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This page presents the basic
workings of pin tumbler locks and how they can
be picked. The terms used to describe locks
and lock parts vary from manufacture to
manufacture and from city to city, so even if
you already understand the basic workings of
locks, you should look at picture below for
the vocabulary.
Knowing how a lock works when
it is opened by a key is only part of what you
need to know. You also need to know how a lock
responds to picking, which you'll learn in
Basic Picking.
The key is inserted into the keyway
of the plug. The protrusions on the
side of the keyway are called wards.
Wards restrict the set of keys that can be
inserted into the plug. The plug is a cylinder
which can rotate when the proper key is fully
inserted. The non-rotating part of the lock is
called the hull. The first pin touched
by the key is called pin one. The remaining
pins are numbered increasingly toward the rear
of the lock.
The proper key lifts each pin
pair until the gap between the key pin
and the driver pin reaches the sheer
line. When all the pins are in this
position, the plug can rotate and the lock can
be opened. An incorrect key will leave some of
the pins protruding between the hull and the
plug, and these pins will prevent the plug
from rotating.
To open the lock without the
proper key you insert a tension wrench into
the bottom of the keyhole.
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