what are spool pins.....god im such a noob...

[cL4y]

i know its probably the stupidest question you have ever heard about lockpicking,but what are spool pins? are they special pins in the lock that dont feel like they bind or something?


cl4y

P.S i use the search function,but i found nothing,so chill-out

[jordyh]

Spool pins are pins that are (most of the time) shaped like a spool.
This means that the middle part is thinner than the ends.
When you try to pick a lock, the spool pin (usually a driver pin by the way) will get caught at the shear line (mostly as the last pin to pick), and you'll get stuck with a plug that turns a little bit.

You can fix this situation by just pushing the spool pin with your pick (i prefer a hook for this) and gradually release tension (not all though).
With a bit of luck, practice and skill, the spool pin will fall in place without messing up the already set pins.
The lock will pop open then.

Good luck picking, and if you feel like giving up, remember that it took me some time too to master these pins (to be honest, i have been advised to buy/make myself a special pick because i've got a spool pin in a horrible place).

Also, if you want further information (and that counts for all the newbies that read this), feel free to add me on msn and i'll help you as much as i can in the field of locks and picking technique.

Yours,

Jordy

[illusion]

Go Jordy!

[jordyh]

Go Jordy!

`

Okay, i admit, i'm bored.

[Blink]

Here are two good links with pictures of two different spool pins.
http://crypto.com/photos/misc/lockpins/pin-spool1.html
http://crypto.com/photos/misc/lockpins/pin-spool2.html

And another type of security top pin, called the mushroom pin, treated the same way as a small (releasing tension, negative plug rotation, push pin up, etc).
http://crypto.com/photos/misc/lockpins/pin-medeco-mushroom.html

[Blink]

*treated the same way as a spool*

(Spelling error, sorry)

[cL4y]

wow.One day and i had a reply thats great guys thanks alot!im still learning and i see people talk about things in the threads,but never actually explain them,thats why i put up this one.

[Legion303]

There are also what I call "serrated spools"...I've only seen this on a Brinks repinnable padlock I have, and gave them a semi-random name. They look kind of like this:



Where the darker rectangular strips are grooves. I'd offer a real picture but I'm not at home right now so MS Paint is the best I can do at the moment.

-steve

[p1ckf1sh]

Here are various assorted security pins I have encountered and assimilated so far. One is a serrated (the one with two notches), the silver one has a little spring around the thin part (heck, who knows why...) and the other are regular spool type.

[Krypos]

i feel like im looking at spent bullets or something. LOL. so how would one know if one's lock had any spool/mushroom/serrated driver pins in it if one couldnt open say...their craftsman padlock that had been driving him nuts?

[dmux]

omg, they look like threaded pins

my problem with those types of pins is that if the spool pin is not the first one to be set, how do i release a little pressure to let the lip on the spool pass through the shear line without the rest of the pins falling back down.

[Shrub]

I dont like being told to chill out and there are hundreds of threads on spool pins, search for security pins, spool pins, serated pins, mushroom pins etc

Its been covered pretty well i think but they hinder picking as the plug turns a little when they are false set thus giving the picker a false conception that the pin it correctally set.

To pick you can either lift the pin well above shearline and drop it down with feathering the tension to set it correctally or you can feel if youve false set a pin in that the plug will turn back again slightly if the pin is further raised, a correctly set pin will not do this.