spp schlage trouble

[Capt_Tom]

"I Picked it in the wrong direction, does this mean that it doesn't have security pins?"

No. Many locks pick in the opposite direction easier than the unlock direction. Why? I can't tell you for sure, but maybe there is more "slop" in that direction... or more imperfections in the line up of the pins....That is what makes them vunerable. But, That is why they made plug spinners. Try the aforementioned practice techniques of one pin, two, three, etc. It will help. Get some spool pins and add them to the mix. If you need some... pm me.

[funkalicious]

Bump (of the thread variety, not the lock variety )

I'm very glad I found this thread. A locksmith friend of mine gave me a bag of old deadbolt locks both Kwickset and Schlage as well as door knob locks (my hobby led him to his career). The only one that has completely shut me down is a Schlage deadbolt.

It has a relatively narrow keyway and I can't get this one to pop. I do get some slight plug rotation in the counter clockwise direction but when that happens the pins seem to freeze up. I had been running under the assumption that it had some type of security pin but wasn't really sure how to defeat it and to be completely honest, I'm still not sure exactly how to defeat it.

Should my goal to be less tension on the plug while picking as to not freeze the pins when I get to the false set of the security pin? Should I be trying for the false set then removing tension to get the security pins to the sheer line?

Side note, I'm very excited to have found this place. I've been tinkering with lock picking for years but never realized there was a legitimate community out there that did this for fun. I had always kept it as a hidden hobby as I didn't want people to question my reasons for doing it assuming I was a criminal when I'm really just a guy who likes weird puzzles.

Any advice for getting this Schlage to turn for me would be appreciated. I want every lock in the bag to be unlocked before I ask for another bag of locks.

[Jedilocksmith]

Funkalicious, What you are feeling is a false set due to the spool pins that schlage commonly use. Ive seen them use anywhere from 1 spool to 4 spool pins. Personally, I like feeling the false set because I know its gunna pop open real soon...and you will too once you get used to it.
Here is what you need to try once you get it into false set...you said that once you get the false set, you feel all the other pins "locking" up. Well, they arent locked up, they are binding up because of the rotation of the plug. Take your hook and feel for the 1st pin that doesnt want to move. Then get under the pin and start lifting it slowly. Now, once you start lifting that pin, you are going to feel your tension wrench pushing back against you in the opposite direction you are applying tension. And once that pin hits the shear line, if done properly, the plug will bounce back to its false set position. And then repeat that on any other pins that arent set and you have an open lock.
Hope this helps, lemmi know how it goes.

[funkalicious]

^^^
Excellent. I will try this when I get home, I've still got 5 hours at work before my day is done

I think I also may need to make a new tension wrench that will allow me to work with this lock more efficiently. I was trying something similar to what you described last night but couldn't tell if the rotation I was feeling after the false set was due to actual movement of the plug or my hook interfering with the tension wrench I was using and causing the wrench to rotate back slightly. Either way, the lock still has not been defeated (for now).

Do you think top tension would be beneficial in this case? Most of my current tension wrenches come from wiper inserts. They work great in some locks but I'm having a hard time getting them set well in this particular lock. I actually had an incident last night where I thought I opened it only to find my wrench had rotated 90 degrees in the keyway.

[Jedilocksmith]

Sure, you can use top tension if you are comfortable with it but not really necessary for this particular lock. One thing I have noticed on schlage locks(SC1, etc) that if you use bottom tension, the wrench can easily bind on the bottom of the keyway if you are picking it clockwise; Making hard to turn even if you have it picked.
Ya, if your tension wrench is turning sideways in the keyway it is either not fat enough or wide enough.

[funkalicious]

Sure, you can use top tension if you are comfortable with it but not really necessary for this particular lock. One thing I have noticed on schlage locks(SC1, etc) that if you use bottom tension, the wrench can easily bind on the bottom of the keyway if you are picking it clockwise; Making hard to turn even if you have it picked.
Ya, if your tension wrench is turning sideways in the keyway it is either not fat enough or wide enough.

Your advice was quite good

I switched to a wider tension tool (still went with bottom tension) and used a diamond (I'm better with a diamond than a hook) to get what I believe were a total of 2 security pins. I worked just like you said it would.

Boosh! A keyway that is has been set free.

[funkalicious]

^^^
Although I meant to quote the message where you described defeating the security pins

[Jedilocksmith]

Awesome man! Now your gunna know exactly whats going on when you get that false set. Pick it a few more times, then take it apart and move around all the pins. Driver pins and key pins. Then pick it again. Your gunna get the exact same feedback with the false set but the binding order will be different beacause you moved the pins(semi-rekey).
Glad I could help!