Padlock

I'm looking for a reasonably priced, relatively secure padlock. But here's the catch:

Most of the locker break-ins at the local gym are done by 'shimming' the lock. That is, slipping a thin piece of sheet metal down the u-bolt (or whatever its called) and depressing the spring catch. Other methods of picking/breaking locks aren't used because they attract too much attention. Picture bumping a padlock hanging on a sheet metal locker. With some ultimate fighter just around the corner, looking for an opportunity to play hero.

Many years ago, I had an old lock with no spring catch. To lock it, you had to turn the key. That would work well, as there is no spring to depress. But all the padlocks I've seen (in the $10-$20 range) have spring catches. To make them more 'user friendly', I guess.

One other feature of my old lock (not a requirement) is that the key could not be removed in the unlocked position. So I could toss the thing, key inserted, into my gym bag and not loose either half.

Who makes one? Or what's the best Usenet locksmithing group to post this to?

Reply to
Paul Hovnanian P.E.
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Hurd made one, ball detente, key-retain feature, nice. Google hurd padlocks, apparently they made/make luggage padlocks as well, but don't know if these had the ball/retained key feature. .

Reply to
Existential Angst

I knew a guy who worked for a rail road. They had some round body locks that were close to what you describe.

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This is close. Not sure if it's got the ball bearing to locks the shackle, instead of the spring latch.

Of course, this page doesn't list prices:

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Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus
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Most of the locker break-ins at the local gym are done by 'shimming' the lock. That is, slipping a thin piece of sheet metal down the u-bolt (or whatever its called) and depressing the spring catch. Other methods of picking/breaking locks aren't used because they attract too much attention. Picture bumping a padlock hanging on a sheet metal locker. With some ultimate fighter just around the corner, looking for an opportunity to play hero.

Many years ago, I had an old lock with no spring catch. To lock it, you had to turn the key. That would work well, as there is no spring to depress. But all the padlocks I've seen (in the $10-$20 range) have spring catches. To make them more 'user friendly', I guess.

One other feature of my old lock (not a requirement) is that the key could not be removed in the unlocked position. So I could toss the thing, key inserted, into my gym bag and not loose either half.

Who makes one? Or what's the best Usenet locksmithing group to post this to?

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

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are like vending machine locks

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

Might work, depending on the locker setup.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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are like vending machine locks

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

tMmYr7NnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com...

To the OP,

You want a key retaining, ball bearing locking padlock that fits into a standardized locker shackle... There are a variety of manufacturers that make such locks, you will have to go order one at a locksmith (or hope you can find one on the internet somewhere) as most padlocks sold at big box retailers are not "key retaining"...

The "round" locks people have been referring to and mentioning as having seen in use locking railroad equipment cabinets have shackle diameters which are too large to use on a gymnasium type locker as they are used in high abuse environments and are often the type of padlock which is left exposed on roll down security gratings on the locking pin...

Reply to
Evan

That "hockey puck" type of lock will definitely NOT work on a gymnasium type locker... The bolt in the lock is too large in diameter to fit into the locker's shackle which is also not in a proper position to be able to affix such a lock...

Reply to
Evan

In article , Michael A. Terrell writes

or how about one of these:

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not captive key but not, to my knowledge, susceptible to shimming.

Reply to
fred

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They would have on the gym lockers when I was in school, but that was over 40 years ago. :)

I removed the doors on all the ones I had in my shop for storage, back in the early '80s and they would have worked on them. 3/8" holes for the lock, and two straight tabs that were side by side when the door was closed.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

Well, fits the later issue, at least.

Reply to
David Lesher

If you have the tools, maybe you can modify your existing padlock. Machine a sleeve that you can slide onto the shackle end and weld or braze it on so that it blocks the opening where the shim is used.

Reply to
Denis G.

Hello,

The shackle of any consumer-grade padlock with a MSRP less than $10 can be easily cut with a bolt cutter. As for shimming, MasterLock redesigned the latch plunger of their widely-popular 1500/1525 series to resist such attempts. The bottom line is that a school/athletic club locker isn't a safe and one is foolish to treat it as such.

