The need to open the lock can lie in wait for each of us at any stage of the operation of the entrance doors. This, of course, does not apply to the malicious hacking of a door with illegal entry and subsequent theft, it is rather about situations in which at least once in our life we all have found ourselves: the key is lost or the lock is jammed. But before you come close to the question of how to open a lever lock on your own, without the involvement of professional help from the outside, you should clarify some of the nuances.
Why leveler locks?
Leveler (aka French) locks are of particular interest from the point of view of opening, not because they fail more often than others. On the contrary, their high reliability and quality of work have earned them universal consumer popularity and recognition. In terms of the effectiveness of the locking mechanism, they are considered one of the best in the series of locking devices, often referred to as safe locks. On the one hand, lever locks are highly reliable, which is what the homeowner needs, on the other hand, this very complexity of the secret mechanism can become a "stumbling block" when the question arises of how to open a lever lock.
Cross-sectional design of the lever lock
If you are already faced with the need to open a lock of this type on your own, it will not be superfluous to familiarize yourself with its internal and external device.
The outer part of a lever lock is traditionally represented by a body, which can be made by casting or stamping. Suvalds are directly responsible for the secret, code part of the mechanism. These are special plates, in the sections of which the crossbar (bolt) moves. With the help of the key, the levers are brought into a special position, forming the so-called levers.
An important part of the locking device that allows you to understand how to open a lever lock is the bolt shank post.
Unauthorized entry into the house is often done by destroying this particular part of the lock mechanism.
In view of such a device, the degree of reliability of the lever locks depends both on the number and location of the levers, and on the number of key options.
The main methods for self-opening lever locks
- Destruction or drilling out of the deadbolt shank post.
The method requires a key with a reinforced tooth, with the help of which the shank strut is destroyed and they try to push the bolt inside the lock. An obstacle to the successful use of this technique are: protective plates, linings, protection against drilling, used by almost all manufacturers of lever locks.
- A visual technique can be an option for how to open a lever lock. A duplicate key is ordered from a photograph or memory of the homeowner.
- Impression or self-impression. The technique consists in the use of a special design with movable elements or a key blank, which turns in the lock and the key code is gradually selected in the footsteps on it.
Using this approach to dissection will require some skill, excellent eyesight, and patience.
- Using a dial key.
With such a device in your arsenal, you don't have to worry about how to open the lever lock with your own hands. Although the presence of such a key at the right time at hand rarely happens, which means that the disadvantages of this method are obvious. A similar technique is used by attackers, trying to find the necessary key for the lever lock.
- Masterly manipulation of master keys.
As the name implies, this method requires the use of a variety of lockpicks. One of them advances the bolt, the second is used for alternately lifting the levers.
Reasonable approach to opening a lever lock
As practice and common sense show, independent attempts to open the lock rarely lead to a positive result, and often only increase the homeowner's losses. The minimum set for a beginner to open with his own hand should include: master keys or special dial keys, as well as remarkable patience and mastery of the instrument. Much more effective method how to open a lever lock is to consult a specialist.
A locksmith or a seller of locks and hardware often has to deal with philistine myths and legends about the subject of our work. And the emergence of such myths and legends in most cases is associated with low literacy of both consumers and many sellers. A person does not own the topic, and in order to explain some incomprehensible moment, he has to apply imagination, which often borders on stupidity.
Here we will talk with you about lever locks. Let's consider their structure, as well as discuss the legends and absurdities that surround the leveled castle.
Locks with keys of this type are called just suval, and not suval, as some call them.
From the word "suvalda", not from the verb "suvat". About the origin of this unusual name let's talk below.
Lever type locks are among the oldest in the world. In one of the previous materials, where we considered general information on the castles, there was an introductory part about the Egyptian castle, which appeared about 4000 years ago. So, in spite of the fact that the code elements of the Egyptian lock were pins, according to the principle of operation, it is more like a lever lock, because the bolt was controlled directly by the key, and not by some kind of drive elements. And the Egyptian castle is the first official mention of castles in the world.
Leveler locks are sometimes called safe locks. It is unclear who was the first to use this incorrect definition: cunning sellers who wanted to emphasize the secrecy of the goods being sold with the help of the word "safe", or ordinary people who hoped that the magic word "safe" would raise their locks to the rank of inaccessible.
