IM SO CONFUSED i need help with a master padlock

[zecle 22]

ok i have this solid body four pin ( should be ) it has what almost looks like a pin embedded in teh front of the lock. well when i try to pick one of the pins never binds at all ill get the other 3 set but the last one never binds. and to add to the confusion when i slowly let up on the tension to listen to how many pins fall back down ill sometimes hear 3 fall ( that part makes sense ) but most the time ill hear 4 even 5 fall

well this has just totally confused me so if anyone has advise or better yet knows whats happening please help.

ZC

[Olson Burry]

I would hazard a guess that you're A)using too much tension and B)over lifting one or more of the pins.

Understand that you only want to push the driver pins past the sheer line, leaving the key pins to fall back down. When this happens they will still be there but there won't be any downward pressure from the springs and driver pins above.

With an over lift you are trapping the key pin at the sheer line, you may manage to to do the same thing to several more pins but you'll always end up with one or more not binding.

If, when releasing tension you hear more clicks than there are pins I might say you are hearing first the key pin dropping which had been trapped at the sheer, then the driver pin pinging on to it, it would be hard to say for sure though, they might just be bouncing a bit.

[patrickson]

I share Olson s opinion about using too much tension.
If you use too much tension, pins will LOOK LIKE they are set, coz the tension will will squeeze them to the side and prevent them from falling back.
If you have 4 pins originally, you can usually squeeze 2 or 3 of them, but that is why the last one won t bind (coz that is probalby more on the side than the others). Also, unset pins do click when released, so you have to have very good ears to hear the difference between the 'unset click' and the 'squeezed click'.

I advice that you check if you set the pins correctly or not.
Just do as you always do till you reach the last, unbinding pin.
Then, release a VERY LITTLE tension, only as much as none of the 'set' pins will fall down.
Now, try to press the pins again.
If you can feel the spring tension under the key pin, it means that pin was not set correctly.
If you cannot push it, it means that it was set correctly.
Do this one by one at each pin, till you find out the setting.

Good luck!

[zecle 22]

thanks for the advise it worked well i was able to get it open by using very little tension and then checking to see how many were set incorectly there were still 2 is there anyway to be sure ,or almost sure, your dont over lift the keystack. and do the key pins always fall down when you have set the stack correctly??

[Olson Burry]

If you lift the binding pin very slowly and deliberately you should be able to hear or feel in the tension wrench a small click. This is the sound of the driver pin clearing the sheer line and the feeling of the plug rotating slightly in order for the next pin to bind.

Key pins should always fall back in to the chamber although if the lock is a bit old and gummy they might need a little shake. As long as they are not trapped in the sheer line it is fine. In fact, when you've set a few pins you can maintain tension and when you shake the lock you should be able to hear them rattling around.

Always try to use the slightest amount of tension you can, just enough to off-set the spring bias in the case of padlocks. If the lock isn't sprung loaded you can almost get away with using just the weight of a finger as long as you're careful not to disturb the pins or rotate the plug at all with the movement of the pick in the lock.

Hope that helps, good job getting it open

[zecle 22]

thanks that helps alot
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