Does Picking Wear the lock/pins down?

[dnullify]

Or is it my imagination?

I got a ez-rekey cutaway schlage last week and have been picking furiously... then i got another and noticed the difference between the two (both cutaway). in the newer one, the pins sit flat against each other (driver and pin) and are extremely hard to pick, whereas the older one has a slight gap between the pins...

Just curious and a little worried that my $40 practice lock won't last more than a couple weeks. (old one is only a week old!)

[Josh K]

There's no way a lock should wear down over a few weeks. My guess is your practice cylinders aren't held to close tolerances, giving a wide range of picking experiences from one to the next.

[Solomon]

If you really are picking it furiously, as in with such heavy tension that the pins are scraping heavily against the shear line as they set, then it is possible. I doubt this is the case though.

If you're being gentle with it the way you should be, it's probably just been pinned like that on purpose - after all, it is a practice lock. Some pins have a slight chamfer at the top; they're typically found in cheaper locks, but not always. A couple of my yale padlocks have key pins like this, although I'm not sure why. Are the tops of your pins similar to the key pins in this pic? If so, it's not wear and tear, they've actually been made this way. With regular pins instead of spools like those ones, they would definately be very easy to set, so I could definately see them being used in cutaways made for training and demonstration purposes.

[Phatphish]

If you are using too much tension and/or raking it open alot then some wear is likely to occur.
Try this test, spend some time picking your lock open, then place a piece of paper on your desk and tap the lock down on the paper with the keyway down towards the paper.
If you see some tiny flecks of metal on the paper then wear has happened. Most of this wear will probably be from the face of the pins where the pick has scored across the surface, and to a smaller degree there may be some wear from the side of the pins where they travel through the plug and bible. Cheaper locks will probably use lower quality materials and will wear much faster.
That said you shouldn't be able to wear a lock down to the point where it is unusable from picking it open in too short a time. You are more likely to get bored of opening that lock and move onto a harder skill set.

[dnullify]

I do experience the brass flakes, though not often... perhaps the first lock i had had low tolerance and was easier to pick, and the second high tolerance.

I'll keep an eye out on the newer one and see if the gap increases...

I have noticed that in the newer lock, when all the drivers are at the sheer line there is still some resistance before the plug turns, even with the key you can feel it. sometimes i don't even realized it's picked unless i look down.
All the other locks i've used before, it was pretty obvious when i've succeeded, as the wrench just gives way.
I just see it as more challenging.

[Josh K]

I do experience the brass flakes, though not often... perhaps the first lock i had had low tolerance and was easier to pick, and the second high tolerance.

I'll keep an eye out on the newer one and see if the gap increases...

I have noticed that in the newer lock, when all the drivers are at the sheer line there is still some resistance before the plug turns, even with the key you can feel it. sometimes i don't even realized it's picked unless i look down.
All the other locks i've used before, it was pretty obvious when i've succeeded, as the wrench just gives way.
I just see it as more challenging.

Probably not the same thing, but I have a couple of Medeco Biaxial locks that do the same thing. It's the sidebar being pressed into place.

[dnullify]

Actually i realized something today... the older lock's drivers are uniformally shorter... basically different drivers (though both locks were purchased from the same place....

so i guess the wear isn't so significant that i changed the shape of the pins...

thanks!

[Eyes_Only]

I doubt the use of manual pick tools, even for an extended period of time can cause major problems where the pins get out of shape or deformed. I have locks that I've been picking for three years or more and they still work just fine.

Sometimes after picking a lock I wipe down the sides of the pick I used and get a very very fine layer of brass that comes off but I think that brass came from the sides of the pick contacting and rubbing the inside of the keyway. A lock that sees extended high use from a key can cause the keyway and its wardings to wear down more than the pins in a similar way.

The only other thing I think that can cause accelerated damage to the pins in a lock is a pick gun.

[dnullify]

I don't use my pick gun ever... i don't even know where it is. it's a DX cheapy..

In any case, it turns out these pins seem to be wearing out fast! it's been about 4 days now and i can see the gaps in between pins and drivers growing... the edges of the pins are getting rounded, and the drivers likewise.

[Eyes_Only]

Where did you get your cutaway lock? It could be possible that the company who made it chose one made out of really crappy and cheaply manufactured brass so it'll be easier to turn it into a cutaway and maybe that's why it seems to wear out pretty quickly.

[dnullify]

I think it's because of the resistance there is even after all the pins are at the sheer line... as i said, it happens with the key too, so perhaps it's normal, and would happen in a normal door knob lock...?

i took pictures to show you:
old lock:

[dnullify]

It's the Ez-rekey by lockpickersmall.com...

it seemed like the smart choice at the time...

[UEDan]

Wow, no security pins, I wouldn't even call that a Schlage.
And yes they will eventually wear down the pins. Especially security pins. My first Schlage was a knob type lock with 2 spools. My girlfriend needed a lock so I gave her that, the key gets jammed sometimes when she tries to open it.
I know the Locks with security pin thread has a perfect example.

[dnullify]

it came with plain spool pins, however i read that spool pins tend to chew away at cutaway locks... i am therefore less eager to do so with this thing... that costed $44

wish they had said that before buying... i wouldn't have bought a cutaway...