A safe lock is called a safe lock because it is intended to be used only on a safe. It is extremely difficult to install a safe lock on an apartment door or anywhere other than a safe door. And if you are smart and install, then it is impossible to use. A safe lock can only be opened and closed from the outside. Even if some kind of "babayka" gets inside the safe, it should not be able to open the lock from the inside.
Once again, a safe lock is not one that has a specific type of mechanism, but one that is designed to be installed and operated on the safe door. There are safe locks with a lever type mechanism. But not all lever locks are safe. As part of this material, we are talking about apartment locks with a lever type mechanism, and they are not safe. It is wrong to talk about some kind of security in relation to these locks.
We will study the lock with the lever type mechanism in detail. We will consider each component in detail, find out the purpose of each detail, and only after that we will assemble the lever lock and through the transparent cover we will see the principle of operation of the lever lock.
Frame
Like any other lock, the lever has a body. The body, roughly speaking, is a metal box in which all the components of the lock are placed and operated. For the most part, the case is closed with a lid, as in our case.
But there are lever locks in which there is no cover, and the package of code elements is pressed and held in the body by a metal sheet, the base of the door on which the lock is mounted. This is more common on safes and metal boxes.
In some cases, the cover of the lever lock is made of heat-treated steel. Such locks better resist forceful opening methods, but the cost of a lock with such a cover, of course, increases.
In our case, the lever lock has a non-heat-treated body and cover, which are galvanized.
Lever lock bolt
Direct locking of the door is carried out by the lock bolt. In the lever lock, the bolt in most cases looks like this:
The pins, fingers and plates that protrude from the body represent a deadbolt or crossbar, if there are several. It is the crossbars that fix the door leaf.
In addition to the visible part, the castle in particular and the lever has a hidden part of the bolt, which cannot be seen indiscriminately.
In particular, it is the bolt shank. The shank is a steel plate that is rigidly connected to the ledgers.
There are several important locations on the shank:
Serrated comb
Through it, the key of the lever lock moves the bolt.
Literally 8-10 years ago, there was such a type of breaking a lever lock, like opening with a roll.
The so-called prefabricated "roll up" was inserted into the well of the lever lock. Since the shape of the roll very much resembled the key of a lever lock, only there were no teeth on it. The roll was made of very hard alloys, heated steel of certain grades, etc. With the help of a lever that was attached to the handle, the roll with great effort was turned in the lever lock, broke the levers and forcibly moved the lock bolt. Moved just through a toothed comb. The break-in method was very fast and relatively quiet.
But about ten years ago, manufacturers introduced an elegant solution to their locks, which gave 100% protection against opening a lever lock with a roll. Artificially weakened toothed comb. The lock presented here shows that the lock tooth is artificially weakened by the drilled hole.
Now, when you try to open such a lock with a roll, the weakened tooth will break and will not let the intruder inside. True, after that the lock will no longer be opened with the native key, but that is another question. He coped with his main task - he did not let the rogue inside.
With the introduction of an artificially weakened toothed comb, the method of opening the lever lock with a convolution disappeared completely. If ten years ago this was often talked about, and employees of provocative bodies often met broken lever locks with a roll. Today this does not occur anymore.
A little off the topic, let's continue to consider the lock bolt.
Bolt shank rack
In addition to the toothed comb, the bolt shank has the following important detail as a bolt shank post. We draw your attention to this detail and repeat its name: the bolt shank post.
In our case, here it is:
The bolt shank post is a part through which the bolt of the lock is locked. If completely closed lock press on the bolt, trying to drive them inside with your hand, then it is the rack that will interfere with the bolt movement, it will rest against the code elements.
There is such a method of opening lever locks, such as removing the bolt shank post by drilling. If you surf the Internet, you can even dig up some templates that show the exact location of the rack on a closed lock, if you center the template along the keyhole.
Drilling a rack, both earlier and now, is a very popular method of opening lever locks in a criminal environment. Therefore, many manufacturers by default make the rack from hard alloys (for example, hardened steel), or implant something rigid, such as a steel ball, into her body. You can even further protect this important element lever lock with armor plate.
