I Opened a Padlock With a Ring | Can You Guess How?

In this Instructable, I'll show you how I opened a padlock with a ring.

Wait a minute!

This is not your usual Instructable!

Can you guess how I did it?

There is no cheating. The padlock is real and yes, I will use the ring to open it.

To make it easier to guess, I'll give you 4 clues before revealing the answer.

Scroll down the Instructable and try to guess the answer before I reveal it.

There is a very little chance that you will ever use this method in a real life situation

After opening the padlock with the ring, the padlock will become unusable.

Think about the relationship between materials of the padlock and the ring.

If you wear the ring for too long, it will start to melt.

The padlock is mainly made from aluminium and the ring is made from gallium.

As you might know, gallium reacts with aluminium and makes it brittle.

I used a 3D printed ring a a mold.

After mixing and degassing the silicone, It was poured into the mold

I removed the plastic ring and used a syringe to inject molten gallium.

As you can see, I had 2 molds, so I made 2 rings at the same time.

I wet-sanded the ring by using an ice cold water.

Now when we have a ring, we can use it to open the padlock.

I scratched the padlock a little bit to expose the aluminium better.

I am not sure if it is necessary...I just wanted to make sure everything works the first time.

I used a blue tape to make sure gallium does not drip off.

After putting the ring on top of the padlock, it was melted with a lighter.

I put the padlock in the jar and left it on top of the radiator for a few days.

When I checked on the padlock, I noticed a broken corner and a spring.

Now you can see why I put it in the jar.

I wiped off the gallium and used my hands to break the padlock.

That's how I opened the padlock with a ring.

Obviously you will never use it in a real life and that was not the purse of this Instructable.

Hopefully this Instructable made you think......

So, How did you do?