Picking SFICs with Standard Tension Wrench

[jedidove]

I'm aware of the modified tension wrench design used for picking the control line of SFIC locks. I'm also aware that the tool is a bit shy of magic and that both intentional design changes in the locks and just practical details can make it less than completely effective at its purpose. From what I've read, it seems like a lot of people pick these locks using standard tension wrenches. So, I'm wondering, are there any tricks people use to pick everything to a single line with a standard wrench? Or the control line specifically? Or the operating line specifically?

Some brainstorming I've done in this area:

1) Since the control key can't turn counterclockwise when the core is locked in, on account of the retaining tab hitting the outer shell, I imagine that in an ideal world that counterclockwise tension would result in only binding the operating line. So, it seems like picking the lock CCW and then plug-spinning to CW ought to succeed in picking the operating line. I realize that machining tolerances might make things more complicated, but it still ought to give one better luck at the operating line than usual. For those who have picked a number of different SFICs, have you tried this, and if so is it generally successful?

2) When picking clockwise, it seems intuitive to me that lighter tension would yield a higher chance of picking the operating line. Perhaps heavier tension would yield a higher chance of picking the control line, but I could also see that leaving just a higher chance of having a mixed-line pick. Have people found tension magnitude to be a reliable way of choosing between lines?

[bjornnrojb]

If you aren't going to use a comb wrench for whatever reason, just try wedging the normal tension wrench in at the bottom where the plug meets the inner sleeve. Then after tension is applied the plug and sleeve will move as one and the movement will be between the inner and outer sleeve. Good luck!

[bjornnrojb]

As to tension, I have not found changes in tension to be beneficial to picking sfic. Once you can make the inner sleeve turn with the plug, you have pretty much eliminated any variables and it is just like a normal cylinder.

[phrygianradar]

I have picked many of these locks and if you are using a top of the plug tesion wrench, it doesn't matter how much tension you use. On harder to pick cores it doesn't seem to matter what you do tension-wise, even using the special wrenches... If you do use the comb wrench, you should learn how to shim it in really well; can't over emphasize that. Like Bjornnrojb said, wedging a normal wrench in the crack will do the trick many times. On some cores, the comb works like magic. On others it doesn't. I really only pick them to the control shear, so I don't have much to say on picking to operate except to say that many times while trying for the control it picks to operating instead. If you do use a regular tension wrench, lots of times you can tell which shear line you are picking based on the sound of the click the pins make when setting. The control shear sounds deeper or more solid in a way. It is subtle but you can feel it too, sometimes.

I use a vice grip on the tail piece of the mortise shell every now and then, but I don't think the tension is a big factor in any case.

[xylac]

In theory, shouldn't it be easier to pick to operating shear? If you set a pin at the operating level, there's a gap at the operating shear, and if you set a pin at the control level, the key pin drops down to leave a gap at the control shear and operating shear. It seems to me that no matter where you set all the pins, the lock will spin as in normal operation. Is this true?

1) Since the control key can't turn counterclockwise when the core is locked in, on account of the retaining tab hitting the outer shell, I imagine that in an ideal world that counterclockwise tension would result in only binding the operating line. So, it seems like picking the lock CCW and then plug-spinning to CW ought to succeed in picking the operating line. I realize that machining tolerances might make things more complicated, but it still ought to give one better luck at the operating line than usual. For those who have picked a number of different SFICs, have you tried this, and if so is it generally successful?

I'm also curious about this and am wondering if anyone has an answer.

[phrygianradar]

In theory, shouldn't it be easier to pick to operating shear? If you set a pin at the operating level, there's a gap at the operating shear, and if you set a pin at the control level, the key pin drops down to leave a gap at the control shear and operating shear. It seems to me that no matter where you set all the pins, the lock will spin as in normal operation. Is this true?

1) Since the control key can't turn counterclockwise when the core is locked in, on account of the retaining tab hitting the outer shell, I imagine that in an ideal world that counterclockwise tension would result in only binding the operating line. So, it seems like picking the lock CCW and then plug-spinning to CW ought to succeed in picking the operating line. I realize that machining tolerances might make things more complicated, but it still ought to give one better luck at the operating line than usual. For those who have picked a number of different SFICs, have you tried this, and if so is it generally successful?

I'm also curious about this and am wondering if anyone has an answer.

Sometimes (almost all the time) it is easier to pick a lock to the operating shear line. If it is master keyed there will be more combinations of operating keys to replicate with your picks while only having one change key combination. It is not true that if you set a pin at the control shear that the pins will drop down and make a gap that will allow the plug to spin. They will drop down and block the operating shear line from turning unless the operating key and change key have the same cuts (which does happen, but not on all pin stacks of course). Sometimes this is what will make a sfic lock hard to pick; a number of the stacks have the same cuts for the change and operating key. Try finding the right combo without looking at the key... sometimes they will be very close to the same with only a few pins different. While raising the last couple of pins that would turn the control lug, the pins first click into an operating shear! They can be tricky sometimes.

About picking the lock CCW; that would eliminate the possibility of operating the control lug just because of the way the lock works, so in theory it make sense. I have not tried to do this but expect that it would work. If you are picking a mortise, the plug will spin in either direction at the operating shear, so you may not even have to plug spin it. On a padlock you would.

[teamstarlet]

I actually just learned of the CCW method of picking to operation - I tried it on an Arrow 7-pin SFIC and it worked like a charm.

[KPick]

Counter-clockwise tension is an old subject.

[billdeserthills]

I'm aware of the modified tension wrench design used for picking the control line of SFIC locks. I'm also aware that the tool is a bit shy of magic and that both intentional design changes in the locks and just practical details can make it less than completely effective at its purpose. From what I've read, it seems like a lot of people pick these locks using standard tension wrenches. So, I'm wondering, are there any tricks people use to pick everything to a single line with a standard wrench? Or the control line specifically? Or the operating line specifically?

Some brainstorming I've done in this area:

I must respectfully disagree with your opinion,
Back in 1990+ I made a tension wrench to pick the control line and all I did was copy it from one of the locksmith magazines we had at the time. You only need two tension wrenches to do the best series, or one tension wrench and a shim. I only did try it once, so maybe it isn't so easy to pick all the best cores, but it did work, even tho my Dad quickly called BS, he never did explain how I got the core out of the shell of that rim cylinder. I would love to tell you how I made it but then this posty would likely be placed where I couldn't read it