Locks

The deadbolt on our back door broke about two weeks ago. We could still lock it from inside, but the key would spin endlessly when we tried to open it. Our landlords came by and brought a new deadbolt and handle lock.

What do you do when something breaks? You take it apart. Locks have always fascinated me. I've wanted to learn to pick locks since I saw The Saint, starring Val Kilmer. Matt Watson in junior high could open combination locks while putting them to the back of his ear and listeninging. One friend purchased a lock picking gun at the Spy Store in LA. I downloaded the MIT Lockpicking Manual ages ago but still have it on my computer.

As you can see, my love affair with locks has lasted a long time. I've never completely taken one apart, however. Until now. Here's a short animation of how locks work:



I took the entire thing apart. Every pin and every spring. And then I put it back together. Here's what I learned that interested me:

1) All the top pins are the same length. The variation is only in the bottom pins.
2) The bottom pins are in the lock cylinder plug, which slides out of the lock cylinder housing (which holds the top pins and springs).
2) You can purchase kits to rekey locks yourself. They come with a plug to prevent the top pins and springs from falling out when you slide out the lock cylinder plug. They also have an assortment of bottom pins of different lengths.

It was a lot of fun to learn. This guy had a similar experience.