can someone help me out?

[karl]

i noticed this when trying to pick a lock,and was wondering if anyone could please help me out,i was picking a lock and it felt like i had picked it,but the pleg turned about 5 degrees and then stopped.what's happening?
have i picked it,or is there more i have to do?thanks!

----karl----

[toomush2drink]

that is because you have spool pins in the lock. If its a yale they are probably the 2nd and fifth pins but you can find out easy enough. First you need to push up on the pin and slightly ease off the tension as you push, as you are doing this the plug should try to turn back as you apply the pressure, keep going till the pin sets and you have just picked a spool pin.

[karl]

cool,thanks,i'll try that now.

[Romstar]

Yep.

Same answer as toomush. You have a lock with spool or mushroom pins. The plug is hanging on the cuts in the pins. This is what they were designed to do.
Vary the tension, and you will be able to feel a sort of "skip" in the pin when it passes the notch, and picks up on the next part of the pin.

There are some excellent links to pictures of security pins here on the forums if you need a visual reference.

Romstar

[freewheelin4eva]

Also if you go into the locks section of the forum. there has been a lot of discusion on the right tecnique to use on security pins. it helped me out quite a bit.

[karl]

thanks for your help guys,but i got another problem.i picked it and it turned to nearly half way and then stopped,the pins remained picked and didnt spring back to place,so i thought maybe the bottem pins had clicked up a bit and jammed the lock,but they hadnt.the lock can turn back to the locked position,but no further to the open.can someone tell me whats going on?thanks again.

[funboy79015]

Perhaps you are picking the lock in the wrong direction?

[Romstar]

A Scooby snack goes to Funboy. He got the correct answer in our latest, "What the devil am I doing wrong?" quiz.

To summerize:

If you've picked a lock, and it turns about 45 degrees and stops there are only two possiblities.
1. You need more tension. Some of these bolt springs are heavy.
2. You're turning the wrong way.

If you've tried more tension, then you should pick in the other direction.

Tune in again sometime in the immediate future for another chance to win in the "What the devil am I doing wrong?" quiz. Read the forums frequently to learn where to find clues to this and other questions. All right here on Lock Picking 101 !

Romstar

[Anarchyvocals]

You can do what all these guys say if you wanna correct the mistake or if your lazy like me and wanna do it the easy way then just put the old picks away. Simply pull out an old bobby pin and bend the end a little. Then push each driver (and pin if possible) into the driver-way above the cylinder.

[Romstar]

You can do what all these guys say if you wanna correct the mistake or if your lazy like me and wanna do it the easy way then just put the old picks away. Simply pull out an old bobby pin and bend the end a little. Then push each driver (and pin if possible) into the driver-way above the cylinder.

Okay, well if you have a hook pick it's the same thing. Better of course because the metal is stronger.

The problem here is two fold.

1. Most likely the bottom pins won't fit above the plug. The lock should have been designed this way. Between the spring, and the two pins, there simply isn't enough room.

2. If you succeed in getting all the pins to bind at the top of the plug, you now have to jiggle the tension and hope they fall to the shear line. Any pins that fall past the line SHOULD be non security pins. These should easily reset at the shear line.

Now, here is the problem with this technique. Most of the locks which use security pins also use stronger springs. Sometimes they are only on the security pins, other times they are in all positions. Further, because the holes simply don't line up, it is very likey that at least one of the security pins will fall below the shear line. Requiring you to pick it the same as before.

As you will have noticed by now, some pins will set before others. This is the basis of the "binding defect" that takes advantage of the manufacturing flaws that cause the pin bores to not be in a perfectly straight line. Because this defect is at the very heart of picking pin cylinder locks it can cause a great deal of difficulty with the over lifting technique.

While it can and does work on some cylinders I do not reccomend it as it does not promote a feel for setting the pins. If you choose to use this technique, spend the money to buy a basic pick gun. The results are the same, and usable on a wider range of locks.

Romstar

[karl]

*slaps forhead with hand*what an idiot i am!i was picking in the wrong direction.well ive picked the lock now,thanks for all your help everyone!

[Romstar]

Hey Karl,

No need to slap yourself it happens all the time.

Not only that, but sometimes it is easier to pick a lock into the locked direction, and then use a spinner to send it over to the unlocked position.

This second part has a lot to do with the way some locks are made. Suffice it to say though, that once you spin the plug back, you are on your way.

Romstar

[Guitar_J]

Why is it that some locks are easier to pick in the locking direction? I've noticed this on several kwikset deadbolts that I have and my parents deadbolt on their doors... I just don't get it..

this has been my reasoning..
if my understanding is correct.. lockpicking works due to variations in the machining of the locks... allowing pins to bind at different points... so therefore, wouldn't reversing the direction reverse the order in which the pins set to an order that may (or may not) put the picker in a more advantageous position to open the lock? thats the best I can think of... but it may be wrong.. I dunno

[Romstar]

Picking a lock in the wrong direction has a lot to do with how the lock is made.

In addition to the normal mechanical and manufacturing defects that allow picking in the first place, there are also considerations with how the pieces are made.

Again, I am holding a disassembled YALE high security plug and cylinder.

If you examine the plug very carefully you may find that the holes themselves are not quite round. In addition, if you use a radius gauge, you will discover that the surface of the plug where the pins go through is actually flattened.

Through sheer happenstance the Yale lock will pick in one direction better than it will the other.
Further, as you correctly assumed, sometimes you can get a security pin to set in one direction that absolutely refuses to set in the other direction.

Design, defect, and tension are what create the means to pick a lock.

Romstar

[Zaphin]

Well, I've been lurking on the forums for quite a while now and just recently was thinking about posting a question about picking a lock in the reverse direction but Romstar just made it make much more sense, thanks! I'm still curious though, when I try to pick my Faultless lock in reverse it has almost no feeling to it at all, as opposed to setting the pins in the normal direction. Should I just play with the tension some or should I just deal with it and pay more attention while probing around? Thanks alot.