Help with an ABUS #41 lock

[New York Novice]

Found a locked ABUS #41 padlock on the street the other day and can't seem to work a pick in to work the pins, There seems to be an extra dimple keeping the pick away from the pins.

Thanks
Mike

[PickTrick]

i'm working on an abus padlock myself, aside from the spoolpins which i have yet to identify, it has a really weird path for the key, huge zig-zag cut into it, i found using a southord long hook can reach the pins at an angle through the zig-zag. I hope it's helpfull. I also find a large half diamond rake works to rake a few. Not too much luck with other picks, i have the MPXS-20, and i used about 2-3 on this lock so far, because not many others will be effective on reaching the pins. Be carefull not to rake with your long hook, as it can get stuck inside the abus lock at a weird angle and maybe break? I havn't had one break, but the second it got stuck my fingers just stopped pulling. But maybe somebody with a tight grip on their picks would lose a tip in there.
Anyways i supposed it depends on the quality of your picks, and how old they are. But be carefull and have fun =D

[PickTrick]

Btw i'm curious, what are you doing picking up old locks off a dirty new york street? Maybe your intentions are in the right place, but i know bums that pee on everything, i hope you put some hand sanitizer on it to kill the bacteria. =D

[S3rratedSp00L]

heheh Yeah, I'd sanitize that thing too!

I have a no. 41 and the hardest thing is that darn paracentric keyway! The 41 is a good place to start on ABUS because the keyways only get worse on some of the other models! (Worse for me anyway... your mileage may vary..)

Once I got comfortable with the angle, I found that a hook works well on the particular lock that I have. When you insert a somewhat long hook at an angle to fit in the keyway and with the tip kinda pointed down to sneak under the pins, you may find that you can set the first one or two pins on the way in! This is not cheating, hehe If you recognize this happening then go with it and set the other pins... You will almost definitely encounter spools someplace.. Mine are the back 2 drivers and maybe the very first pin.. With a little practice and a somewhat easy bitting you can pop one of these in a few seconds... after you get used to the keyway and find the pick that works best for you.. Not too hard, just different..

I'd much rather lock something up with one of these than a master no. 1! Probably the same durability, but more pick resistant!

When you get the 41 down, I recommend moving up to other ABUS, those things are really satisfying to open!

[kuefler]

I love abus locks, the town i live in uses them on bike path barriers... so when someone ran a car into one of the barriers I jacked the lock off of the mangled mess.

abus 85/50 it is, most likely master keyed because there are probably about 1000 in the town, first experience with any type of pins other than normal.

took me 3 days to get it the first time, then 20 minutes, now i can identify mushroom pins in most locks in seconds, maybe take a minute or two to get most mushroom pinned locks... still not sure how many mushroom pins are in the abus 85/50, but I can pick it so no big deal.

and i think we can all agree that the retarded paracentric keyway does a number on your picks... no breakages but alot of bending on my southord stainless steel picks, almost cried the first time i saw it bend and stay that way.

[PickTrick]

mine is 85/40 . i like this lock because when i get a driver pin on the shere line, the cylander really turns a few mm, so i know i got a pin, and i move onto the next one. i still havn't opened it completely, but i got 4 pins down so far, just working on the mushroom pin i believe.

[S3rratedSp00L]

when I picked up an ABUS no. 41 I thought that keyway was really nasty! The 41 is probably one of the more normal ABUS keyways... I have picked a couple ABUS padlocks that I could get permission to try... Friends look at me funny when I ask them if they have any cool locks at home or work that I can try. A couple of friends had ABUS brass padlocks and they were 85/40 or something similar... I made a set of picks a little thinner than I usually use out of some thin automotive feeler gauges and I finally got one of those open... The picks are slightly bent but they fit those padlocks perfectly now!

[S3rratedSp00L]

Hmmm... It figures, now that I need those flexible picks I cannot find them anymore!? I may have to make some more!

[PickTrick]

I just got my abus 85/40 picked, i did it 3 times before posting, to make sure i wasn't fluking out. I found the mushroom pin, it's the outter most pin/pin
<|||||> {key goes in this side}
^

It is the hardest lock i've had to pick. And i wasn't happy the first time, because i know it was a fluke, but the third time around, i knew my feel around the inside of the lock, and it felt familiar when i was pin feeling.
So the third time around i was happy =D

Great locks, i hope to find more of these kicking around.

[PickTrick]

ok my diagram didn't work out, it disabled all my spaces for my up arrow. but it's the outer pin, the one closest to the key entry, for those that don't know.

[S3rratedSp00L]

Congratulations on the 85/40! I have a lock with spools or mushrooms in the front stack that gave me trouble for a long time... But compound that with a nasty keyway and you got a real challenge!

Having a spool in the front pin can be a pain because you can't lever the pick as much as you can for pins that are farther back... I sometimes tend to neglect the front pin a little more than other pins.

[PickTrick]

the front two pins are mushroom, so i take my short hook and push it all the way to the back of the lock (on the bottom part of the keyway) on the 85/40*
I take my tension wrench on the top part infront of the first pin (1mm off so it's not touching the pin) I give a little tension and scrape my hook along from the back to the front (not hitting the first two outter most pins) and the pins set in place and the cylander will turn a bit. Then i set my hook on the little ledge that the keyway creates from it's deep cuts and put it at a huge angle (my handle is up in the air) just so i can get the hook underneath the first pin to push it up a little, as i push it up, i have to release tension, it moves with the pin as i push up, but then it clicks and i then do the same technique to the second pin in. and the lock opens. i can do this before you can pour yourself a glass of water. supposed to be a tough lock? Can't wait for varjeal's order to get here so i can play with 6 serrated pins I wonder how long it will take to open that one up. I'll take a video picking that lock once it gets here.

[S3rratedSp00L]

Sounds like you got that one down! I like to use a hook the same way! It seems like it gives a better and more controllable push when levered that way. The no. 41 seems to pick best with a hook like that also.

I always like to see picking videos.. You should definitely make one! When time permits I'd like to make some myself... Great idea!

[tastyfish]

and i think we can all agree that the retarded paracentric keyway does a number on your picks... no breakages but alot of bending on my southord stainless steel picks, almost cried the first time i saw it bend and stay that way.Back to top

i was trying to pick an ABUS (dont no what kind... it was a friends lock) and it snaped 2-3 of my picks... and one of them was my fav...

[S3rratedSp00L]

Ouch! I have done that too, unfortunately...

When you pick a lock with a paracentric keyway sometimes the wards may feel like a pin. Since locks with nasty keyways usually have nasty security pins, you may end up having to do wierd things with your pick to neutralize spools, etc. If you get frustrated and use too much tension, the wards might feel like a stubborn pin and you may push hard on it. breaking picks in the past helped me to realize that I needed to be much lighter on my tools! I like to make my own picks because breaking them is part of the learning process.. In personally don't think there are many pickers who have never broken a pick before.. These things fatigue or wear out eventually, so even if you aren't heavy handed, a pick may break now and then.

Patience is one of the most important picking skills! Paracentric keyways can really test your patience! They sure test mine sometimes!

The good thing is that the more you practice on very restrictive keyways, the easier the normal ones seem to get! Have fun!