Heavy Torque

[Exodus5000]

While learning to pick most of us have it drilled into our heads to use the lightest amout of torque possible. This of course corrects that habbit of using too much torque which can cause your tools to bend and pins to not set.

Well, I would say in many situations a large amount of torque can be very helpful, especially on security pins. This probably sounds taboo to a lot of people, but allow me to elaborate.

Using a light amount of tension on a lock with security pins - say a master 140 - allows the user to have a better chance of picking a lock, without having to worry about a pin false setting, because the light tension allows the spool (in this case) to move to the sheer line without getting snagged. This can be very touchy though.

I have wonderful success with using a large amount of tension. I can feel each pin set like a hammer blow, and fully expect false sets to occur. I simply deal with the security pins as they present themselves. I suggest you give a try.

[Romstar]

I will conceed that in some instances I have used heavy tension to overcome one problem or another. It is after all the reason why many companies make heavy tension tools.

However, there are a few problems with the technique.

In many cases you will NOT get the serrated pin past the shear line, you will stop one too short. Or, in some cases, the lower pins are serrated as well, and you will go one too far.

In the case where you have several serrated pins, the common problem with heavy tension is that you will set the wrong pins first, and when you ease off the tension just a bit to get the third one up, the first two fall.

Also, all that jarring around in the lock is sometimes enough to cause the pins to fall back down where they were, and you thought they were set. The feedback you feel in your pick is also traveling though the plug and cylinder, especially at teh most important junction; the shear line.

Each of these issues, and a few others relegate the use of heavy tension to a few locks, or for use after the lock has been picked and requires more persuasion to turn.

Want to have a real nightmare? I recently tore apart a lock that had not only three serrated pins, but two other spool pins. Two of the lower pins were serrated, and the pin cores were THREADED!

No, that's not a joke. The cores themselves were threaded. That thing was a nightmare in feedback. For the longest time I couldn't figure out what the hell I was feeling. Then it dawned on me what must be going on. I think I cursed about fifteen minutes before I went back to the little bugger.

Took me a while longer to pick it after that. I was NOT a happy camper.

Romstar

[Exodus5000]

Sounds like me and the brinks shrouded i'm currently working on. I recently took one apart to make a cutaway of it. 5 of 6 of the pins were spool pins, and an equal number of serrated pins. God! What i'm wondering is, why the heck did they decide to stick just 1 regular pin stack in?! Jee thanks!

[Romstar]

Sounds like me and the brinks shrouded i'm currently working on. I recently took one apart to make a cutaway of it. 5 of 6 of the pins were spool pins, and an equal number of serrated pins. God! What i'm wondering is, why the heck did they decide to stick just 1 regular pin stack in?! Jee thanks!

Under normal circumstances, at least one normal pin stack is required to align the plug and cylinder. Otherwise it can even be difficult to insert the proper key.

It isn't always that way in practice, but it is the easiest way to do it.

Romstar