Question re: cutting mini-u lock
 

There's an abandonded NYC chain w/ a mini-u in the bike graveyard of my apt. building I'm gonna appropriate as per the Law of the Briney Deep. How best to cut off the mini-u? I don't have powertools.

hacksaw with carbide blade. Will take about 30-45 minutes.

Get powertools.

maybe a plasma cutter...

RR

is it one that you can open with a pen?
http://thirdrate.com/kryptonite_files/2.mov
http://thirdrate.com/kryptonite_files/3.mov

http://thirdrate.com/kryptonite

How much would it cost you to buy a hacksaw + proper blade vs. how much would it cost you to rent a grinder vs. borrow that **** off a friend.

vs. buying a chain yourself

you sure it's abandoned?

This summer I tried to cut an abandoned u-lock just to see how long it would take. I used a sawzall and a metal cutting blade and it took two minutes to cut 1/16 in into the steel. I gave up shortly after that, you need a grinder or a torch to do it in less than an hour probably.

Well, you got further than me. I took 5 tentative swings with a metal cutting blade at a somewhat decent MasterLock (nowhere near Kr/NY category, but hardened). I made a scratch that was barely visible. Carbide blade helps I'm sure, but it'd be a real workout...

I cut through my old Kryptonite U-lock in about 15 minutes with a Dremel using the cutting disc. Just watch for flying shards of metal.

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-275-02-...0?ie=UTF8&s=hi

yeah...some people leave a heavy lock at their regular lock up spot, and carry something light for everything else. i'm all for the liberation of abandoned/trashed stuff, but just make sure you aren't going to ruin someone's day. maybe you could leave a note, and with your number, and if you don't get a call in a few days then do it...doesn't sound like it's going anywhere in the meantime.

Whatcha gonna do w/ a broke lock?

I am the manager of the building, thing's been sitting in the dirt in the corner covered in spider webs for like at least three years. Yeah, it's abandoned.

I have blown up car jacks, broken bench vises, and worn through many hacksaw blades on some of the cheapo u-locks on the other similarly abandoned bikes. Not gonna buy a dremel, maybe I'll just say fugit and buy meself a new chain.

use the NYC chain it was locked to

If it is that old you can probably use a Bic pen to open the lock.

If it's been there for three years it should have a cylinder lock. Get a can of WD-40 and a bic pen and go to town!

The key snapped in mine so I had to hack it off. It took about 30 minutes (seriously) and I sent it in for a new one.

angle grinder with a cut off wheel have any bike kmmm chain in about 5 minutes and often times they are portable

I got u-locks on the brain today. I thought you were cutting through a u-lock for some reason.

maybe the thread title ;)

it's a new york chain, held together with a mini u. he intends to cut the mini so he can use the chain.

what's it locked to? might be easier to cut that.

edit: i'm ********, that wouldn't solve your problem...

dremels aren't as expensive as you'd think such an amazingly useful device ought to be, but yeah, watch out for the flash & steel dust crap. I use it almost daily & used to think I was real careful til I had to go to the damn ER so a pretty doctor could pluck a caltrops shaped bit of steel out of my eye. Didn't even know it was in there for a day, then I though I had pink eye, then I found the ****er & way too late for emergency eyewash. ****er had started to rust, looked weird & the rust meant I had to pt weird drops in my eyes for a few days.

Course I had been grinding for hours that day. Still, I like my new milwaukee sasfety googles & lil 3m breathing masks, they actually work, and don't come off til cleanup is done. Plus as a reward for going to the ER i got to go to the machine tool shop to buy them! Looove the machine tool shop

I think my dremel cost me $70 ten years ago, & the sears/craftsman rotary tool I use now cost about that much now, plus the $$ for bitsnpeices. that's cheaper than a new lock, almost sheaper than a krypto chain by its lonesome.

a hammer and a gallon of liquid nitrogen - deep freeze the mofo and then crush it :)

car jack.