Single Pin Picking, Speed Picking & Security Pins Schuyler Towne 2026-09-20 | Single Pin Picking, Speed Picking & Security Pins
You should be watching...Artichoke! Schuyler Towne 2022-09-15 | Hey everyone! I often look at my following on here and think sheepishly about how rarely I'm able to make anything anymore, but it seems like the very least I can do is point y'all toward someone making incredible videos. So, I wanted to share some snippets of one of my absolute favorite creators in locksport, Artichoke:1) High security lock picker VS. low security locks youtube.com/watch?v=nHkVQ5Gbix0Artichoke picks all of the most common residential front door locks found in the US as he tells you the rich history of these amazing hardware companies.2) Never write Pickproof on your lockyoutube.com/watch?v=4PRDcM7gptoArtichoke tells the tale of the Segal Pick-Proof lock, theorhizes on how it may have been opened during a court case, explains the larger concept of gin drivers, and, of course, picks it as well.3) How to pick the new Medeco M4youtube.com/watch?v=DNpAIZl4krc&t=485sArtichoke posted the first public picking of this lock along with a complete history of the m-series and annotated breakdowns of how the new technology works & how it can be compromised.
5 Locks Schuyler Towne 2021-12-19 | My first public talk in many years, 5 locks will explore ideas in the history, anthropology, and design of security technology.
CarolinaCon: Rethinking the Origins of the Lock Schuyler Towne 2015-06-22 | Vivant Denon was a talented artist, prolific looter and perhaps the most eloquent European to bear witness to the antiquities of Egypt. His journal also introduced the world to the earliest known lock. It was a rudimentary pin lock, carved into a wall at the Palace of Ma'at. His offhand proclamation that the lock was "4000 years old" has been oft-cited by encyclopedias, lock manufacturers, and even scholars. However, recently there has been strong evidence emerging to place its invention elsewhere, and suggest a more precise, if somewhat broad window in which the first lock entered the world. Relying on the efforts of some amazing archaeologists and linguists, I propose that that the first key-based locks originated in Mesopotamia between 2500 & 1800 BCE.Redefining the origin of the lock does more than settle (or reignite) a debate in a niche community. The Mesopotamian theory provides a window into the nature of security's role in society. By following the lock back to its more primitive technological ancestors, we can begin to build a theory for not just how, but why this ubiquitous object came into existence in every society the world has known.Presented at CarolinaCon: http://carolinacon.org
RVASec 2014: How to Make a Lock Schuyler Towne 2015-06-22 | Locks were one of the earliest complex mechanical devices. They are ubiquitous, yet often remain uniquely regional. In this rapid-fire exploration of the development of myriad mechanical locks from ancient Mesopotamia to today, we’ll explore the process of inventing a lock from first principles. We’ll cover examples from around the world, some that persist to this day, some that failed before coming to market, and some that were, until recently, lost to history.Presented at RVASec: http://rvasec.com
The Collection: Emhart & Dom under the Microscope Schuyler Towne 2014-10-02 | Taking a breather for episode 10 while I edit the next batch in the series. In the meanwhile, enjoy these super close-up shots of the pins from the Emhart & Dom locks covered previously.
The Collection: Fichet 450 Schuyler Towne 2014-09-25 | That time I started saying "gear" instead of lever and just couldn't stop. Still a cool lock, though :)
The Collection: Wise Padlock Schuyler Towne 2014-09-18 | Solomon Wise's very simple, very thoughtful lock. The Lock itself made me curious, but the Patent made me love it.
The Collection: Prison Locks (Brinks, ASSA & Folger Adam) Schuyler Towne 2014-09-11 | We take a quick look at a Brinks and an ASSA Twin mogul cylinder, then pull apart a Folger Adam prison lock.The music in the titles is by Mac Dates, by the way, my brother! And, I've found that all of the bass is lost on laptop speakers...I'm the worst at sound, y'all.
