Did I break the lock?

[reddog1083]

Ok, so I just got back from a weekend with some friends. I brought my lockpick set along, with some padlocks. Everybody I went with decided that they all of the sudden wanted to be lock pickers. The padlock I told them to start out on I could normally do in 10 seconds. Well, now when I put my tension wrench in, it seems to slide down to far, and not let me apply the right tension. I dont know if this is because of all the people, and maybe it just got some wear on it? It just seems wierd, because now I can't pick this lock. The key still works btw.

Did I break the lock?

[unjust]

it's not broken, you let the magic smoke out. you'll need to sacrifice a small bit of brass to make it happy again.

what sort of padlock?

what do you mean the tension wrench slides down too far? is it going deeper into the lock, or is the wrench not getting ahold of anything and sliding up adn down in the keyway?

i woudl *assume* tha tif the key still works you can pick it, however it's entirely possible that somethign altered the mechanisim so that it's now secure via obscurity rather than mechanics.

[Eyes_Only]

I've had this happen to me before during my first year of picking on a number 3 Master padlock I picked too many times in a row. Couldn't figure out what happened but I just took the regular key and worked it vigorously in the lock for a couple minutes and it went back to normal operating condition.

Perhaps too much brass was shaved off by the inexperienced use of the picks by your friends and its causing the pins to jam up.

[Krypos]

having never taken a no 3 apart, i cant say for sure. but i do know that on another cheap master (not numbered) in the back, behind the plug, there is a thin metallic ring. it has a half circle cutout in it.

it sits on the back of the plug, it keeps things from getting deep into the lock body.

im thinking, that maybe one of your inexperienced pickers broke/misplaced that inside, as it would allow your pick to fall deeper, and might even make it harder to tension, as you'd need more force.

is it any harder to turn the key to open it?

[raimundo]

at the bottom of the keyway, where you can see the cylinder wall, the tensors may have been jammed enough to create a groove eroded from inexperienced pickers, if you tensor gets stuck, if its not loose enough to fall out of the keyway when u turn it over, you have this problem, the tension is becomeing grounded uselessly in fighting the cylinder wall. or on a laminated padlock, the endcap lamination may be grounding the tensor before it reaches the plug. examine the area of the lamination, it will have a shiny spot from picking, thats normal, look for any notch or small erosion that may catch the tensor edge.

[reddog1083]

It is a little bit harder to turn the key. I am thinking that I need a wider tension wrench, so it doesn't slide down to the bottom of the keyway.

[Eyes_Only]

And don't let your friends touch your locks and pick tools anymore. Next time they might twist your wrench and snap your picks.