Some personalities, having typed "vershoks" from the Internet about drilling, begin to convince others (and we are sellers, after all, we are the most stupid, we do not know anything about our goods, we are just waiting for someone to come and tell) that the levers locks are completely useless products, since they are easily, quickly and relatively quietly drilled. In this case, we usually ask - what and when was the last time a person drilled and held a power tool in his hands? In half of the cases, it turns out that the sofa opener standing in front of you has no drill or "shura" as such at all.
The specialists of our company have repeatedly had to use the method of drilling the rack in case of emergency opening of the door, in case of loss of keys or in case of lock breakage. We can confidently assert that opening the lock using the method of spot drilling is a hemorrhoid and difficult task. When drilling the shank strut, the bolt can be pushed in for a very long time- you can dig deeper into the call for up to two hours. At the same time, drilling the shank stand is a difficult process to predict. When drilling, the lock can get very dirty, chips can form at the drilling site, which will continue to lock the bolt, in the end, the bolt can skew, because in some models of locks, the bolt movement is positioned along the rack. There were cases when in drilled hole the drill broke, those who drilled horizontal plane two objects superimposed on each other, I know that this happens. And now it will take some time to crush the broken drill and pull it out of the hole, and only then continue drilling.
In short, the process is incredibly hemorrhoid. Of course, with experience and with an increase in the number of drilled locks, the time for this action also decreases.
But those people who professionally provide services for emergency opening of locks and doors have moved away from drilling towards other types of opening, also because drilling is long, difficult and poorly predictable.
The stem of the deadbolt shank is in most cases made in the form of a square. But there are a wide variety of rack shapes. For example, in some domestic locks, the rack can be round in cross-section - this shape makes it easier to open the lock using intelligent methods, master keys.
In most cases, the bolt shank post has an anti-lock design. In our case, we see that the rack has an anti-lock slot. We will see how it works later.
On locks of a heavy series, where there are outputs for a vertical drive (under the rods), the bolt shank often has a control detail for the outputs for the rods. This is not the case in our example.
And now about the code elements!
Suvaldy
Code elements of lever locks are plates different forms and are called suvalds.
One theory claims that the word "leveler" comes from the German word Zuhaltung, which translates as blocking or locking. And the code element itself in German sounds like Zuhalt. In our country, this word has somewhat transformed and turned into the word "tsugal", which nowadays is already extremely rare.
There are a fairly large number of types of levers. They can differ from each other in shape, material used, method of movement, thickness, dimensions, method of anti-corrosion treatment, etc. But all levers now and before have a very similar structure, and also have the same functions.
Roughly speaking, a suvalda is a metal plate of a certain shape with some holes.
Let's pay attention to the code labyrinth of Suvalda.
It is here that, as you move, the bolt shank stand walks and dances. We will see this with you later.
The code labyrinth is formed by code protrusions.
The rack of the bolt shank rests against them, when they try to open the lock with the wrong key, when they hammer the bolt from the end. It is about the code protrusions of the levers that the bolt shank rack rubs when they try to open the lock with master keys.
The distance between the coded protrusions is called the coded groove. It can also be called a "through groove".
The coded groove is the distance or gap between the edges of the tops of the coded protrusions. It is through the code slot that the rack passes, and with it the bolt when the lock is opened or closed with the correct key.
The more accurate the lock, the smaller the coded groove of this lock, the more difficult it is to intelligently open. In a high-quality lever lock, the coded groove is 0.4 - 0.6 millimeters larger than the bolt shank post thickness.
The code groove is extremely rarely made with a smaller clearance relative to the rack. Because after some time, the key with which you open or close the lock will wear out a little. If the gap between the rack and the code protrusions is very scanty, then the native keys will stop working in the lock very, very soon, say, after 5,000 opening and closing cycles. And for the average family, this is very, very little. In other words, the size of the gap determines not only the secrecy of the lever lock, but also, to some extent, the service life.
The specialists of our company quite often have to go to the emergency opening of safes, if all the keys are lost. And quite often you come across safes of the Soviet era with old ugly lever locks.
These are supposedly one and a half meter high fireproof cabinets that weigh three hundred kilograms. Lever locks on these safes worked for 50-60 years (safes began to be produced in the post-war period). And they will work for a huge number of years.
Why?
Just because the code groove is several millimeters larger in comparison with the rack thickness.
