Lock Bumping

Lock Bumping - A Bump Key with Pin Tumbler Locks

There are many types of pin tumbler locks. 90% of us rely on this type of lock for our home security. They come in various forms, including deadbolt, key-in-knob, lever padlocks, and automobile ignition locks. The common denominatore among pin tumbler locks is that they all have a pin tumbler cylinder or housing. When a pin tumbler lock is installed on a door, you can usually see only the lock’s plug or the face of its cylinder. You can quickly identify a pin tumbler lock by looking into its keyway.  Although pin tumbler cylinders are simple mechanisms, some of the most secure mechanical locks rely on such a cylinder. Most pin tumbler cylinders are self-contained mechanisms. They come in a variety of shapes to fit locks of various designs. The basic parts of a pin tumbler cylinder include cylinder case, plug, keyway, upper pin chambers, lower pin chambers, springs, drivers, and bottom pins. It’s easy to remember all those parts once you understand their relationships to each other. The cylinder case houses all the other parts of the cylinder. The part that rotates when the proper key is inserted is called the plug. The keyway is the opening in the plug that accepts the bump key. The drilled holes across the length of the plug are called lower pin chambers, they each hold a bottom pin. The corresponding drilled holes in the cylinder case directly above the plug are called upper pin chambers, they each hold a spring and a driver. To learn more about lock bumping and pin tumbler locks you can visit this link to Amazon and purchase The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing

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