old locks

[mrsirmrman]

I feel like fresh meat for posting this but here it goes any way...

I've only been picking for a couple of days. (successfully picked my back door/bedroom door/a single master lock) Now im hooked. I have been doing a lot of reading on the forums (which are very helpful/informative by the way) but I cant seem to find any info on old locks. Ive tried searching, but to no avail. I just want to know if they are worth my time to try and pick. There are a couple of locks around the house that serve no purpose other than for me to practice on.

On some of them the springs are rather hard. On others the plug has alot of play between the hull (i.e. when I rake the lock, the plug moves in and out significantly) Should I forget these and just move on to something else? or can I lube the "hard" ones? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, if this information is already posted somewhere, please excuse my inability to use the search engine.

[Omikron]

I feel like fresh meat for posting this but here it goes any way...

I've only been picking for a couple of days. (successfully picked my back door/bedroom door/a single master lock) Now im hooked. I have been doing a lot of reading on the forums (which are very helpful/informative by the way) but I cant seem to find any info on old locks. Ive tried searching, but to no avail. I just want to know if they are worth my time to try and pick. There are a couple of locks around the house that serve no purpose other than for me to practice on.

On some of them the springs are rather hard. On others the plug has alot of play between the hull (i.e. when I rake the lock, the plug moves in and out significantly) Should I forget these and just move on to something else? or can I lube the "hard" ones? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, if this information is already posted somewhere, please excuse my inability to use the search engine.

Welcome to LP101!

Alright, I may not be able to answer all of your questions, but I'll try my hand at some of them...

If a lock is old and dirty, flush out the lock thoroughly with some sort of solvent spray or degreaser. Once it's dry, make sure you re-lube the lock some graphite powder OR Tri-Flow but NOT BOTH.

If the tolerances on your older locks are so bad that the plug itself is moving in and out, you can still try picking it but you may not learn much technique from working with these locks. Your best bet is to find some locks in better condition, and that are not in use. The general rule of thumb here is not to pick locks that you rely on, just in case you bugger something up.

Also, if you haven't done so already, it would be an excellent idea to start here: viewtopic.php?t=10528

If you've already been there, fantastic! You're a step ahead!

Good luck!

[mrsirmrman]

hehehe I just picked the one with the moving plug. Thanks for the advise. Ill try that on the other two.

One last question. Ive seen other posts refer to some master locks as "master lock No 'x' " where x can be different numbers (ie: master lock no 3)

what is the difference between them?

[Omikron]

hehehe I just picked the one with the moving plug. Thanks for the advise. Ill try that on the other two.

One last question. Ive seen other posts refer to some master locks as "master lock No 'x' " where x can be different numbers (ie: master lock no 3)

what is the difference between them?

They're just different model numbers. If you have a Masterlock, the model number is usually stamped into the bottom of the lock.

[paul1982]

Hi there, i used old locks to help me as i found the tolerances to be not as good as some of todays therefore making it easier to pick by finding the binding pins. The old locks still work on the same principle and will give you a feel and understanding of a lock. Also you never know you may come across the same type of lock out in the field if you take that route. Good luck

[mrsirmrman]

Having trouble opening an old Yale padlock. One side says "Yale", the other says "Y&T". There are no other numbers or characters stamped anywhere else on the lock with the exception of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0 around the plug. It has the fattest pins (5 total) I've seen on a padlock. (about 3/32nds) the keyway looks like this:



I have tried all I know (and that aint much). Any suggestions???

[devnill]

for the Yale, be careful to use light tension, and to be weary of securety pins. Im not sure if this lock would have any, but if it does, you just need to be extra careful.

good luck!
devnill