of the Lock 1 Who Invented the Lock? 1 Egypt 1 Greece 2 Rome 2 Europe 5 England 6 America 9 Early American Lock Companies 12 A Brief History of Automobile Locks in the United States 13 Chapter 2. Tools of the Trade 15 Electric Drills 15 Cordless Drills 17 Key Cutting Machines 18 Workbench 18 Chapter 3. Types of Locks and Keys 37 What Is a Lock 37 Lock Names 38 Lock Grades 46 Key Types 47 Key Blank Identification 48 Key Blank Examples 50 Look-Alike Keys 54 Neuter Bows 57 iii iv Contents Chapter 4. Warded Locks 59 Types 59 Construction 60 Operation 62 Repair 62 Warded Keys 65 Chapter 5. Lever Tumbler Locks 69 Parts 69 Operation 69 Repairs 72 Varieties of Lever Tumbler Locks 72 Lever Tumbler Lock Keys 80 Chapter 6. Disc Tumbler Locks 87 Operation 88 Disassembly 89 Keying 89 Security 89 Cam Locks 89 Reading Disc Tumbler Locks 90 Double-Bitted Disc Tumbler Locks 99 Chapter 7. Pin Tumbler Locks 103 Construction 103 Disassembly 108 Assembly 111 Choosing a Pin Tumbler Lockset 112 Pin Tumbler Cylinder Mortise Locks 113 The Cylinder Key 117 Chapter 8. High-Security Mechanical Locks 125 Underwriters Laboratories Listing 125 Key Control 126 Lock and Key Patents 126 Types of High-Security Mechanical Locks 127 Chapter 9. Masterkeying 149 Coding Systems 149 Master Key Systems 149 Masterkeying Warded Locks 150 Masterkeying Lever Tumbler locks 150 Materkeying Disc Tumbler locks 153 Masterkeying Pin Tumbler Locks 154 Contents v Developing the Master Key System 158 Master Key System Variations 163 A Simple Master Key System 171 Chapter 10. Detention Locks and Hardware 175 Types of Locks 175 Electric Strikes 176 Choosing the Right Equipment 176 Chapter 11. Buying and Selling Safes 183 Types of Safes 183 Safe Styles 184 Installing an In-Floor Safe 185 Moving Safes 187 Special Safe Features 187 Underwriters Laboratories Fire Safe Ratings 187 Underwriters Laboratories Burglary Safe Standard 188 Selling More Safes 190 Chapter 12. Keyed Padlocks 195 Choosing a Padlock 195 Warded Padlocks 196 Wafer Disc Padlocks 198 Pin Tumbler Padlocks 199 Major Padlock Manufacturers and Their Products 201 Helpful Hints 215 Chapter 13. Home and Business Services 217 Common Problems and Troubleshooting 217 Corbin Cylindrical Locksets 219 The MAG Ultra 700 Deadbolt 234 M.A.G. Engineering and Mfg., Inc. 236 The Schlage G Series Lockset 245 Strike Plates 268 M.A.G.’s Install-A-Lock 272 Exit Alarm Locks and Panic Bar Deadlocks 276 Chapter 14. Lock Picking and Impressioning 297 Picking Pin Tumbler Locks 297 Why Pin Tumbler Locks Can be Picked 297 Raking 300 Using a Pick Gun 301 Lock Picking Tips 301 Picking High-Security Cylinders 305 vi Contents The Need for Practice 306 Impressioning Locks 306 Other Useful Equipment and Supplies 307 Popular Impressioning Technique 308 Alternative Impressioning Method 310 Problems with Impressioning 310 Impressioning Practice 311 Warded Bit-Key Locks 311 Chapter 15. Servicing Automotive Locks 313 Vehicle Identification Numbers 313 Basics of Automobile Lock Servicing 313 Door Locks 315 Ignition Locks 316 Glove-Compartment Locks 317 Trunk Locks 318 Transponders 319 American Motors Corporation 320 Audi 321 BMW 321 Chrysler 321 Datsun 322 Ford 322 General Motors 324 Servicing General Motors Vehicles with VATS 327 Honda 330 Chapter 16. Opening Locked Cars 331 Opening Locked Cars 331 Car-Opening Techniques 336 The Long-Reach Tool 338 Car-Opening Dispatch Procedure 345 Chapter 17. Emergency and Forced Entry Procedures 347 Drilling Pin Tumbler Locks 347 Cylinder Removal 348 Window Entrances 350 Office Locks 350 Doors 353 Unlocking Thumbcuffs, Handcuffs, and Legcuffs 355 Forced Entry 359 Chapter 18. Combination Locks 361 Parts 361 Manipulation 362 Contents vii Drilling 363 Changing Combinations 363 Other Keyless Locks 368 Chapter 19. Electrical Access and Exit Control Systems 401 Electric Release Latch Strikes 401 Circuitry 411 Electric Door Openers 418 Electrified Mortise Locks 429 Electrified Knob Locks 432 Electromagnetic Locks 441 Electrical Keyless Locks 449 Key-Actuated Switches 455 Chapter 20. Working as a Locksmith 461 Finding a Job 461 Business Considerations 472 The Locksmith and the Law 483 Chapter 21. Key Duplicating Machines 487 Critical Design Factors 487 Framon’s DBM-1 Flat Key Machine 490 Ilco’s KD50A 493 Chapter 22. Test Your Knowledge 501 Registered Professional Locksmith Answer Sheet 509 Chapter 23. Making Locks by Hand 511 A Warded Bit-Key Lock with Deadbolt 511 English Iron Rim Lock 521 Chapter 24. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions 525 Appendix A. Manufacturers 533 Appendix B. Locksmith Suppliers’ Profiles and Addresses 545 Appendix C. Miscellaneous Important Addresses, Phone Numbers, Web Sites 549 Appendix D. Locksmithing Schools and Training Programs 553 Appendix E. Depth and Space Charts 559 Index 571 About the Author 589 To Patricia Bruce not only because she is a good friend and a fine writer but also because she listened . and listened . and listened. Foreword The knowledge, skill, and expertise of any true professional often can be gauged by the library of literature that he or she keeps and has read. In the often mysterious, secretive, and intriguing world of locks and locksmithing, no true professional, aficionado, or curiosity seeker would be without The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing, 6th edition. Just as the title states, this is by far the most complete, informative, and all-encompassing piece of literature ever assembled between two covers on this subject. As a 21-year veteran of the locksmith trade, I can tell you that the scope of this book (covering one of the oldest trades known to humans) is much broader than one would think. The locksmith profession is also often one of the most challeng- ing and rewarding. There are few things in life that are dearer to anyone than the security of their family and worldly possessions. Having the knowledge and ability to instill and incorporate security, eliminating the helpless sense of vulnerability, is what locksmithing is all about.