Pins to Patents @ CleveSec Schuyler Towne 2014-09-09 | Giving an ~1hr talk, feel free to tweet questions to @Shoebox
The Collection: Emhart Interlocking Schuyler Towne 2014-08-28 | Great little lock, I recommend you check out the patent: google.com/patents/US4103526And while you can't go out and buy one today, Corbin/Russwin kept making new ones for quite a while. Here's one of their catalogs that has some additional details: http://lock.gd/corbin-emhart.pdfIf any of you EVER happen upon an Interchangable Core (IC) Emhart lock, hit me up! I'd love to see it.(Also - I bumped up the gain on this, and all subsequent collections videos by 10db. Those of you who have been following the audio issues, let me know in the comments if that's working out for you)
IgniteCraft Boston - Locks: Theyre Pretty Great! Schuyler Towne 2014-08-23 | A short, fun talk in which I cover some ways that you can modify your locks, keys and even pins to do some cool stuff.
The X-Lock Project Schuyler Towne 2014-08-22 | Presented at LayerOne in LA.Being that I'm currently working on several research projects, this one is just in data-collection mode right now, but I've written a bit about it at http://x.lock.gd/blog
The Collection: LSL Padlock Schuyler Towne 2014-08-21 | So...this goes poorly, but! It's a very cool little lock. I just went into it completely unprepared for the disassembly.
Vulnerability Research Circa 1851 Schuyler Towne 2014-08-19 | An update to my BSides LV talk from several years ago, this talk explores the events leading up to the Great Lock Controversy of 1851, then briefly covers the aftermath.
The Collection: Bo Widen (Schlage Primus) Schuyler Towne 2014-08-14 | My signed Schlage Primus, just one of Bo Widen's huge range of patents.The music in the titles is by Mac Dates.
Ignite FooCamp: The Silent Terror of Egg Harbor City Schuyler Towne 2014-08-11 | The audio is painful and I haven't been able to do much to improve it, but I still think it's a worthwhile talk. So, here's 5 minutes on the Kroekel Boys, one of a dozen projects I hope to see the end of some day.
The Collection: DOM ix-5 Cutaway Schuyler Towne 2014-08-07 | NOTE: The audio on this is frustratingly quiet. And additionally frustrating is that I can't seem to boost the gain via Youtube's editing features without saving it as a new video. So, I'm going to have to upload a new version of this. Link to follow.Thanks for the huge welcome back, everyone! Today we're digging into a lock from a great European company, DOM. Here's a link to Han Fey's fantastic paper on the DOM ix series locks: https://toool.nl/images/c/c0/Dom-ix.pdf
The Collection: Hall Patent Powderproof Lock Schuyler Towne 2014-07-31 | Kicking off a new series in which we tour my lock collection. Today's lock is William Hall's patent Powder Proof Lock from 1848.The music in the titles is by Mac Dates.
Locksport Wizard @ HOPE 2010 Schuyler Towne 2014-01-19 | Me (Schuyler Towne) vs. Doug Farre, MC-ed by Deviant Ollam, shot by Danny Gagne
Ignite FooCamp: The Silent Terror of Egg Harbor City Schuyler Towne 2013-10-03 | An older talk, but I cleaned up the audio a bit and have been thinking about the Kroekels a lot lately. Enjoy!
Unlucky In Locks Schuyler Towne 2013-07-16 | Presented at BSides Boston 2013 (Updated edit with slides!)Sorry everyone, I messed up the last video by uploading the original rather than the edit. The slides were cut off in the original, so I made this edit that cuts to any slides that can't be seen on screen.Slides: http://lock.gd/talks/UnluckyinLocksBSidesBoston.odp
Physical Security in Context Schuyler Towne 2013-06-04 | Probably the first time I've tried to apply my research and experience to help people think through their institutional security. Presented at SecTor 2012: http://sector.ca
Olin College Technology & Culture Seminar Series: Lock Talk Schuyler Towne 2013-03-13 | The Lock Talk at Olin College
Locks are Beautiful - TEDxSomerville 2012 Schuyler Towne 2012-09-26 | Presented at TEDxSomerville: http://tedxsomerville.org
Why do you lock your door? - RVASec 2012 Schuyler Towne 2012-09-23 | Presented at RVASec: http://www.rvasec.com
Disc Detainers Part 4: Decoding Schuyler Towne 2012-03-17 | So, it was 3 AM when I finished shooting this one, so I made some confusing mistakes when speaking. Sorry! I may just scrap and re-shoot this one at some point in the future.
