Mortice locks

[ChicoSlim]

I have been picking for about a year now i have come along way and also work for a door company on the weekends and have been truing to pick a Corbin Russwin for a while. Are mortice locks considered advanced on this site if not i need some assistance plz.

[FarmerFreak]

Don't worry, they aren't considered advanced.

It's difficult to give you a good answer though. We need more info. Pictures are the best kind of info . I don't know what locks you have been picking, but the Corbin Russwins are of a higher quality than most padlocks...or the kwiksets of the world. So plan on tighter tolerances. They tend to have spooled drivers, and some keyways can be difficult. What pick(s) and tension wrench(es) are you using? Do you have a key? If so, does it have one of those nasty shallow cuts in the back, after a deep cut?

Of course, it will always come down to practice practice and more practice.

[ChicoSlim]

I dont have a pic with me but will get one up later today. Ive tried all kinds of tension wrenches. I dont have a key i was a lock laying around on the door van. it does have a really tight key way though. Ive tried using my HPC snake rake, a half round, half diamond, a homemade offset diamond. I have been using tension at the bottom of the keyway. since I havent got the gist of top tension.

[FarmerFreak]

I personally prefer a hook pick and single pin picking. I'm not a fan of raking, and rarely use anything other than a hook. But that is my personal bias/preference. If you haven't done so yet, I would consider taking a step down from the Corbin and get a factory Schlage mortice cylinder on a "C" keyway. And practice single pin picking with it to get a really good feel of each individual pin. The Schlages keyway will allow for more pick movement, and it's easier to try out top tension. Then I would find one with spools, like a Schlage B360 deadbolt.

I wouldn't stop trying to pick the Corbin entirely though, give it a try each day. Just stay calm and take your time learning what each pin is telling you when you touch them. Tight keyways with tight tolerances and probably spools can all be problematic. It is a good challenge though.

Tips on raking it, don't know, really light tension!? Yeah not my thing, but you may have better luck with one of Raimond's Bogotas. Search around this site a little, and you will find tons of positive compliments on his picks. Try making one yourself!

[FarmerFreak]

I just read your other post in which you mention that you made one of Raimundo's (I spelled his name wrong earlier...doh) bogotas. Give that pick a try in this lock.

[ChicoSlim]

I can single pick a sc1 what is C keyway?

[FarmerFreak]

A Schlage "C" keyway is the same keyway as an sc1. However there are a lot of cheap knockoffs. Factory Schlages tend to have higher tolerances, and are harder to pick. Another good option is to get a factory Sargent with a fairly open keyway, those can very temperamental.

Basically you should get good with a tighter tolerance lock before dealing with one that is tight tolerance and a tight keyway. But to do that you will need other locks, original factory ones, not their cheaper ones. Since the factory Corbin is comparable to a good factory Schlage or Sargent. Avoid the cheap aftermarket replacement cylinders.

If you are already good at picking the other locks I mentioned. Then you should already know what you are feeling for and thus know what you need to do. (practice ). The tight keyway will always be a problem and even more so if it has a deep than shallow cut in back, though we don't know if this is the case.

[ChicoSlim]

I have a Kawneer mortice cylinder that has a deep 1st and a shallow 2nd with spools drivers i have trouble with that one too. it is little more open but it is hard as hell to get. i am going to just keep practicing like you suggest. the pick i use for spp is a half round from Southern Specialties. should i change that to my HPC hook?

[FarmerFreak]

the pick i use for spp is a half round from Southern Specialties. should i change that to my HPC hook?

Yes, or at least a half diamond. Most people wouldn't recommend the half ball. Mainly because the difference between a half ball and a half diamond is that little extra height you get from the diamonds point.

And yeah deep than shallow is bad. You should try setting up your kawneer to a shallow 6th pin with a deep 5th pin. At that point you can usually only pick them in one direction without a pick gun/bump key. Pending on the size of hook that can make it to the back without lifting the 5th pin.

I'm not familiar with the Kawneer cylinders. Please tell me the lock cylinder/housing is solid brass and not pot metal/zemak.

[sfi72]

I have a Kawneer mortice cylinder that has a deep 1st and a shallow 2nd with spools drivers i have trouble with that one too. it is little more open but it is hard as hell to get. i am going to just keep practicing like you suggest. the pick i use for spp is a half round from Southern Specialties. should i change that to my HPC hook?

Yeah, ball picks are best suited for wafer locks.

[ElbowMacaroni]

I don't know what locks you have been picking, but the Corbin Russwins are of a higher quality than most padlocks...or the kwiksets of the world. So plan on tighter tolerances. They tend to have spooled drivers, and some keyways can be difficult.

Cool! Good to know, I have a few of these on the way from a liquidation sale. Should be fun!

-EM

[ChicoSlim]

Yeah it is solid brass i will take my half round out of my assortment and put a offset and hald diamond in. Thanks for the advise.

[magician59]

As already stated, C/R cylinders rate up there with Schlage and Sargent in quality. Three things make them challenging: (1). Restrictive keyways (most of them are paracentric. (2). Factory use of spool drivers. (3). Tight tolerances. I have best success with these cylinders by using top of plug tension and smaller dimensioned picks. (I use Rytan Mini Blue picks, which are about 20% smaller in overall dimension than their standard configuration counterparts).