I would then take the lock out and put another lock I had a key for in it’s place, take the lock home “measure it up” and have it back in the door within a couple of hours.īecause the keys I made did not have “FB” stamped on them, most locksmiths would cut copies from it… (proving that putting the equivalent of the word “secret” on a key was not a usefull security measure just as it is not with documents).
Usually it only took a few minits to open the dore which suprisingly were not alarmed even though the break glasses were. If it did not open the lock would leave an “impression” on the pencil lead which would tell you where you needed to fill a bit more off. So you would cut a rough master then go back to the building put pencil lead on the edges and try it in the lock. Thus with a five leaver lock there was not a lot to remember to cut your own from a blank key and a needle file set. Also as the door keys had to work from both sides the key was symmetrical. Some pirates just smashed the glass and stole the key, which was silly because many of the break glasses got wired into the building fire alarm system.Īs I’ve mentioned before, complicated though keys look, they are cut on a grid system which it was easy to find out the basic measurment like an 1/8th of an inch. Often there was a “break glass” key holder next to the door with a key in helpfully labled “FB1 through FB3” the same with paddlocks on emergancy gates. Thus tower blocks of flats especially on hills were well sort after.
To get your signal out you needed the antenna to be as high as possible. It’s a similar reason with “Fire Brigade Keys”.īack in the 1980’s and 90’s London had a thriving FM Pirate Radio scene. Changing the master key for physical mailboxes is a logistical nightmare, which is why this problem won’t be fixed anytime soon.
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