Questions tagged [locks]

Hacks related to padlocks and other locks, such as those on doors, cars, etc.

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Mechanical timer lock on cupboard door

I'm somewhat of a sweet tooth, so I've been contemplating on getting some sort of mechanical timer lock on the door to my cupboard. The idea is simply that after closing the door of the cupboard with ...
holroy's user avatar
  • 6,984
0 votes
1 answer
273 views

How to distinguish keys of identical type from each other? [duplicate]

I have a number of bikes. I have found a certain type of bike lock to be optimal. Thus, I have no less than four keys of similar type. The lock manufacturing company changed the design of the key at ...
juhist's user avatar
  • 196
1 vote
1 answer
621 views

How do I stop my room's lock from being opened with a coin without unscrewing it?

Occasionally when someone comes over, they will open my door with a dollar coin. This is a pain, and sometimes I am working on something private when they open the door. I would like to be able to ...
Z9.'s user avatar
  • 143
0 votes
1 answer
648 views

How to easily and cheaply erase a key fob?

I have an old key fob that I want to erase and reprogram to open a lock on our shed. We've had a problem with the neighbor's kids rooting around so we got a lock for the door. The lock came with one ...
Demon's user avatar
  • 17
1 vote
2 answers
553 views

Broken Key in Safe Lock

I have an electronic locked safe that has the back up key broken off in the lock. Now, the easy solution is to use the electronic keypad but the batteries have died and it is unusable. I've tried the ...
X_Gumby_X's user avatar
1 vote
4 answers
5k views

Opening old Luggage Lock without beaking it

I found an old Luggage in our repository, it is locked. I want to open it without causing any damage. Is there any way to open it without causing any damages?
Arash Mousavi's user avatar
-1 votes
8 answers
4k views

Duplicate key for small padlock

I tried locksmiths and one of those key machines found in Walmart. I would like to make a duplicate. I think the tricky part would be that "groove" that runs about 3/4 ths of the way. https://i....
fixit7's user avatar
  • 549
3 votes
5 answers
865 views

How to open car door when lock is frozen?

I went to another country by train and I left my car in a parking space at the train station. Yesterday I came back at night and my car was frozen. My car has a manual key system where you have to ...
YumYumYum's user avatar
  • 131
3 votes
3 answers
1k views

How to open a lock if key broke into the lock?

If you are in hurry an the key broke into the lock of a door or closet an key maker is not available, then how to deal with such an emergency situation saving the door?
Anum's user avatar
  • 102
24 votes
12 answers
17k views

I lost my closet key, how to open it?

I lost the key to a closet and I need to open it. I don't need for the lock to remain operative after the operation, so I accept "radical" solutions. The key is of this type: I have no experience of,...
Guillermo Vasconcelos's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
8k views

How to unlock a lock safely without breaking it when I lost the key? [closed]

Some times it happens that we forget keys of a lock or lose the keys. Then we have to wait for someone to bring us a key or we break the lock to unlock it. Is there any trick or can we develop some ...
Chawlish Boy's user avatar
1 vote
4 answers
166k views

TSA lock reset button stuck

I have a VIP skybag (I believe this does not matter). It has a 3 number TSA lock inbuilt into the suitcase. I know the combination to unlock, let's say it's 345. Recently it was locked and while there ...
Manish's user avatar
  • 121
4 votes
7 answers
2k views

How do I remove this lock?

I accidently locked a master lock Street Cuff to our bed's headboard. The funny part is I lost the keys to unlock them. The headboard does not come apart. Any idea to get it off besides using an angle ...
Webster's user avatar
  • 141
20 votes
5 answers
7k views

Someone locked their bike to mine - now what?

I park my bike every workday in a relatively busy UK city street where bicycle theft is fairly common. I use a very sturdy lock and always chain it through both wheels and a bike rack. Even so, I lost ...
l0b0's user avatar
  • 517
6 votes
4 answers
8k views

How to create lock on notebook?

I keep a personal journal, and I would like to lock it. There are several personal journals with locks on the market, but they are too expensive. How can I lock a 5-subject ring notebook?
Rhonda's user avatar
  • 163
32 votes
12 answers
141k views

Best way to know if somebody has broken into my room without camera

I will be on leave so as a precaution I want to see if somebody has entered my room with the door being locked from outside.
temp001's user avatar
  • 321
24 votes
12 answers
62k views

What is a good way to organise and identify keys on a keyring?

I have a number of keys on my keyring - screen door, main door, garage door, some random key that I don't know where it goes, etc. When I purchased the house, the previous owner placed different ...
Adam's user avatar
  • 954
6 votes
3 answers
12k views

Unlock a suitcase with a possible broken lock

The lock of my suitcase works by having a bar through the holes of two zipper sliders, and having a lock controlling if the bar can be moved away from the sliders. When I unlock the lock, I first ...
Tim's user avatar
  • 225
4 votes
6 answers
48k views

How to open a privacy lock doorknob without the key?

I have an interior door with a twist lock. It locks from the inside and on the outside takes this type of key: However, I lost the key, and seem to have locked the door before my last exit. What can ...
Mooseman's user avatar
  • 11.5k
5 votes
3 answers
90k views

How to remove laptop security cable without damaging the the laptop

A friend of mine has a laptop with a security cable whose keys have been lost and now the laptop is locked at his home. Unfortunately there is no locksmith in his village to unlock the security cable. ...
vladiz's user avatar
  • 5,653
8 votes
6 answers
6k views

How to open a frozen padlock

How can I open a frozen padlock? Spraying WD-40 didn't help and I don't have access to deicer spray at the moment. I'm not sure what else to try.
Mooseman's user avatar
  • 11.5k
5 votes
3 answers
15k views

How do I open a door that has a chainlock from the outside?

I have a door that has a chain lock, like this: Sometimes, my roomate locks me out with this thing. How can I be able to open it from the outside?
Kaz Wolfe's user avatar
  • 2,101
18 votes
4 answers
548k views

Open a suitcase with a numeric lock when you forgot the key code

I have heard that there are ways to open a numeric locks commonly found in suitcases even when you have forgotten the code. This could be ways to open the lock (without breaking it obviously) and ...
skv's user avatar
  • 887
16 votes
8 answers
55k views

How can I keep my door locks from freezing during a winter storm?

My house has a detached garage and occasionally the lock gets frozen during a winter storm so that I cannot insert my key to unlock the door. I have plenty of methods to open the lock after it is ...
liebs19's user avatar
  • 675