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Is it possible for a complete novice to pick a Zeiss Ikon lock from a Gunther Wulff Exacta? The cabinet is locked and has been for many years. My 19 piece pick picking set turned up yesterday and after a couple of hours fumbling around decided to sleep on it. I have looked at a lot of threads on this site but not seen anyone state they have successfully picked one of these locks. I don't want to be beaten but I'm not a locksmith. Many thanks

These lock-picking kits are just like Airfix models...
'Skill not included.'

Picking normal locks doesn't need skill...it needs practice and an understanding of what is going on inside the lock while you attempt to pick it. Clear practice locks are inexpensive and speed up your ability very quickly. Unless you're doing this every day it will never be easy but is not all that hard....with practice....on normal locks

The Zeiss have very thin apertures. Making them difficult to access.
I've not found a professional locksmith remotely interested in tackling one. Which tells you a lot.

That of course doesn't mean it's not possible.

BP
PS ... any chance of easing the back panel off?

Drilling the lock is difficult as well and, of course, destroys it. As BP suggests getting the back panel off for access is the best idea. Then you can disassemble the lock and find its part number to get a locksmith the cut a new key for you to reuse the lock.

Thanks for the advice. Looking under the peeling veneer on the back there are about a dozen rusted screws. This looks to be a much better way in

I have to admit, if I were to choose between drilling a lock and damaging the back, I would choose the lock every time.... The problem with the backs, they are often glued as well and self destruct when attempting to take off. You may be lucky of course. On a few machines I have had people actually cut round holes in the back to access the locks on my machines, a bit annoying.

I have never had a machine with a back glued in and that's why I suggested this option. TF of course has lots (and lots) more experience than me on this so its worth a little caution if you decide to try this approach. I just wanted to pass on a little tip that might help loosening the rusty screws. Give the screws a little turn to tighten them before trying to loosen them. (Yes I know this sounds mad but it seems to work.) Don't be tempted to use a screw release oil as this will swell the wood and make it harder to get the screws out.

Also hit with a hammer on screw head with screwdriver.....

I suspect luck at the end of the day on getting the back off, I have definitely seen some kind of bonding on them, which may dry over time, but worth the ply splinters....

Hammer always works as you can use it to smash your way in when all routes have failed

Woodscrews can often be eased by holding the point of a red hot poker on their heads for a while.

Yes, that's a good one. The heat causes the screw to expand, loosening the grip as it cools and shrinks. It might also weaken the bond by burning the wood slightly.
A spot of E-Z Grip on the driver tip can also help. It gives that extra bit of traction, preventing the tip from skidding out of the slot.


Nevertheless, if the screws are small and very rusty, chances are the head's going to snap off whatever you do, making extraction much trickier.

I gave my brother a set of lock picks one Christmas and lock picking became a post-Christmas party game. I pulled a bunch of assorted locks without keys from the workshop. Some of the younger members of the family proved very adept, but my skills were middling. Practice certainly helps, but I haven't tried a Zeiss.

An alternative is key impressioning, described here:



However, with Zeiss locks you also have the problem of locating a suitable key blank. We explored that in some depth here: Locks for a Beromat /Gunther Wulff wall machine
Also see Archive/Services for some relevant links.

The back is now off. Everyone of the 18 screws put up a fight, a chisel and mole grips proved to be the best tool. It was quite exciting lifting the back off to see what 50 years of being locked away had done. The insides look complete, with the cash box inside and reels spinning freely. However there is a lot of what looks like white powder/fungus to be cleaned off before I see if it works. Thanks again for everyone's advice.

Here are a couple of before pictures. I now have the mech out of the machine and, although the reels spin freely, the mech is jammed rock solid. Degrees and lubricating hasn't made any difference. I'm looking at maybe an anti-tamper device.

Ah, I recognise that machine. Did it come from Bedfordshire?

Yes it did, along with one other, the unusual Perspex and Formica Bryans Clock.

Yes, I did consider myself. They wanted the lot cleared, but wanted too much money in my mind. The Clocks were really odd. I love ’60s Perspex stuff, but not sure about them. They looked like the bezels had been bent as well. The other German based Perspex machines just looked too crude to me, so I walked.

The Clock did look a sorry state. I took a punt, as it looked unusual, and I like the sixties arcade look. Two week's of gluing cleaning and fettling, the only thing I had to replace was the minute hand, as it fell off in transit. Even the back door flattened out, after being left under the mat in my living room. It is a 12 Win Clock with serial number 205 stamped on it. The 12 coin win could never have been won as the slot adjustment was closed.

Your photo of The Exacta is too small for my eyes, ears, nose and throat.
All I can distinguish is it's missing half of the track that runs the coin from the coin entry down to the gate.

If you want to get a lot closer and even take it out of its case we might spot the problem.

BP