Kabba Quattro help please..

[thedominator7a]

This is in one of my collections and is now diseased due to me trying to pick it with a half circle pick.. I picked it and the plug turned about 30 degrees and the pins reset. When i picked it again and continued turning it to the unlock position the pins fell out into the keyhole after turning another 14degrees.. I am aware that this lock is master keyed.. What should I have done and what pick and tension wrench, if any should I have used.. And what did I do worng.. Thanks in advance..

[raimundo]

look in Zekes posts, use his name and kaba, for search terms, he has some posts on this lock. Perhaps others will come on and tell you their experiences with this lock, and how to reassemble it, or at least get it past the relocker holes. (by rapping?)

[datagram]

Like many other KABA locks, the Quattro uses dimple-pins at various angles. There are a good number of pin-chambers and some of are commonly not pinned. What probably happened is that a top pin fell into an open chamber, causing it to lock up.

I'm not sure that there's an easy way to get this out. Rapping might be possible, but may be pretty hard depending on how many pins are stuck.

dg

[mh]

As you said, the pins fall into the keyway. That's it, KABA locks are just like that.
You could potentially prevent it by filling the top of the keyway with something like a thin tension wrench, while carefully turning.

BTW I think you might have a Gemini, with 3 rows, not 4 like the Quattro.

Cheers,
mh

[thedominator7a]

The key says Kabba quattro.. Will do the search s suggested.. Cheers

[greyman]

It looks like a Gemini (as mh said). I'm curious that you say you turned it 30 degrees and it relocked. That doesn't sound right - the pin chambers in a Gemini are in a Y shape, whereas for Quattro it's like an X shape. Either way, you should have to turn it more than 30 degrees before one set of driver pins can line up with the holes in the plug again. And then, it depends on the bore pattern of the plug - the chambers are sometimes staggered, sometimes some line up with others. Have a look in my book for an explanation (see my signature).

Assuming you haven't got a plug without the blind pins, ie no lower pin, you should be able to undo what you have done nondestructively. I'd try feeling along the keyway for pins or springs that are sticking out into it. But I could be wrong...

[thedominator7a]

Yes there are pins and springs sticking out in the keyway. Am thinking that the original key will not work anymore even if I somehow managed to get the springs in there.. cheers greyman ..

[thedominator7a]

Oh and thanks for the book, quite a bit to swallow. A lot of information in there.. Good book..

[thedominator7a]

Does anyone know and way of preventing the springs from popping out??

[JK_the_CJer]

I'm afraid I don't have any advice about unfudging the lock that hasn't already been given. Good luck with returning it to its former state of functional glory. Just wanted to chime in and say congrats for picking the thing

[raimundo]

Zeke has a post where he has encountered this problem and found that after putting it back together, he repicked it and

PACKED THE KEYWAY WITH DENTAL FLOSS. after picking it to keep it from falling apart.
why dental floss, you use what is available, and you want to use something that can be fully removed from the keyway without residue.

[thedominator7a]

Wow that's pretty amazing. Dental floss.. never knew it would be strong enough to prevent the pins from falling onto the key way.. Cheers raimundo