mills warded lock - how to open

[mhooker32]

this is a mills FOK mint venter. trying to get the front cover off, no key. i bought a set of warded lock pics from sparrow. getting nowhere. i tried both directions, and someone here said counter clockwise is to open. it moves freely about a fifth of a turn, then i hit something hard and it stops. sometimes i hit something springy, but it only moves a bit, doesnt release the cover. tried them all, no luck. any tips? if it i cant open it, whats next? i see on the inside a little riveted plate behind the lock. if i remove that plate, can i press on the lock tab to release it? im assuming the hole goes from the front to that plate. thanks

[jmac]

I dont know what a "warded" lock is, but the front vender lock should be a flat key lock, and fairly easy to pick, it turns clockwise to open. A locksmith should be able to open it pretty easy. If you take the front casting off the cabinet, I still dont think the front vender cover will come off without unlocking the lock (and if you force it it may break the casting). But it maybe easier to carry in to the locksmith. The lock is hard to find so I wouldnt drill it. After you pick/unlock it you have to lift up on the vender cover, to remove it.