Adam Savage Makes a Lock From Scratch!

Adam Savage’s Tested
Adam Savage’s Tested
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Published 2023-09-16
Following up on his fixup of an old weathered box, Adam makes a custom lock to secure it, reverse engineering its design from a beautiful key in his collection. Machining the lock mechanism to work perfectly with the shape of this key proves to be quite the challenge, making this one of the more satisfying builds of late. Next up, lining the vessel of holding with copper and giving it a real aged patina!

The origin of this old box:    • Adam Savage Loves This Old Box  

Shot by Adam Savage and edited by Norman Chan
Music by Jinglepunks

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Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman

Thanks for watching!

#adamsavage #onedaybuilds
All Comments (21)
  • @nerdingforfunprops4487
    Fantastic. Although I was a little concerned to see Adam holding the blue marking fluid bottle over the box, I mean, there's history there. 😉
  • @bmelloyello
    It needs a brass swivel cover over the keyhole! That would keep dirt and debris out of that massive hole. Great build! Big fan.
  • @StrewthStoatPirate
    Adam's "I did a thing!" face after lifting the locked box by the handle is perfect.
  • @Bralvis
    The “anti” locking-picking lawyer! I’d be so happy to see a collaboration with you and LPL!
  • @sciguy98
    Locksmith here! Honestly, pick-resistance is a red herring in most consumer applications. You only need to make the lock harder to pick/bypass than it is to kick in the door/break a window/crowbar open a container. Lock security at the low end relies more on a mix of theatre (making the lock look tough) and obscurity (few people know the bypass methods). In this particular lock, the lock/keyhole isn't even the weak point.
  • @Budaniel
    14:10 The markings on that plate (both the blueing and the cuts) makes it look like Adam is jabbing a giant key into a 3.5" floppy disk, which I'm pretty sure isn't how software security or license keys work 🤣 45:45 The face of one very happy and satisfied maker.
  • @AB-Prince
    I think a metal plate in front of the key hole would be a nice addition, as it protects the wood from getting damaged as much from inserting the key. a lot of lever / warded locks have such a metal plate for this exact reason.
  • @jessekennedy9940
    This is the most romantic build I've seen posted on this channel. The amount of work and time devoted to what's essentially a magic trick makes me very, very, happy.
  • @joshgreen2164
    I love seeing Adam think through how to accomplish a task.
  • @imrotinom
    You probably want to make the latches part of a larger plate. All the weight of the items will fall on those small screws, so reinforcing them is probably a good idea. Adding a large plate (instead of two small L’s) to distribute the force. Looks amazing though.
  • @savourypotato
    As a teen I would yearn for your videos once a week on the old box, can't believe I'm still loving you and waiting for more content weekly 🤣 Biggest positive influence stem has ever seen.
  • @wykydgt
    Stunning! I'm sure you already have a hundred ideas running through your mind for the handle and I can't wait until you implement your favorite. For me, I'd go one of two directions. An old handle from a steamer trunk that has been aged to match the box or, age the leather and add a heavily aged wooden handle that is secured to the straps with hammered dome top brads. Looking forward to the next video!
  • @Drakksy
    I'm 10 minutes into this video and can already tell it's going to one of my favorites. While I'm not a picker or anything, locks have always interested me and this is a very fascinating approach to watching one get made. Also, that scribe is beautiful and the story behind it and the box is so lovely!
  • @CompComp
    I think a nice brass keyhole cover is definitely needed here. Maybe with some fancy engravings. Maybe some travel / shipping documents to go with it as well? Idk what a USPS stamp would've looked like back then. But could be a box someone forgot when moving out west and had to get their family to mail it out to them.
  • @stageiii1
    LPL is the best at what he does, and Adam you're the best at what you do and showing how you do it. I think a collab with LPL is inevitable and will probably just break this little corner of the 'Net. Keeping LPL off camera would be quite a challenge tho'. The big question to me would be... What would you guys collaborate to build? Might I suggest.... A cool lock picking training set of some sort? Just throwing it out there. Thanks for ALL you do Tested crew!!!
  • @biocow9070
    Great project. And not every lock needs to be unpickable. This is a great lock to protect things you don't want someone stumbling upon if they visit and get curious and want to open an old, cool looking trunk.
  • @PUBHEAD1
    Saturday morning, cup of coffee in hand, and an awesome new vid from Adam to start the day. Great way to start the weekend.
  • @Taggerung5
    That was beautiful, you can just tell how happy it makes you when you have it all together and it works like you want it to. Awesome job dude, keep it up!
  • @samanthadean1083
    I love how Adam talks through every step as he is thinking it, I do the same thing! …used to drive my mom crazy! 🤣