Yes, such a lock can work for 200 years. But what is its disadvantage? The fact is that without damage, with very little experience and some tool, it is opened in seconds in the literal sense of the word. That is, due to the huge gap, the lock has very low protection even against the simplest intelligent types of opening.
In fairness, it should be noted that such ugly locks are no longer produced today.
But back to our suvalds.
As you can see, the code lugs can contain so-called “anti-lock grooves”. They represent some kind of recess or depression.
A counter-lock groove is present on the bolt shank post.
They work or catch each other in the following way.
As mentioned earlier, if you try to press the bolt into the lock case, it will rest against the code protrusions through the rack. That is, friction forces will arise between the bolt shank post and the lever's code protrusions. With intelligent opening, the task is to set the levers in such a way that the passage groove stands exactly opposite the rack, that is, so that the code protrusions stop blocking the bolt. And for this we should raise the lewd.
But when lifting the lever, at some point, something will happen when the groove of the bolt shank strut falls into the anti-lock groove of the code protrusion and the further movement of the lever will thereby be blocked.
Here is such a rather elegant and low cost solution.
Today, anti-lock grooves of this type are found on most domestic and foreign-made lever locks.
According to the method of movement, there are two types of levers, the so-called swinging type ...
... and translational plane-parallel type.
In our case, levers are of the second type. Under the action of the key, it moves along the uprights of the body within the groove holes.
In most cases, the levers are spring loaded. The spring is needed in order to return the leverage to its original position, resetting the typed code.
In most modern locks, each leveler has its own separate spring. Sometimes a wire spring is used, as in our case. That is, the spring is a heated steel wire bent into a certain shape. Some locks use coil springs that are inserted into a separate block.
A small percentage of the locks have used and are using the so-called "ribbon" spring, which simultaneously loads all existing levers.
From the point of view of operation, the shape of the leverage does not matter much, as long as it is mechanically correctly designed and suitable materials are used in its manufacture.
And the variety of forms of leverage springs is more likely associated with the production characteristics of a particular manufacturer and with the design features of a particular model.
Well, let's consider, perhaps, the last important location of the code element - key window and a working rim.
Each of you probably already understood that the movement of the levers is carried out by a key. So the place where the key touches when turning on the lever is called the "working edge".
And that space, near the leveler, where the key turns, is called the “key window”.
There is nothing interesting in the working edge of the levers. Its shape depends on design features specific model.
But the key window is of two types: open and closed.
On the levers of the castle, which we are now considering is an open key window.
But in this image:
the key window is closed. And in this case, note that the key works with both barbs when turning.
So that is all. The most difficult element of the lever lock is considered.
There is just a little left and we will start assembling it!
Lever lock key
The last part of the lever lock that we need to consider is, of course, the key.
The lever lock has a characteristic key. Some call it "safe", some "butterfly". Neither one nor the other is correct, well, bang with him.
In most cases, the key for a lever lock is made of brass, much less often of steel or aluminum alloys.
The key of a lever lock, like any other, has a head, or a head, by which we hold when we open the lock with it. Often the name of the castle or the manufacturer's plant is located here, and there is also a logo.
In some cases, the head shape is patented and used by some patent manufacturer. This means that other manufacturers of locks are not allowed to use keys with the same head shape for their locks.
The lever wrench has a fairly long stem.
It is needed not only in order to deliver the working part to the lock case (after all, the levers are in the case, and the case itself is hidden in the door - you need to somehow reach the code mechanism ...), but also in order to position the key along the keyhole ... The height of the key secret is measured and projected in the lever lock exactly from the center of the rod, which in turn is positioned along the keyhole.
The most important part of the lever wrench, its working part, is the barbs.
There are single-bit and double-bit keys.
The bit of the lever key contains the drive tooth, or that place, which moves the bolt. In our example, the drive tooth is contained in the middle of the key bit. And of course the drive tooth is contained on both barbs - the bolt must be moved with each half-turn.
In addition to the drive tooth, the key bit contains secret heights. Each height of the secret interacts in the castle with one specific lever, raising it to the required height at each half-turn.
In the castle we are considering, there are 8 code elements, eight levers. They are located along different sides from the bolt shank. Therefore, the beard of the lever key has next building regarding the mechanism.
The second beard is similar in structure to the first one, the only difference is that the height of the secrets is somewhat different.
