Lock cracked but won't open.

[driftin]

Hey guys im a long time ' user ' of the forum's knowledge and just made an account.

And before you say use the search button, I did try to search this but couldn't find any relevant information.

I have a pick gun and I think im alright with it, but im having trouble with a Yale deadlock. I can crack it so it turns a very little but but it still wont open. And when I ' reset ' it, I can hear the lock click back again into its locked position. Its very frustrating so anyone could help me out that'd be good.

Btw I am turning the lock the right way, I have tried both ways.

Thanks again,

[Squelchtone]

Hi and welcome to the forum (officially)

It sounds to me like you're hitting some spool pins (security pins) which are doing their intended job. The lock is pretty much picked, but they're holding on to dear life to not let you turn that plug. When you use the key on that lock, does it turn smoothly and all the way around?

The other explanation could be that the snib is down on the other side so the tailpiece is disabled and this is what is stopping the plug from turning, or the door needs to be pulled or pushed shut in order to reduce the friction and drag on the deadbolt or latch dragging against the door frame or strike plate.

If you have the key to this lock you can easily troubleshoot what is going on.

If your plug turns from 12 to 1 o'clock, and stops, it's probably spool pins. I highly recommend this video to anyone wanting to learn how they work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4hoGY3SAtU

Enjoy and let us know if you manage to open it. Other than a snap gun, have you tried a hook pick and a tension wrench to manually pick it the old fashioned way?

Squelchtone

[Solomon]

My immediate first thought was spools aswell. Depending on the model it could have 2 or 4 spools in it, and the false set is very noticable so you're getting caught in a false set without a doubt. Many of their padlocks are fully spooled, but I'm assuming you're working on a cylinder. Anyway... you can still open it with a pick gun, but you need a different technique because the regular pins will always set first and as soon as that happens, the lock will drop straight into false.

Assuming you're using a manual pick gun, when it comes to spools it's all about timing. I don't have enough experience with pick guns to tell you exactly what to do, but I've managed to open a couple of spooled locks with a snap gun before and I found that you need to experiment with your tension a lot. You have try to time it so you don't turn until a split second after you snap the pick and then just kinda pulse the tension while snapping like a madman. It's kinda hard to explain to be honest, so just keep playing around until you get it. Think of it like trying to snap the pins and catch them on their way down as opposed to just applying the lightest tension and bouncing them up incrementally like with regular pins.

They're much easier to pick by hand, so honestly you should be gearing more towards that approach if you wanna be able to open it with any kind of consitency.

[driftin]

Thanks for the advice guys, really appreciate it. And yes its a manual pick gun.

When using the key you right as in, it will turn but you have to use a fair bit of force. I've tried using a small screw driver to turn the lock when its cracked so I don't wreck my tension wrench but that failed. This lock seems to be alot more technical than I thought going by your reply's. I think your on the money with the spool pins cos it turns only a fraction.

Ill watch the video and keep practising cheers for the help.

Ps. I would like to start manual picking but honestly I wouldn't know where to start, and I don't know if I would have the patients for it either. But im willing to give it a shot.

[Solomon]

To be honest you need a lot more patience when it comes to the gun!! They're frustrating to use because you don't get a proper picture of what's happening in the lock and once you do figure out the right tension technique and amount of snap to open the lock you're working on it's still quite tricky to repeat it. Not to mention the blade coming loose every 10-15 snaps and having to re-tighten the feckin thing over and over

It's hard to know where to start because of the sheer volume of information, but there are a couple of really good threads that I'd personally recommend you check out. Go to the pick-fu section and read JK's guide to SPP, and also check out the beginners picking exercise by digital_blue. They're both stickied at the top. That'll give you a good look into how locks work and why pins bind etc, then you'll understand what it is you're supposed to be doing. The rest is just practice and lots of it...but it's worth putting the time in, trust me. If you want a ridiculously in-depth guide to picking I can send you a link to the one I wrote a while ago although those guides are definitely enough to get you started