False set

[vanduara37]

I am totally new to lockpicking and today is the first time i had some time to spend practising on some locks,had some success with euro cylinders (eventually),but whe trying a Yale 5 pin cylinder lock for the life of me could not pick it,could get pins 1,3,5 set and the cylinder turned about 3mm but no matter what i did i could not get pins 2 & 4 set.Any suggestions on where am i going wrong.

John

[camelgd]

" WE WON'T GET SPOOLED AGAIN" The Who...
The problem, sir, is spool pins, and your yale is more than likely a "Pacific rim" lock. You might want to start with a lock without spool pins. To confirm that it is a China yale, see if a kwikset keyblank will go into the plug. If it does, it is more than likely a China-Hong Kong- Pacific rim yalie. Sucess breeds sucess- start with a lock that is doable for your skill level.
Camelgd

[andrex66]

I've a Yale like yours, mine has 4 spools and one normal pin.
If you search the forum you'll find two basic answers:
1) if you're a beginner,start with a simpler lock (no spools,serrated,etc)
2) to set a spool,use ultra light tension,push softly on the pin allowing some back rotation of the plug. But probably it will be hard to do if you're a beginner so the answer is mostly #1.
It will become easier with practice

[gilduran]

Like andrex stated, use light tension. If it's a spool, you will feel your wrench counter rotate slightly as you continue to lift the pin. If it is indeed set, or not a spool, there should be no counter rotation as you continue to try and lift the pin. Use caution, though, as you could potentially be lifting the pin above the shear line, and you'll have to release it and start over. The trick is finding the right amount of tension to allow you to feel these subtle movements, while still providing enough tension to turn the plug, and or feel when the pins have actually set.

Practice makes perfect, and there is definitely something to be said about starting with simpler locks.

Good luck, and happy picking!

[Squelchtone]

I like to use this video as a very easy to understand model to demonstrate what is going on inside locks with anti-pick spool pins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4hoGY3SAtU

Enjoy and happy picking,
Squelchtone

[gilduran]

I like to use this video as a very easy to understand model to demonstrate what is going on inside locks with anti-pick spool pins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4hoGY3SAtU

Enjoy and happy picking,
Squelchtone

Excellent video link, good find Squelchtone!

[andrex66]

Just remembered, some times ago I was picking a cheap lock, bad tolerances, but I just couldn't pick it.
I knew it had two spools in positions 2 and 4,but I kept failing.
Then I noticed that when I was picking the last pin, the fourth, I was holding the pick almost horizontal , at the same time setting the spool and oversetting one of the already set pins.
So I just changed the angle of picking and the lock popped open.
I was repeating the same mistake over and over until that moment.

Just to say that sometimes we have the technique already,but we lack concentration.
Andrea