House lock problem

[Dr. Bint]

I'm fairly new to lock picking, and only recently received a proper pick set. I've practiced on my front door a few times before with homemade picks (ie. a hairpin and a piece of steel I bent into an 'L' shape), with no luck... I'm doing a little better with the set I ordered, but I'm still having problems setting the pins nearer the back. I'm sure I've set all the pins with raking techniques on more than one occasion, but the lock still won't turn. I'm applying minimal force on the tension wrench, so I'm confused as to why this is happening... what am I doing wrong?
The pins are at the bottom, by the way... is that what's causing the problem or does it not make a difference?

I appreciate your help with this.

[CaptHook]

I would avoid raking in the beginning. With that technique, you have less feel of what the pins are doing. Start instead, with your short hook, learn to feel the pins stack by stack, then you will be able to tell if a stack is indeed set or not.
Lock mounted upside down.... doesnt really make it harder, just different. You wont have the luxury of gravity letting the bottom pins fall free, but the stacks do have the same feel when picked.
Chuck

[Dr. Bint]

I'm using the SouthOrd Jackknife... the hook pick that comes with it is a little cumbersome. Would a half diamond do the job?

[CaptHook]

Yes, it will work. I think long term though, you will find a greater appreciation for hooks. When you have the opportunity, order the euro set, they will probably suit your keyways a little better.
Chuck

[Dr. Bint]

There's a euro set? Bollocks... I'll bear that in mind next time I go shopping.
This set is doing quite nicely so far though. I rarely need to open house locks anyway... it's doing a great job on padlocks, which is all I really need at the moment.

[toomush2drink]

Your talking about a euro profile cylinder which i find can be realy tricky at times. Some can be really easy and others a right pig. I have yet to be able to open one by pin by pin picking but can get a lot open by raking. I took one apart from a job i went on yesterday and the top pins have small lines arond them at both ends. I think this acts a bit like a spool but nowhere near as easy to identify like a spool pin.
Sometimes another tip is to pick it in the other direction as they can be easier on the odd occasion.

[Dr. Bint]

I had another go at it this morning and got really frustrated. This lock is driving me insane... I don't even know what company it's made by; both the lock and key are clean of any markings. I don't have the patience to pick the pins individually, and it'll take a while for me to learn to be patient enough. I tried raking and scrubbing techniques, but nothing works. If anyone can give me with some tips on improving my raking/scrubbing I'd be very grateful.
By the way, I'm using the smallest amount of force possible on the tension wrench, so I don't think that's my problem area. Everything I've read states that it's best to use minimal force, but if any of the more experienced guys could go into a little more detail in that area it'd be great.
I think I'm going to trade my picks in for a sledgehammer if I can't get this right.

[toomush2drink]

LOL these things can drive you nuts especially the cheaper ones. Try various tensions as some can respond to more tension rather than less. Some you cant even get open with a pick gun so dont fret.

[TOWCH]

One trick I've had help a couple of times is to apply a very small amount of back pressure when I can't find the pin that's giving me trouble. Not enough to reset all the pins but enough that you hear atleast one pin drop down. The friend who showed me this claimed it was to fix a pin that was in a bind. Starting on the back pins tends to speed things up for me too.

[S3rratedSp00L]

I have never tried a euro cylinder, but I hope this helps a bit. On door locks I find that a lot of the time it either the first or the last pin don't properly set, but luckily are below the shear line. Rocking the pick will sometimes do the trick. If not I will tap on the front pin, or kinda rake at the back pin. When that doesn't work, I try the rest or release tension and start raking again. I prefer single pin picking, but raking is pretty effective on deadbolts and key in knob locks that I have tried.

Sometimes raking takes longer than single pin picking. So if you really are impatient, try single pin as well You can single pin fast when you figure out the lock. That is where I think locks are like puzzles When you find the right combination of movements you can pop them consistently within a reasonable amount of time

I wonder if I can find euro cylinders here in the U.S. They are probably not sitting at my local hardware store. They look pretty interesting.