The height of the secret, as you already understood, depends on how high the levers will rise when the key is turned. And whether the bolt will move at the same time depends on the correspondence of the height of the secret on the key to a specific passage groove in the code labyrinth of the suvalda.
According to the heights of the key secret, about the correspondence of the code protrusions of the levers, most likely we will talk in subsequent materials, where we will talk about how the number of code combinations of a particular lock model is set and what it all depends on.
This material is already overloaded with information, so let's not insert formulas into it.
On one of the key beads there is a guide protrusion or simply a guide. There is a corresponding drink under it in the keyhole of the lock.
The guide is designed to correctly orient the key inside the lever lock body. The guide helps us to put the key in the lock right side, and also prevents it from jumping out when exposed.
When we insert the lever key into the well, we insert it all the way - it is the guide that rests against the body.
The guide can look not only as a protrusion, but also as a recess, a groove in the bit of a lever key.
Assembling a lever lock
Now let's stuff everything that we have discussed above into the case and try to assemble something that looks like a lever lock.
In our case, the combination mechanism of the lever lock contains eight levers. Four are located on one side of the bolt shank, four on the other.
Sometimes the mechanism of secrecy of the lever lock is called the "package of the lever". Well, because the levers are laid out each strictly in a certain sequence with respect to the given code on the key.
In order to reduce frictional forces, in order to make the operation of the lever lock more comfortable, and the mechanism more durable, the levers in the package are usually separated by something. In our case, the levers are separated from each other by washers and metal spacers.
Some locks have plastic gaskets.
Well, in most castles the levers are separated by bulges, bulges on the surface of the levers itself.
In the lock we are considering, the lever package is divided by the bolt shank.
They also say that the package of the lever lock is 4 + 4. This means that four levers in the mechanism are located before the bolt shank, and four - after.
Lever lock operation
Well, comrades, now it's time to see firsthand the work of the lever lock.
Now, after all that has been said above, you will practically not have any questions about what moves there and how it moves when you turn the key.
Nevertheless, we will give some explanations.
So, the key is inserted into the lever lock body until it stops.
Now under each key height there is a leveler with which it (height) will interact.
When turning the key, overcoming the force of the springs of the working elements, we raise the levers until the passage groove at all stands exactly opposite the bolt shank post.
Now nothing blocks the bolt.
But what will move it?
That's right, the key's drive tooth. We continue to turn the key in the direction of opening the lock and with its drive tooth it begins to move the bolt in the direction of opening.
At the end of the movement of the rack along the code slot, the drive tooth of the key disengages from the toothed comb of the bolt and stops lifting the levers. Rather, on the contrary, the levers, under the load of their springs, tend to return to their original position and press on the key at the end of each half turn.
The second half-turn is identical to the first with the only difference that other coded protrusions and coded slots correspond to other heights of cutting the key secret.
That's the whole principle of the lever lock!
Now let's imagine that they are trying to open our lock with the wrong key, the thread of which is not correct.
The beginning of work in this case is exactly the same: when turning the key, we overcome the force of the springs and raise the levers upward, until the drive tooth touches the toothed comb of the bolt and begins to move the bolt. The key cut does not correspond to the lock code, the bolt shank post rests against the code lugs. The lever lock and the door remain closed.
Hope readers scooped up a lot useful information about the levers from this opus.
Your comments and related questions are accepted in the comments below.
In life, a variety of and sometimes even unforeseen situations can occur. Often, when in a hurry to work, you can forget the key to the front door inside the apartment, lose it or even break it, leaving a decent piece in doorway... What to do in such a situation?
You can always, of course, call a locksmith, who will be able to help with the problem at an additional cost. But in most cases, you can easily extricate yourself from the situation yourself, using your ingenuity.
In order to open a door without a key, it is important to consider the type of door and the material from which it is made. As a rule, it is much easier to open an interior door than an entrance door, since a light lock with a rather simple mechanism is usually placed in such a door.
Keyless door opening
For cracking the input or interior door you can use professional lock picks or an ordinary hairpin, paper clip. There are two main ways to open doors without a key: smart and rude.
The smart way involves using various instruments, the purpose of which is to establish the correct positions of the pins door lock... By placing the pins in the correct position, you can open the lock without using brute force.
