talkmagic.co.uk

Managed to lock the keys in the works minibus and can't get hold of the other key holder. I have my bag in there on the front seat with lots of magic bits in for practising when I'm sat around and a sat nav on the dash board. Just have to cross my fingers that they are still there tomorrow. what a numpty

Half a tennis ball over the lock? Coat hanger down the inside of the window seal? Spare key from work?

A_n_t wrote:Half a tennis ball over the lock? Coat hanger down the inside of the window seal? Spare key from work?

Half a tennis ball? don't have a clue how that would help, something to do with suction? There is no spare key at work, The person I can't get hold of has it.

Ask one of the local charves.
bottle of cider and they will get in for you.

Karma wrote:

A_n_t wrote:Half a tennis ball over the lock? Coat hanger down the inside of the window seal? Spare key from work?

Half a tennis ball? don't have a clue how that would help, something to do with suction?

More to do with a ridiculous urban myth that you can open the door by squeezing a tennis ball with a hole cut in it over the lock.

The tennis ball thing apparently involves creating enough air pressure to push all the tumblers up, quite how you then turn the barrel I have no idea.

There was an unfortunate Volvo thing a few years back where if a sufficiently heavy impact was received on the front wheels the locks would pop up and the front air bags deploy. Cue lots of wags whalloping Volvo front wheels with hammers.

A little off topic perhaps but I had a strange thing with my old Micra, the remote control key ring thingy used to open my car as well as another down the road. We used to have to make sure that we left each other's cars locked after we'd opened our own.

Heckler wrote:The tennis ball thing apparently involves creating enough air pressure to push all the tumblers up, quite how you then turn the barrel I have no idea.

Having worked in the design of automotive locks I can confidently say that the pressure from the squashed tennis ball would not be enough to move the spring-loaded tumblers. Add to that, the profile of a key is designed to lift or drop tumblers into position, how exactly is the magic air-pressure from the tennis ball supposed to keep those tumblers in position while, as you say, the barrel is rotated to actuate the door mech?

Got everything back now

Heckler wrote:The tennis ball thing apparently involves creating enough air pressure to push all the tumblers up, quite how you then turn the barrel I have no idea.

I thought the idea might be to cause the little plastic handle (for want of a better word) to pop up, just as you might pull it up from inside. It couldn't possibly work by moving the tumblers and, as you say, you'd need rotation too.

Anyway, it looks like it's simply not true: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ1jfhaL3Ec

Karma, glad your stuff didn't get pinched.