The Grind That Opened an Unpickable Works by Design NPX-002 Lock

Lock Noob got his hands on the NPX-002 from Works by Design and wanted to put its security claims to the test to see how well they held up. The lock’s designers created this travelling key system, in which the key’s bow spins some internal gears and the actual key blade moves into place deep inside the cylinder. The key only fits perfectly in the exact position, at which point the keyway seals off, leaving no place for your standard picks or tension tools to reach the pins. To prevent the normal impressioning techniques, the brass ones had a plastic pin inserted.

He began by taking a close look at the lock, shining a light through the clear anti-tamper cover to see the key within. A quick stream of solvent was sufficient to lift the seal without causing any damage. He pulled out the key, opened the lock once, and then disassembled the cylinder to inspect all of the moving parts. After that, he put everything back together and sealed the case with tape. Bypassing it was more of a curiosity for him, as the actual test would be to pick it honestly.

His next step was to impressioning the lock by clamping it in a vice and inserting a simple brass blank into the keyhole. He then took an old screwdriver, fitted a bespoke brass bit on it, and began applying mild twisting pressure so that the pins left a mark on the soft metal without harming the lock body. He shook the blank back and forth, watching as tiny marks appeared where the pins pressed the strongest. Each one informed him exactly where to begin filing.

The grind had settled into a regular rhythm, as you filed a bit, turned again, examined the fresh marks with a magnifying glass, and repeated. Position three refused to make a mark, which he discovered was due to the plastic pin, but he continued nevertheless, deepening the wounds where the brass was in touch. He had been turning, filing, inspecting, and repeating for two hours before he realized it. The cuts were increasing deeper in some places and shallower in others, until the blank finally matched the unknown depth.

After two hours, the cylinder gave a gritty turn, and the lock finally opened. The plastic pin had chipped somewhat at the top, but the remainder of the mechanism remained intact. He disassembled the cylinder one last time and saw the damage with his own eyes. A new plastic pin was installed, and the lock was restored to its original functionality.

He attempted one final idea: wrap some aluminum foil around a skeleton key blank. The plan sounded fine on paper: the pins would simply press into the soft foil, leaving quick impressions. In practice the pins dropped at an angle and hit a ledge before they touched the foil. No useful marks formed. The foil method stayed on the shelf.