Pen caps as lock picks

[Beyond]

And what is your method?

[Vallen]

Read it on the bombshock forums it involves pen caps.

[Beyond]

Originally Posted by Vallen

Read it on the bombshock forums it involves pen caps.

Link perhaps?

If it's the one I'm thinking of, it will only work on the Kryptonite Evolution-2000 U-lock's for bikes. Not all of them.

And upon viewing these locks, they act more so like warded locks than actual tubular/ace locks.

[Beyond]

Lol, I just saw his method on that thread I posted. You're an idiot if you think you can break into an ace lock with just a bic pen cap and some twisting.

If it were that simple, it wouldn't be an industry standard for going on 30 years now. In other words, people would have figured it out by now.

Sticking a pen cap and turning won't do the job. The pen cap has a straight and even edge and if you were to some how get it to the pins then you would still have to find a way to get them to meet the shear line.

The pins, like those found in pin tumblers, all have varying depth differences. As seen in the following diagram (uploaded to my server for arguments sake).



Each pin has it's own unique depth to meet the shear line. Like I said, it really is just an inverted pin tumbler set up, with a different casing of course.

Besides drilling the lock out and using hand picks, as seen in the diagram, your best bet to even getting one of these open is a tubular pick.

Seen below, it has "teeth" for each individual pin so that the person picking the lock can key in each individual depth. It's actually an easy tool to use. Like picking locks, you just have to get a feel for it.



Using your method, one would also expect a blank key to work on all keys, I mean, it's the same concept: level edge agaisnt pins and a little pressure=lock opened. That simply doesn't work.

The only thing I can possibly think of, for your method to actually work, is a hint of impressioning. Even then, you didn't mention anything about cutting or modifying the pen or a key from the pen.

In sum, you can not open a true ace/tubular lock with just a pen edge. If it were that simple, do you think Coke and Pepsi would gaurd their machines with them? From viewing that Kryptonite lock, it seems as if it's merely a warded key setup and a pen could concievably work, although I am not sure if they are shimming it or actually picking it, I'd have to see a picture of it close up to see what they are actually attacking.

[TheFallen]

There was a large commotion some time about about Bic pens being able to open that type of tubular lock, but I though they'd fixed that.

[Beyond]

They did and they don't sell any products under that name or series anymore.