I've made a hobby of researching U.S. combo padlock patents of the last

100 years and found that various companies (many are defunct) such as Master, Junkunc/American, Corbin, Dudley, Yale, Slaymaker and National have used some rather novel designs, although I think some are unnecessarily complex and don't easily lend themselves to automated assembly. (I think Master seemed to grasp this fact before the other companies did.)

The spring-loaded latch plunger type of bolt is cheap to produce, is reliable, and makes re-locking easy but it's vulnerable to shimming (if the shim can be readily inserted between the shackle and the surrounding lock case). Yale & Towne made a nice, inexpensive locker combo padlock years ago, the #515 that didn't use a latch plunger bolt (but it had a lot more internal parts). Sincerely,

Reply to
J.B. Wood

Google "Double ball padlock"

Reply to
F Murtz

I suggest an Abus padlock, especially the 83/45 series. You can get it in about 15 different keyways; the most popular are Kwikset and Schlage. It has a spring but is difficult to shim and has dumbblel pins so it's difficult to pick. On a gym locker, this padlock would most likely be bypassed by a thief to target a lock padlock that is quicker and easier to defeat.

It has a feature called a ZBAR, that gives you choices of, key comes out when unlocked or the key doesn't come out when it's unlocked. They are usually set from the factory in the key won't come out when it's unlocked position.

The padlock comes zero bitted with blank keys so it has to be pinned and the keys cut. They don't cost a lot ($19.99 on Amazon + shipping) but you'd have a locksmith pin it and cut the keys. I sell these for $28 and pin it and cut the keys at no extra charge. Your local locksmith will either have them in stock or can order it for you.

Skip

Reply to
Skipfromla

Good God man, this is a metalworking site!

Make a small guard that will lock in over the hasp that will disallow access to where the hasp enters the body.

Reply to
spamTHISbrp

messagenews:-rudnbLehtMmYr7NnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com...

Any of the American brand ball-bearing padlocks will do the trick. Internally there's a spring-loaded cylinder with two notches that capture ball bearings. In the locked position the balls are against the outside of the cylinder. Inserting a shim won't retract the ball because it has nowhere to go, it's butted against the cylinder.

The key rotates the cylinder so that the notches line up with the balls and the shackle can open. When open, the shackle on the "heel" side that stays in the lock keeps the ball pressed into the notch.

When the lock is re-locked, the spring turns the cylinder to push the balls into the notches in the shackle. Now the balls again have nowhere to go if someone pulls the shackle or tries to shim it. It stays locked until the cylinder is rotated with the key against the spring.

Buy a new one, not used. Some early variants had a defect where a bent wire could be inserted into the keyway and used to rotate the cylinder and open the lock. Newer ones have a baffle plate to prevent this type of attack.

Reply to
Jay Hennigan

Good God, you're telling the man to make unauthorized metal work changes to a locker at a gym where he has membership!

He'll get a different locker each time he visits!

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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Good God man, this is a metalworking site!

Make a small guard that will lock in over the hasp that will disallow access to where the hasp enters the body.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

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When I was managing a security company..I was asked to test Abus "round locks"

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The only way I could get one of these open..was with a torch. I even tried..ah..exothermic high velocity compounds.

And even the torch was a pain in the ass..they are of a nasty tough stainless steel that doesnt cut well.

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I tried every bullet that I could think of, and of course AP rounds. They took a HOT!! 300 Win Mag with a 174gr AP round and they didnt penetrate. They simply became unopenable.

All my locks at home are Abus. Good shit!

Gunner

"In my humble opinion, the petty carping levied against Bush by the Democrats proves again, it is better to have your eye plucked out by an eagle than to be nibbled to death by ducks." - Norman Liebmann

Reply to
Gunner

Apparently you never thought of using an angle grinder, or possibly attacked the wrong side of the mechanism...

Reply to
Evan

Gunner on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 01:20:52

-0700 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

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What was that old advertising slogan "Ask the man who shot one"?

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

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