The smart way involves using tools such as:
To unlock the door in this way, you must insert the selected tool into the locking mechanism, trying to pry the pins. In the case of using a flat screwdriver, it must be slightly bent (like a hook), inserted into the keyhole, trying to hook the pins. The screwdriver will serve to set the pins in the correct position.
With its help, it is necessary to move the pins of the lock, placing them in turn, and also slowly turn the larva. You can determine the correct location of the pins by a characteristic click.
The rough method of opening a door without a key involves the use of tougher tools to unlock it. This method has a better chance of positive result however, may break the door lock and damage the door leaf. Therefore, it is used only when there is no other option left.
The rough method of opening involves the use of professional tools:
- electric drill;
- hammer;
- screwdrivers;
- drill for iron.
In this case, the main goal will be to open the lock by directly drilling the larva. But, regardless of the future result, the larva will have to be replaced in any case.
The drill must be directed into the lock and drilled to the end of the secret. After such manipulations, the larva can be easily pulled out and the door can be opened. However, when drilling, do not press on the drill, otherwise you risk damaging the lock and door leaf.
What to do if the door has slammed or the key is lost
The method and level of difficulty of opening the door will depend on many circumstances:
- door type;
- door material;
- loss or breakage of the key;
- lock type;
- the level of protection of the locking mechanism;
- tools that are at hand.
Before rushing to break down the front or interior door, you must consider the reason why you cannot open it. It is much easier to deal with opening the door if you simply forgot the key inside the apartment. However, the task becomes much more complicated in the event that the key was broken by you while opening or closing the lock.
In this case, the main task will be to pull out the broken piece of the key, which is stuck in the keyhole. To do this, you can try to pull it out with the help of tools, however, often such attempts are unsuccessful, and the lock has to be completely disassembled. To avoid damaging the lock mechanism, it is best to disassemble the lock mechanism right away, saving time and money in buying a new lock.
Is it possible to open the lock with a lock pick, paper clip or hairpin
The simplest and most common way to pick a jammed lock is to use a regular paper clip or hairpin, which is much easier to find than a professional pick set.
As a rule, most often there is a need to open a cylinder lock, because it is this type of lock mechanism that is installed on the entrance doors. It provides a high level of security and privacy, so it will not be easy to open such a lock. However, this does not mean that the task is impossible.
To open this type of lock, you can arm yourself with a curved screwdriver or the most ordinary paper clip. The paper clip must first be prepared, straightened and aligned, and the tip must be bent like a hook.
This type of lock picking is called intelligent. His technology is to use a paperclip to set the secret fonts in the correct position. As a rule, one paper clip is not enough in this case. You will also need a thin, curved screwdriver.
A paper clip and a screwdriver must be installed in the lock mechanism, which will serve as a roll. First of all, it is necessary to work in turn, moving either a paper clip or a screwdriver, trying to hook the pins of the mechanism. The correct position of the pins can be easily identified both visually and by the sound of the opening of the locking mechanism.
When handling a paper clip, you must also periodically check the cylinder displacement. This is where the success of unlocking the lock will lie. In addition, it is important to pay Special attention to the sounds of the locking mechanism. It is by them that you can determine the damage to the mechanism or correct location pins.
Hacking an interior door
A lock can be installed in modern interior doors different types... A cylinder lock is predominantly used. If such an interior door lock cannot be opened in a simple way with a paper clip or screwdriver, you will have to use more sophisticated artillery.
To open the lock mechanism of an interior door that is jammed, you will need tools such as:
In such a case, the hacking process door mechanism will be more difficult and time consuming. In addition, picking a lock with a drill is considered a rather rude and tough way. So in any case, regardless of whether you were able to open the lock or not, the larva will have to be replaced with a new one.
First of all, it is worth trying to use a roll-up. To do this, insert a flat screwdriver into the lock as deep as possible using a hammer and try to turn it. Often, such manipulation is quite enough to easily turn the lock cylinder, however, if the larva does not give in, you will have to use a harder tool - an electric drill.
The drill must be directed directly into the lock and drilled, trying to get to the end of the secret. In this case, the larva can be pulled out quite easily. However, this process is quite important, so it is worth moving the drill very carefully. The main thing is not to press hard, otherwise you risk damaging the grooves and grooves, which will fall under the drill during drilling.
