N°52 Bad Boy
I’ve fallen in love with Locksport or, as some call it: Lockpicking – So that’s what this blog is about, especially Challenge Locks.
My YouTube name is Beercan Bushcraft, but Paul Springett nicknamed me Tinnie because he can’t say Beercan 😂 #Tinnie
I’m political sometimes. I am extremely interested in sculpture, and call myself a ‘garage assemblage artist’. Unwitting fashion guru 😆
I’m slowly copying over content from my Google Docs: Tinnie’s Challenge Lock Diary!
5 pin Legge rim cylinder with kik insert: 12 Jun ’26
Lock given by, made for and first pick Lock Picking Paul.
Key pins 1, 2 and 4 are serrated. 3 is a torpedo over set trap! 5 is tapered. Chamber 1 is undercut. 2 and 3 are plain. 4 is threaded and 5 is overmilled.
Driver pin 1 is a gin spool. 2 is tapered. 3 is serrated. 4 is a floating wafer spool (watch out for pin orientation). 5 is a T-pin.
The lock had a flattened core and so I wanted to round it off to increase the tolerances. I soldered on a nickel silver plate and did a shit load of filing 😆
13 Mods: 10 pins. 2 core. Engraving.
The kik cylinder can easily be removed by tapping out the kik retaining wedge.
The Peter Sellers Story
I first came across Peter Sellers in the early 1960s when he played in the Goon Show on the radio! (He played: Major Dennis, Bloodnok, Bluebottle, Henry Crun and Hercules). However, I suppose he is more famous for playing Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther series – one of my all time favourites.
N°99 Red Balloons Opened by BrettSucks
In the end Brett used a Southord half diamond to open it!
SeeStuDo created the hashtag #getwelltinnie and asked people to make a video and pick a challenge lock! I was very moved because I was still very ill. And so I decided to donate a challenge lock and pick a winner – Eventually!
Brett won the #GetWellTinnie giveaway even though he hadn’t made a video. He had given me support and I included him along with Roy Sammons, who also had been (and still is) very supportive 💖
Brett’s comments on N°99 Red Balloons filled me with joy. “That is a tough one to pick, fucking superb.” Happy Days my dear friends – I’m over the fucking moon.
5 pin GeGe euro: 4 Mar 2026
Lock given to me and for BrettSucks as a keeper. I hope he allows favoured UK pickers have a go!
Key pins 1, 2 and 4 are serrated. 3 and 5 are serrated over-set traps. Chambers 1, 2 and 4 are threaded, 5 is over-milled.
Driver pin 1 is a potato masher spool. 2 is a serrated floating wafer spool. 3 is a serrated potato masher spool. 4 is a floating wafer spool and 5 is a groovy standard (2.5mm brass wire). And not a ‘Christmas tree.’ There are no modifications to the bible.
12 Mods: 10 pins. 1 core. 1 engraving.
The Stuart Farquhar Story
When Brett sent me the lock it had GeGe written on the side. It had no key, the only key that fitted was the spare Kenneth Williams key. And that’s when I decided to make an updated version of one of my favourite Challenge Locks Kenneth Williams. I wanted the lock to have the same mood, if you get my drift.
Stuart Farquhar is the name of Kenneth Williams’ in Carry on Abroad.
6 pin Lockwood 334B45:22 Dec 25
Lock given by Peter Lewis and made for my one hundredth challenge lock giveaway.
And the winner is?
Key pins 1, 2 and 4 are serrated. 3, 5 and 6 are standard. Chambers 1, 3 and 4 are undercut
Driver pins 1 and 4 are anchors. 2 and 5 are thin spools? 3 is a floating wafer spool and 6 is a nut, bolt and washer. There are no mods to the bible.
12 Mods; 9 pins. 1 core. Engraving. Key.
Picked by BrettSucks
The Paul Springett Story
Paul Springett is a professional Locksmith who I find inspirational. He was the bloke who nicknamed me Tinnie. He is also the one who sent me the gorgeous Lockwood key blank.
5 pin Lori mortice cylinder: 21 Nov 25
Lock given to me by Lock Chuck. Made for Brett Sucks. First pick????
All key pins are serrated and all the chambers in the core are undercut.
