Stuck pick + Tension Wrench Placement?

[MadHesher]

Okay I'm going to do my best to explain this so you can, hopefully, clear the smoke.
First off The pick set I'm using is the Southord MPXS-14 and I'm picking a Weiser keyed entry lock set.

I've opened the lock a few times, mostly with raking and luck, but every now again I push the pick in past the last pin and it seems to hit a back wall. This seems normal except that the back wall is springy and if I push the wall back with the pick the pick gets stuck. it takes me anywhere from 3 seconds to 15 minutes to get the pick unstuck with no apparent pattern or explanation as to what is catching it. Sometimes twisting the pick while its stuck will help give it some wiggle room.

Also if you guys have any advice on proper TW (tension wrench) placement that would be great. I put it in the bottom most left space in the keyhole but while putting tension on it sometimes it shifts up to in-between the two groves and gets in the way of the picks movement as while as getting stuck.

Thank you, Zach.

(Sorry if this is a repost I looked around the site for a bit before posting to make sure it wasn't and obvious repost.)

[gloves]

Hello and welcome

I'm not familiar with the lock model you're using, but will do my best to guess what's happening there.

I guess you're using a half diamond pick to rake and I can tell you that some cheap padlocks, for example, have the arc locking mechanism accessible past the pins, on that bottom wall, hence you may be hitting there and your pick is catched by that shifting bar. This sounds the most plausible thing in my head at the moment, but I'm sure it's not the only one.

Sorry if I don't deepen into details but this may be considered bypassing and it cannot be discussed in the public forums.

About correct tension wrench placement, there is no set one. Only variables which play in such subject are: free access to mechanism to be manipulated and confortable position (for your hands). You can place it on top or bottom of the keyway, as long as you can access to the pins with the picks and are comfortable with that.

Have fun

[3-in-1]

Back when I was regularly picking locks of all types, i found that a proper fitting tension wrench was just as important as having a good selection of picks. Get some extra wrenches, especially the thicker heavier ones so you can alter them and make you own selection of good fitting ones.