Disc Lock Trouble

[philjur]

I recently purchased a disk lock that definitly has some security pins.

When I first took the lock out of the packaging and tried to pick it I had absolutly no success for about 20 min. I read somewhere that applying a feather like touch to the tesion wrench would make it easier and after about ten min of fiddling around I finally opened it. I locked it back up and for the last two days I haven't been able to open it again and I don't know what I'm doing wrong

A couple questions:
On several occassions I have started to pick the lock and it clicks to the right just slightly. I continue to pick the but nothing else happens. What does this mean?

Does it mean that some of the pins have fallen int place and only one or two are left so I should keep picking?

Is it one of the security pins throwing me off trying to make me think I have it when in fact I'm not even close?

Should I stop picking and start over when it partialy rotates like that?

Any input would be great!!!! Thanks

[globallockytoo]

Stop picking and begin again when that slight rotation happens.

one or more pins are hanging on the mushroom.

[SnowyBoy]

Yep, keep the tension, but start on the next pin. If you go through the pins and can't find one that will lock in place, then release the tension ever so slightly whilst lifting the pin.

[illusion]

On several occassions I have started to pick the lock and it clicks to the right just slightly. I continue to pick the but nothing else happens. What does this mean?

Security pins.

Let off the tension untill it feels like the pins are *almost* going to fall down. Feel for the pin that has false set and gently lift it up. You may feel the plug turn slightly when you are doing this - keep lifting the pin untill it sets correctly.

Sometime you have to start again, but it's often possible to correct the mistake and save some frustration. [/quote]

[SnowyBoy]

I tend to start over if a lock binds on me. I've found more often than not that its easier to do that than try and rescue it.

[Schuyler]

nah, Illusions got it dead to rights.

I'd honestly say that picking a lock with spools can be easier than it's equivalent at times. You absolutely CAN pick through a spool, and when you hit it you'll learn a lot about the lock. I'm a bit surprised to hear people recommend stopping and starting over.

Not that you don't have to sometimes, but typically when I false set my first thought is "ah, I'm almost done"

[SnowyBoy]

I'd have to go with you on that too. This union lock without security pins is harder to pick than my abus with spools.

[joseph01]

I'd have to go with you on that too. This union lock without security pins is harder to pick than my abus with spools.

yes,
I agree that it is much difficult to pick.

[Eyes_Only]

I agree, though I've never picked a Union I have picked a few Abus Buffo padlocks they sell at my shop and I was amazed at how easy it was. I thought it would be way harder because of all the hype surrounding this thing.

[bluestar]

Yup, picking with spool pins is often easier, as most spool pin systems are designed wrong - they are missing a small notch in the plug or the housing where the spool pin could "hook in". Those who have picked (or tried to pick) locks like the Assa 600 know that spool pins can make picking a nightmare if done right.

BTW Abus Buffo (or just Buffo) is the "budget" (read: cheap) brand of Abus, so don't expect high tolerances and quality.

[UWSDWF]

did anyone else besides me read that he says he is picking a disc lock?

[bluestar]

yes, but i think he means "diskus lock", not an Abloy-like one. Abloys turn 90 degrees, not "it clicks to the right just slightly".

Oh, and by the way, some of those diskus locks need a lot of tension. So play with the tension if nothing else helps.

[Eyes_Only]

I think some of the cheaper versions and old worn out diskus locks needs more tension to pull the bolt back.

[robert11]

yeah ...try to apply more tension - it may help you

[Trip Doctor]

did anyone else besides me read that he says he is picking a disc lock?

Goodie, not just me, the whole time I was reading through all the posts I kept thinking "didn't the OP mention a disk lock".


I kinda want to add that it depends what you mean by 'slightly'. Is it unnoticeable to the eye but you can feel a very slight rotation in the tension wrench? If so, then it means you set a pin. If the rotation is noticeable to the eye (somewhere around 7-11 degrees), then that means you've false set a spool. As mentioned above, just let go of the tension a little and push it up untill it clicks (personally I don't let go of the tension that much, it can cause more pins to fall). As you set the spool right, one or two of the other pins in the lock might drop, which is normal, then just set those. So in a 5 pin lock, you might have to actually set some pins more than once. One to get to the spool, then again after the spool.

If you falsely set a spool, but you've lost track of where you are in the lock, or decided to keep going trying to set the other pins and forgot which pin cause the plug to rotate that much. Then go around the pins and slightly push them up (being careful not to overset the already set pins), you'll notice that when you try to push one of those pins up, your tension wrench will rotate back a little (you'll feel pressure back on your finger from it). That's the spool pin. You'll notice that when you try to push up it will actually rotate the plug back for you (and you'll be able to feel the shape of the pin - that is - the top part of the spool), keep pushing it up untill it sets.