5th pin of lock

[Darrylportelli]

Hey I read digital blue's excersise thread and I was amazed. I had a lock giving me problems and Im now up to 4 pins( 2 of them security spools) and I can pick this config in under 15 secs but when I add the 5th pin I cant pick it....it seems that it doesnt want to bind!!! what the hell do I do please.
Thanks

[rrkss]

Just practice and be patient. Chances are that you are using too much tension and oversetting pins making things seem like they are not binding. Lighten up on the tension and try again, I am sure you will get it.

[JK_the_CJer]

Try starting with just that last pin installed (or it plus a few more). Continue swapping out pins this way until you find what the problem is. It may be that the last pin must be set higher than you thought. It may be that the last pin and the 3rd pin are very close in tolerance. It may be that the last pin sets very low and you're oversetting it (my guess). It may just be that 5 pins is hard. By selectively adding and removing pins, you can sort of narrow down what the issue is. Also, it may be helpful to go so far as taking notes along the way.

Check out the entry on "notation" here, it may help out:
http://theamazingking.com/lock-ana.html

[Darrylportelli]

Jk.......Youre good man.....your guess is good...the last pin is set very low. ill try swapping it for another and try some combinations then.but if its set low and you overshoot it dont it still bind and the key pin feels ''mushy'' (without the spring tension)....this pin is still under spring tension no matter what I do
Cheers

[Darrylportelli]

JUST GOT THE bastard.... the 5th pin was a low set pin and I was trying to pick it with a long hook!!! I have a very short hook that I made a while ago with a very narrow shaft and it seemed to do the trick!!! just lift and set the other pins with the long hook than enter the small hook and lift the back pin....viola open sesame lol
Cheers

[JK_the_CJer]

Congrats, glad you figure this one out

Oversetting the pin would cause it to bind on the key pin instead of the driver. The spring will still have an effect as it binds, though. Depending on the tolerances, it might even be possible to overset the pin and another will bind (causing the overset pin to automagically become set as the bind is released). I wonder how often this happens during picking