Mortice Pick Help

[[James]]

Can you please help me understand the different Mortice Picks out there on the market at the monent...Why you can get so many gauges 5,6,7 etc

Why there is left hand right hand and universal picks????


I have BS ERA 5 lever lock
BS Chubb 5 lever lock
and Union 3 lever lock in my house what picks would you need for these locks..
I have never done any picking of mortice locks yet but i understand how they work...

why i havent done any yet is because i have just been picking pin tumblers for 8 months and im doing well with them now its time for the mortice locks...

[Lukekjackson]

James,
There are a few posts on here about the merits of the different picks, so I won’t re-do that – have a search. As for your other questions;

They make those sizes of pick because different locks have keys of different gauge (diameter) The most common is 5, then 7, then 6

As to why they are handed,
· For BS picks - think about the shape the lever wire needs to be to get around the curtain and under the levers, this shape can only work in one side of the lock, and if the pick is used from the other side a mirror image is required.
· For 2 in 1’s (for the union 3 lever) I think they are handed because of the way the handles are configured, if the handles can be repositioned they are universal.

For what you would need, for those locks, the first two will require one of the many BS, picks (maybe 2 if different gauges), and you could do the union with two wires, or a 2 in 1.