64 • HINTS & TIPS PROUD SPONSORS OF THIS PAGE
Do the Bump : A Guide to Successful Bumping
»»
MARK WARD OF ANGLIA Locksmiths has been practicing and developing the art of bumping for the last 20 years and runs courses on the technique at trade shows up and down the country . Here , he explains how mastering this skill will not only add an extra string to your bow , but give you a better chance of a nondestructive entry , and could even lead to more profit for your business …
“ Any locksmith or handyman can defeat a cylinder by continually drilling at it but picking or bumping a lock looks so much more professional and gives that locksmith a bit more pride in their workmanship . Many of the locksmiths who have attended one of my lock bumping courses over the past 10 years leave amazed at seeing how easy it is to open certain locks we all tend to struggle with , with the use of a simple bump key . In terms of business , you should have no problem upselling a simple euro lock to a more secure one when the customer has just seen you open their lock with so little noise and effort .
Bump key showing where dampeners sit
A Bumped Cylinder
BUT FIRST THINGS FIRST , WHAT IS LOCK BUMPING ?
Lock bumping is basically the art of opening a cylinder type lock with the use of a modified key . It is not quite as simple as just inserting a key and thumping it . It is a mastered technique of utilising both the correct tension and strike . With a little practice and once mastered , many of the cylinders you encounter can be opened non-destructively using this technique .
Bumping has been around since the beginning of the 1900s when it was used more as a method of stripping down cylinders for re-pinning when no keys were available . Since the early 2000s it has had a lot more publicity and has now become public knowledge that so many locks today are vulnerable to this form of attack . A non-skilled person or even a child can learn how to open locks by this method in no time at all . In fact , if you search ‘ Lock Bumping ’ on a popular free video sharing website , you could easily have a choice of over 47,200 options to watch , plus as bump keys are also not classed as restricted items , you could pick one up online with ease .
Over 90 % of the locks in the UK can still be opened via the bumping method and a properly skilled lock bumper could easily open a locked door in under 10 seconds . They will work on numerous types of both cylinder and dimple locks with ease whether it is a Euro , Oval , Rim , or Padlock and it is now even possible to open tubular locks found on many of the cheaper home safes .
WHEN TO BUMP …
As a warrant locksmith you need to get into the property as quickly and easily as possible . I use bumping on a daily basis ; it is always my first method of choice and has a near-on 100 % success within the first minute . The first thing I generally hear from any locksmith who has never used bumping to open a lock – or seen a lock opened by method – is that it doesn ’ t work or is ‘ hit and miss ’. There are also some locksmiths who believe bumping is an unprofessional method , but I have
Padlock Bumped Open
Bump Key
to disagree . So many of the warrant officers I work with wonder why other locksmiths don ’ t use this method as it is looks so quick and easy . As with any other locksmith tool , spending a little time and practice at home , you will find that you will be reaping the benefits and seeing higher end cylinders opening with ease .
WHY BUMP ?
A bump key will easily work on many of the restricted or close section complicated keyways such as schools , colleges and hospitals where an electric pick gun would struggle to enter .
In today ’ s market we see so many more higher end cylinders being fitted with anti-drill and anti-snap security features such as sacrificial break points and hardened steel strengthening bars and not forgetting the optional PAS24 door furniture . Bumping will bypass many of these extra security devices .
Unfortunately it will not open all the cylinders that fall into the numerous security standards such as BSI TS007 1 Star and 3 Star , SS312 Diamond Sold Secure , BS EN1303 or BS3621 standards .
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL . CO . UK | MAR / APR 2018 Sponsored by Lockex 2018 - Security & Fire Safety