Lock Picking Course Station 4 - Wafer Lock

The wafer lock, while the picking principle is similar to pin tumblers, is built differently. There are some good illustrations of its construction in The MIT Guide to Lock Picking (highly recommended reading). Wafer locks are commonly found on desk drawers and file cabinets.
Inspect the lock: Notice the difference in the pins. Actually, there aren't pins in this type of lock. There are thin "wafers" of metal on springs that extend through the plug and into the hull. To pick this lock, you need to get the wafers to line up on the shear line in the same way that you got the keypins/driver pins to line up on the shear line in the pin tumbler.
Methods: Once again, you will be using scrubbing with your wrench and snake shaped rake (bored yet? - don't worry on the next lock you won't use scrubbing!)
Which Way to Turn: These locks are set up to be turned clockwise.
Practice: Wafer locks pick in a similar manner as pin tumblers but may have a very different feel. They are usually more "sloppy" in their feel and construction. This tends to make them more easy to pick. Cheap wafer locks like these can even be picked with paper clips

The wafer lock, while the picking principle is similar to pin tumblers, is built differently. There are some good illustrations of its construction in The MIT Guide to Lock Picking (highly recommended reading). Wafer locks are commonly found on desk drawers and file cabinets.