Question

Machines: Locks that use a physical, twisting key are most likely what type? They come in varieties such as pin, lever, or wafer; and they share a name with another device that slowly refines very hard materials?

Answer 1

The locks you described that use physical twisting keys are pin tumbler locks.

• Pin tumbler locks get their name from the machining key that refines or pushes pin tumblers inside the lock cylinder. The pin tumblers are individual metal pins that must align properly for the key to turn.
• The varieties within pin tumbler locks include pin tumbler, lever tumbler, and wafer tumbler locks - which refer to the specific design of the pin tumblers.
• The machining process that pin tumbler locks are named after is pin tumbling, where locks and keys are turned and tumbled against abrasive media to refine their shapes and cut precise keyways or pin tumbler grooves.
• So pin tumbler locks and pin tumbling are related and share a name due to the pin tumblers inside the locks and the machining method used to create the keys for the locks.

Does this help clarify the relationship between pin tumbler locks, pin tumblers, pin tumbling, and other related terms? Let me know if you have any other questions!