Can you break locks by attempting to pick them?

[HappyHippy]

I recently started trying to pick locks. the first lock I bought was a cheep 5 pin padlock from a hardware store. After trying to pick it yesterday (unsucessfully ) I came back today to find that the key will no longer open the lock. Could I have damaged my padlock or what else could have happened? And what can I do about this?

[Schuyler]

I recently started trying to pick locks. the first lock I bought was a cheep 5 pin padlock from a hardware store. After trying to pick it yesterday (unsucessfully ) I came back today to find that the key will no longer open the lock. Could I have damaged my padlock or what else could have happened? And what can I do about this?

Yup! You can absolutely break locks when you pick them. You can drop master wafers, foul up springs, affect other parts of the lock (caming mechanisms, etc.) so - it's good that you did it on a lock you bought instead of a lock on a door. It's one of the main reasons we tell people not to pick locks that are in use.

[pin_pusher]

one of the worst mistakes i first made was to spin the plug 'round without a key in the chamber, thus dropping pins and springs. this is why we pick "out of use" locks. i've found that on higher security locks it is much harder to break pins through binding etc. also, if you're breaking the lock, you're probably picking too hard. (good way to get a nose bleed...picking too hard)

[HappyHippy]

Ok thanks guys! i guess ill have to buy a new one... do you guys get free locks anywhere? Im kinda poor and id like to start collecting locks to get better

[Solomon]

Ok thanks guys! i guess ill have to buy a new one... do you guys get free locks anywhere? Im kinda poor and id like to start collecting locks to get better

Most locksmiths will have some old cylinders or padlocks lying around somewhere that they can give you, I'd advise getting to know the guys running smaller shops though as they tend to be friendlier. They're more passionate about the trade and enjoy talking; they're almost always very pleasant and easy to get along with. If you get to know a couple they'll happily keep the locks they change/remove for you instead of scrapping them.

I also highly recommend ebay as you'll find a lot of good stuff on there... it's not free, but it's much cheaper than buying anything from a store even if they're brand new. You'll be starting out with basic stuff, so you're looking at just a few quid for each one. It's not a cheap hobby by any means, but it doesn't have to be *too* expensive.

About your original post, my guess would be that you have a very high cut on the key and failed to set that pin, snagging the spring at the shear line. It's not very common, but it can happen. Cheaper locks tend not to have balanced drivers, so with high cuts, instead of the driver pin blocking the shear line you have a spring instead. Not a problem using the key, but if those pins aren't set correctly when you pick them and you force the plug around, the spring will get stretched out and mess up the lock. It's fixable, but if it happens with a standard padlock (ie. without a removable core) then it's graveyard time.

[HappyHippy]

yea it was a padlock so as long as its graveyard time, I think ill try and take it apart. I remember reading something the other day about drilling out a padlock to get at the inside... so that will be fun

[HirosStorageUnit]

Been back into this hobby for only a few months, (due to needs at work I had to bust out my picks)
but I have broken 3 master padlocks since I got back into this. I damaged them to the point that the proper key no longer will open it I must pick it open.

So yes you will break locks.

[Ortin468]

Ok thanks guys! i guess ill have to buy a new one... do you guys get free locks anywhere? Im kinda poor and id like to start collecting locks to get better

Try the local dump, look for some doors. Bring tools so U can leave the door...

Ask a contractor to keep some old ones on the side for you, a 6 pack is usually a good bribe.

I've seen cheap stuff at garage sales too.

Just keep your eyes open...

[Solomon]

Been back into this hobby for only a few months, (due to needs at work I had to bust out my picks)
but I have broken 3 master padlocks since I got back into this. I damaged them to the point that the proper key no longer will open it I must pick it open.

So yes you will break locks.

That's a lot of locks to break in such a short period of time... you must be tensioning the living daylights out of those poor things!

[WOT]

I recently started trying to pick locks. the first lock I bought was a cheep 5 pin padlock from a hardware store. After trying to pick it yesterday (unsucessfully ) I came back today to find that the key will no longer open the lock. Could I have damaged my padlock or what else could have happened? And what can I do about this?

Some lock will break if you even turn the cylinder with a key without a that does not rest properly on bottom of the keyway by causing a pin to fall into the keyway. So if you were to carve out a section of bottom of the key, it will turn, but some lock will break

[Tyler J. Thomas]

I recently started trying to pick locks. the first lock I bought was a cheep 5 pin padlock from a hardware store. After trying to pick it yesterday (unsucessfully ) I came back today to find that the key will no longer open the lock. Could I have damaged my padlock or what else could have happened? And what can I do about this?

Yup! You can absolutely break locks when you pick them. You can drop master wafers, foul up springs, affect other parts of the lock (caming mechanisms, etc.) so - it's good that you did it on a lock you bought instead of a lock on a door. It's one of the main reasons we tell people not to pick locks that are in use.

There's a difference between causing a malfunction and outright breaking something. The caveats you identified are easily remedied and in no way will render a lock useless forever, just temporarily.

[chaos4zap]

I don't think I have ever actually broken pins, actually...breaking pins almost seems impossible in my mind, but obviously it happens. I bought a really cheap garbage padlock at a flea market one time and I went through my normal process of picking (I usually SPP, Then Rake, Then use the pick gun. I usually do all three to help hone my skills in all three methods) After the first round of picking, the lock was useless. It wasn't that the key wouldn't operate it, but anything would open it. It was as if the top spring, top pin and bottom pin were all forced through the top of the core and into the body of the lock. If I shake it around, I can hear all the pins shaking around in there. I also have a newer model Master M1XKAD (Master magnum lock, made of boron carbide) padlock and the only thing "magnum" about this thing is it's cool looks. In that lock, something happend to the front-most pin and the spring and top pin never engage the bottom pin. This means that I have to pick around that first pin and make sure the first pin stays down and doesn't get pushed into the lock. It makes it slightly more challenging, but I don't think that is how it is supposed to opperate and I somehow damaged the first pin.

[Tyler J. Thomas]

I don't think I have ever actually broken pins, actually...breaking pins almost seems impossible in my mind, but obviously it happens.

Spring-steel, stainless steel, etc. doesn't have high enough tensile strength to shear or fracture brass. If pins broke that easily, anyone could stick a screwdriver into the keyway and just torque it until the pins broke.

It was as if the top spring, top pin and bottom pin were all forced through the top of the core and into the body of the lock.

And that's a common issue with Schlage F-Series cylinders that utilize a collapsible bible. Too much force can actually pop the cap off and the pins can empty out into the handle.

You don't happen to have the make and model of the lock do you?

[Wizer]

When I was getting into lockpicking about 2 years ago, I bought this nice 6-pin anvil padlock.
It was (at the time) really hard to spp, so I raked it a lot.
A little while ago I took it out again and found the the key doesn´t open it anymore. After some wondering I cut a new key to it but made the cuts just a little higher and it works fine.
I had effectively sawed the pins with sharp rakes so they are now shorter than they used to be.
I can imagine a newbie practicing on his door running into problems, DONT DO IT!
-Wizer