Disc Detainers Part 3: Picking Continued Schuyler Towne 2012-03-17 | Realizing I only covered the mechanics, not the feel, of picking disc detainer locks, I stepped back for a bit, pinned up a 1 disc lock and tried to explain how to perceive the difference between false and true gates while picking.
Disc Detainers Part 2: Picking Schuyler Towne 2012-03-14 | Using Jaakko Fagerlund's Abus Plus Pick I work my way through one of the cutaway locks, explaining the basic idea behind using a disc detainer pick. Next up, decoding.
Disc Detainers Part 1: Function Schuyler Towne 2012-03-13 | I've been wanting to update my disc detainer content on here for a while and the half a million view mark seemed like a good milestone to hit. This one just explains how they work, the second will explain how to pick them with a 2-in-1 tool and the third will explain how to decode them. I may do a couple more in this series as well.
First 3D Modeling Test Schuyler Towne 2011-12-03 | Abus 88/50 to scale. Trying to up my animation game for upcoming videos!
Deriving a Master Key Schuyler Towne 2011-10-08 | How to derive a master key by probing a single cylinder.
21 - Evaluating Your Own Security Schuyler Towne 2011-09-22 | Evaluating Your Own Security:There are several things to take into account, here I'm just going to repose some of the questions from the video to help you think through your own security.What are you securing?Is this a suburban home, a rental property, a corporate facility? These we discussed in the video, but buildings aren't the only thing we lock up. There are myriad padlocks for securing everything from chain link to military armaments. Fire safes to protect valuables from environmental damage and entire Vaults to protect valuables from other people.What high security locks are available locally?If you decide to make the leap to a higher level of physical security, it's important to have a locksmith available to service your locks in the event of failure or emergency. Even getting keys cut can be a significant hassle if you don't have a locksmith available who carries the type of lock you are using. In high security locks access to key blanks tends to be significantly restricted and on many systems you cannot duplicate the keys using a simple key cutter, so even if you get your hands on blanks, you likely can't just swing into your local hardware store and have any chance of getting a fresh set of keys.Most locksmiths will carry at least one, sometimes multiple, lines of high security locks, so have a look at what's available locally and then investigate your options deeper. They'll all have their strengths and weaknesses.Inspect every link in the chain:Your security will never come down to simply the lock in your door. I've met plenty of people who obsess over the lock and completely miss the overall security picture of whatever they're locking up. Abloy Protec on a door with glass windows? Hardcore padlock on a thin chain link? Step away from the lock for a bit and think about other methods of entry.How old are your locks?Locks are amazing in their longevity. I have 120 year old locks in my collection that work absolutely perfectly, having never been repinned in their working lives. That said? You should seriously consider updating, if not upgrading your locks. I don't have a specific timeline for this, but personally, I would likely update my locks at least every 5 years. New technology comes out, new attacks are devised, and unfortunately most lock manufacturers do a miserable job of disseminating that sort of information.At the very least, if you find your locks become difficult to operate, consider updating or repinning them before you find yourself locked out. A few years ago I helped a friend who's lock was malfunctioning. I came over, fixed the immediate problem, and asked him if I could return later that week to repin his well-used lock. He brushed me off since he lock seemed functional again. 3 months later I had to come back at 1am to repair his lock as it had failed, locking he and his fiance out.Are you on a masterkey system?Whether for the door of your apartment, or the critical server room, moving your door off of the masterkey system will immediately boost your physical security. As we discussed earlier in the course, masterkeying, while sometimes necessary, always reduces the security of the individual locks involved. If you can, move off the masterkey system.
19 - Picking Security Pins Schuyler Towne 2011-09-22 | Explanation of Spool, Serrated and Countermilled security pins available here: http://schuylertowne.com/securitypins.pdf
12 - Lockpicking: The Basic Idea Schuyler Towne 2011-09-22 | Lockpicking Quick Reference available here: http://schuylertowne.com/lockpicking.pdf
11 - Finishing Your Picks Schuyler Towne 2011-09-22 | Pick templates available here: http://schuylertowne.com/picktemplates.pdf