How to open the lock at the entrance, video in Russian
Most often, it becomes necessary to open the lock in the front door from the side of the entrance. Due to the fact that the key is broken or remains in the apartment, you need to act carefully and carefully, because the locking mechanism of the front door (especially metal) is different high level secrecy and reliability.
The first thing you need to pay attention to is the type of lock that will have to be opened. Most often, a practical and fairly reliable combination or lever lock is installed on the front door in the entrance. The lock picking process for these two types of locks will be different.
Opening the lever lock
As a rule, lever types of locks are distinguished by a fairly high level of protection, and therefore they are resistant to force burglary. If you need to open such a lock, it is necessary, first of all, to study its mechanism and choose which way you will open the lock.
There are two ways to open the lock without a key:
- intellectual;
- rude.
The choice of opening method will depend on the complexity of the locking mechanism, as well as the specific situation. As a rule, smart hacking can often not bring the expected result. However, using crude burglary techniques can damage not only the lock, but also the door.
Despite all the pros and cons, in this case it is best to stop at a rough opening, since it will be extremely difficult to open a lever lock with a lockpick without any knowledge and experience.
You may need tools such as:
- electric drill;
- Bulgarian;
- hammer;
- screwdrivers;
- pliers.
Of course, you can try to open the lever lock with a simple paper clip and roll. However, without any skills, this method can be crowned with failure.
With the help of a drill, it is quite easy to damage the tip of the bolt of the lock and thereby open the lock. However, to do this, you need to accurately determine the location of the attachment of the tail of the lock inside the mechanism.
Opening the combination lock
Situations often arise when you need to open a combination lock or intercom at the entrance door. It is known that such mechanisms have a special built-in program and allow access when the correct code combination is entered.
However, if you have forgotten the correct combination of the lock, do not panic. After all, most programmers use standard codes to close the lock. Therefore, you can easily find the code for your combination lock.
For a list of standard codes, contact the doorphone manufacturer directly. To enter the code combination, you must call the service menu. To open the majority combination locks you can try using the standard code combination 1234, 0000, 1111, 9999, 3535, 6767. However, the combination may vary depending on the manufacturer of the lock.
If the standard code combination does not fit, this may mean that the code has been changed from the standard one and, whether you like it or not, you will have to turn to professionals for help or simply ask the code and neighbors.
Lever locks can often be found on the doors of apartments, on the gates of garages and even on the doors of buildings of various organizations. The prevalence of such locking devices is due to their reliability against burglary and a solid service life. But what if opening the lever lock is necessary due to the loss of the key. In this case, the reliability of the castle is not at all in the hands of the owners. Read about what actions you need to take if it becomes necessary to open the lever lock in this article.
Understanding the device of a lock with a lever secret
Before deciding how to open a lever lock, you need to deal with it internal device... After all, it is of little use to study the methods of opening such locking devices, if you do not know, at least in general outline what they are made of. By appearance most of the castles are similar to each other, however, inside each castle has a unique secret. There are not so many types of locking mechanisms, we will be interested in the lever secret.
It is called a leveler because it consists of a set of special plates with various cuts, grooves and grooves. Each plate controls the travel of the locking element. If you insert the original key into the keyhole, then in a few turns it will move all the plates, which in turn will move the locking element and open the lock. If there is no original key, then you need to use special devices to achieve displacement of all plates, which is quite difficult.
The higher the protection class of the lever lock, the more cunning the levers are arranged and the more of them. Lever locks are very resistant to burglary, but many of them cannot resist manipulation. Manufacturers of fancy foreign locks, knowing the weakness of lever locking devices, install additional protection on them.
Such protection is far from always really effective, nevertheless, it generally increases the burglary resistance of the lock at times. What is this additional protection? For example, special magnetic flaps that protect the keyhole from penetration into it by a non-original key. It's like a castle in a castle. An attacker not only needs to think about how to open the main lock, but also decide how to penetrate the keyhole.
Double security locks are class 4 burglary and we strongly advise against trying to open them with your own hands. You will only waste time and, possibly, damage the mechanism of the locking device, creating additional difficulties. If there is a simpler "leveler" on your door, then it is quite possible to risk opening it yourself. But first you need to understand from which side to approach the solution of such a difficult task for an amateur.