Driver pins 1 and 5 are gin spools. 2 and 3 are spools, and 4 is a floating wafer spool.
12 Mods: 10 pins. 1 core. Engraving.
Red Balloons Story
99 Red Balloons is a crap song by Nena from 1984. Happy Days.
6 pin Yale mortice cylinder: 21 Nov 25
Lock given to me and made for PickSmith. First pick????
Key pins 1, 2 and 6 are serrated. 3 and 4 are sort of torpedos. 5 is a standard. Chambers 1, 2 and 6 are threaded. 3 and 4 are undercut.
Driver pins 1, 2 and 6 are floating wafer spools 3 and 4 are gin spools, and 5 is a standard. There are no modifications to the bible.
12 mods: 10 pins. 1 core. Engraving.
The Frida Kahlo Story
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist, painter, who died in 1954. She was forty seven! Anyway, she is one of my favourite female artists.
6 pin Yale Euro cylinder:28 Oct 25
Lock given to me by either Brett or Derek! Made for Roy Sammons, furst pick BrettSucks.
Key pins 1 – 6 are various forms of serration / torpedo! Chambers 2, 4 and 6 are threaded. 3 and 5 are undercut.
Driver pin 1 is serrated. 2, 4 and 6 are floating wafer spools. 3 and 5 are honey-dipper gin spools. Chambers 3 and 5 in the bible are threaded.
16 Mods: 12 pins. 1 core. 1 bible. Key. Engraving.
The Roy Sammons Experience Story
I suppose we all know who Roy is, don’t we! He is a much loved Locksporter and a supersonically generous bloke. I Love him.
What I wanted to do with this challenge lock is create a CL that pays homage to someone, obviously in this case Roy Sammons. He had made a couple of CLs: Sinner and “We don’t need no stinkin’ key”. After looking at them, I ‘blended’ them and made my versions of the pins – if you get my drift?
Opened by BrettSucks
6 pin ACE mortice cylinder: 26 Oct 25
Lock given to me by and made for LockChuck – Furst pick Brett Sucks.
Key pins 1 – 6 are all serrated. All chambers in the core are under-cut.
Driver pins 1, 4, 5 and 6 are all potato masher spools. 2 and 3 are gin spools. There are no modifications to the bible.
15 Mods: 12 pins. 1 core. Key (was a five pin, increased to 6). Engraving.
The Motörhead Story
I suppose Motörhead are a heavy metal / hard rock band, a genre that I’m not too keen on, but I really like “The Ace of Spades”. Listen to The Ace of Spades while picking Motörhead – see if you can pick it before it finishes: 2 minutes 45 seconds 😆
(please note driver pin 4 has been photographed upside down because it wouldn’t balance the correct way up)
5 pin Sterling half euro:15 Oct 25
Lock given to me by Derek and made for PickSmith. First pick BrettSucks then DotsLocks?
Key pins 1, 2, 3 and 5 are serrated and look like bullets 😆 4 is a type of Christmas tree! Chambers 1, 2, 3 and 5 are under-cut.
Driver pins 1, 2, 3 and 5 are ‘floating wafer potato masher spools’. 4 is a shallow T-pin. There are no modifications to the bible.
13 Mods: 10 pins. 1 core. Key. Engraving.
A Word of WARNING
Potato Masher pins are Not T-pins! When gutting watch out for pin orientation.
The Jethro Story
Jethro is a comedian from Cornwall. He is my type and I bloody love him. He tells the type of jokes that I used to tell in the 80s – where the fuck have those days gone!?
Opened by BrettSucks
Those effing springs 😆😆
5 pin generic brass euro: 12 Oct 25
Lock given to me and made for BrettSucks
Key pins 1 and 2 are serrated. 3 and 4 are T-pins and 5 is a sort of torpedo! There are no modifications to the core.
Driver pins 1, 2, 4 and 5 are potato masher spools. 3 is a tapered potato masher. There are no modifications to the bible.
12 Mods: 10 pins. Key. Engraving.
The Dr Watson Story
This lock includes my new pin the potato masher spool! It’s important to understand their orientation and positional order when gutting.
Dr Watson is Sherlock Holmes’ dear friend and ‘case biographer’.
Opened by BrettSucks
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