Bramah challenge padlock

[oldlock]

While in the Science Museum in London I took this picture of the Bramah Challenge padlock. The lock originally had 18 slides and a single spring, however after it was picked by Hobbs it was converted to 13 steel, false notched slides each independantly sprung. In it's current form I am quite sure Hobbs would not have been able to defeat it.

[oldlock]

There is also a re-creation of Bramahs shopfront.

[Adrian Weber]

Science Museum London huh?
I gotte go there when I'm in London again, probably gone be there in a few months.

[Brian Denyer]

I believe Hobbs, being the perfectionist he was, would have been able to defeat the newer improved model also LOL
He was a fanatic and once challenged wouldn't give up until he defeated the new safeguards.

Brian .......................

[oldlock]

He tried and failed to defeat the cotterill design, (top of the range version). So I'm not so sure.

[Brian Denyer]

You could be correct?
Some Intelligence agencies have found how to
defeat high security locking mechanisms
and don't reveal it.
Then everyone believes they are undefeatable
and use the locks to protect sensitive material.

Brian................................

[Gary Stephenson]

Didn't Hobbs cheat with the Bramah lock anyway? drilling a hole to take off the spring pressure from the sliders and then disguising the drilled hole?

[oldlock]

Didn't Hobbs cheat with the Bramah lock anyway? drilling a hole to take off the spring pressure from the sliders and then disguising the drilled hole?

The contemporary accounts certain infer that the lock was mucked around with and not in the best internal condition afterwards. The slides of the time where made by iron and it is suggested that hobbs had bent these to keep them in place once picked. When rebuilt steel slides, very heavily false notched were fitted, each with it's own spring.