From which side to approach the solution of the problem?
Anticipating opening a lever lock with your own hands, you must decide how you will do it. In this case, we are not talking about the methods of opening, we will talk about them a little later, about the approach. There are only two approaches to opening locking devices: intelligent and rude. A rough method leads to damage to the lock, and an intelligent one leaves the locking device intact.
The choice of approach is not obvious, since, on the one hand, “on the scales” is a manipulative method that is difficult to execute, which does not lead to the need for further repair of the lock. On the other hand, it is a simpler and faster "rough burglary", after which not only the lock will have to be changed, but possibly the door as well. Thinking about opening the lock yourself, you must decide for yourself what is more dear to you and what is easier for you. 
Important! Before choosing an approach to opening a specific lever locking device, study all sorts of information about it. Pay attention mainly to its burglar resistance class and the presence of additional protective elements.
We get the right accessories and tools
Even super-professional burglars have not yet learned how to pick locks without tools and devices. Therefore, you also need to think about getting them. We do not suggest that you buy expensive sets of lock picks, firstly, it is very unprofitable to spend so much money on a set for the sake of one time, and secondly, in most cases, ordinary tools adapted for such purposes are suitable.
- Curved crowbar, nicknamed "crowbar".
Important! "Fomka" is a well-known tool that a real burglar does not part with. It serves as the main tool for rough burglary, in addition, it can help during intelligent opening, for example, if you need to squeeze the door leaf to facilitate the movement of the crossbars.
- Electric drill.
- Flat screwdrivers with different blade lengths and thicknesses.
- Knitting needle or thick steel wire.
- Grinder, hammer, chisel.
- Pliers, pliers, round nose pliers.
- Tweezers.
- Gas welding and hydraulic shears (in special cases).
The specified list of tools is not exhaustive, because when creative approach even the most unexpected objects can be used for opening the "leveler". Here are some examples: 
- guitar string;
- nail;
- pin;
- clip;
- barrette;
- nail file and other.
However, without special skills, we would not advise you to presumptuously shove these items into the keyhole. Take my word for it, you won't end up with problems later. Better to choose more reliable tools, and simpler methods of opening. Here are some of them.
Available Methods for Opening the Lever Locking Device
The opening of a lever lock can be carried out in a variety of ways. Some methods are available only to professionals and only with special equipment. Others can be tried by the layman. The only thing that needs to be noted right away is that the majority will not be able to pick the lock the first time. In every case, you need at least a minimal skill. Don't give up or stop trying.
Open it with a crochet and roll. Take a thin screwdriver and bend the tip so that it looks like a roll. Now take a knitting needle and crochet the tip. The set for the simplest manipulation actions is ready. We insert the curl and the pick-hook into the keyhole.
After pushing the roll to the end (just not through and through), we turn it all the way, keeping the mechanism in tension. Holding our knitting needle in the second hand, we catch the first plate with this hook and begin to move it. Moving the plate each time, try to turn the roll with the other hand at this time. If you manage to displace the roll by a quarter or half a turn, then the plate has succumbed. It remains to repeat the "operation" with subsequent plates and "it's in the bag"!
The second method is also considered quite affordable and comes down to using a drill to damage the fastening of the shank of the bolt of the lever lock. To implement it, it is necessary to know exactly the location of such an attachment inside the locking device. This can be done by finding a drawing of your type of lock on the Internet, indicating the dimensions and location of the internal elements.
We install a drill with a drill for metal in the door leaf exactly in the place where the mount is, and start drilling. As soon as the drill goes through the mount, the lock will fall apart from the inside and the crossbars can be moved with a simple knitting needle with a hook. Some "homebrew bugbears" advise to drill out the bolts that attach the overhead lever lock to the door leaf.
This recommendation is difficult to enforce, since when installing such locks, bolts from a special hardened metal are used. Conventional drill he takes it with difficulty or does not take it at all. Conclusion - such drilling is a waste of time and effort.
Important! When drilling out the bolt fastener, be extremely careful when determining its location, as extra holes in door leaf absolutely useless.
Answering a difficult question about how to open a lever lock, after much thought, we can recall a couple available ways which, however, will require perseverance and patience from you. Evaluate your strengths sensibly. It may be better to call a specialist who will come without delay and solve the problem quickly and easily.