I thought breaking picks was just for video games...

[daniel22747]

When I play Skyrim and try to pick the master level locks I break alot of picks....

Hoever today I was picking a real Master lock and....broke two real picks! It was a big boron carbide master lock with a soft protective covering on it.

I have never broke a pick before and I have had this lock for about two months and am able to pick it fairly easily most days.

I started out use a "bata-rang" pick, you know those pointy M picks. After a few second the tip snapped off. This was a bummer but
didn't really shock me as this pick has a week spot at the base of the tip. I was using an up and down lifting method that I have found works really well on some locks with this pick.

I also was not too upset as I had just ordere a couple of these picks from a company that makes nice sturdy stiff picks. They should be arriving next week.

So..... I decided to try the same method using my trust sturdy L rake. After about 10 second the same thing happened!! The tip came right off. It was a nice clean cut. I was really bummed about this and will have to order a couple more.


However does any one have any idea what may have happened? I have picked this lock many times before using this method, and other methods too, and nothing like this has ever happened. Could I have altered the lock by picking it so many times that something became sharp inside it?

Needless to say I will not be picking that lock ever again.

[MrAnybody]

Yep, done that. I'd guess it's just one of those things. Thankfully, some pick manufacturers are kind enough to replace broken picks at no cost. I know Storm picks do this, and a friendly chat with Sales of SouthOrd for example may yield some understanding. But saying that, it can also depend on who you're talking to or which the wind is blowing.

The bata-rang is a common one to break. With its deep angles and cutaways, and use that in a stiff lock .... it's happened to me.

Do you hear all the pins correctly when you just pull a diamond or hook through the keyway? If so, then I guess you're just unlucky that you broke 2 picks in a day.

[daniel22747]

You know right before the first pick broke I failed to pick the lock and was going to start over. When I looked down at the way it had somehow undergone what looked to be a slight counter clockwise rotation, even though the lock is only supposed to turn clockwise. Maybe something had broken inside?

I used a tension wrench to pull the plug back to center and it seemed to be ok. But maybe it was not?

[MrAnybody]

The counter-rotation could be just a false set security pin, but if that's corrected, I'd say you'd be OK.

You've probably tried this, but if you're thinking something is broken, check it out by putting a half-diamond through the keyway to the back of the lock, raise it up and then gently pull it through. Can you hear all the pins pinging back into place as the pick moves through the keyway? If so, all is good. Personally, I'd go back to picking it, if that's the case.

Just a thought:
It could just be a case of getting tense while picking and using more force than I normally do. I can get all tense without even noticing until I find my shoulders all bunched up. If some frustration with a lock comes about, I think I'm more likely to break a pick.

[GWiens2001]

I think the counter rotation he is referring to is not while picking, but that when he closed the lock, the spring flicked the plug backwards enough that it spun past the drivers in the bible, much like using a plug spinner. This lock can likely be picked backwards. Many locks can.

Gordon

[zeepia]

When I play Skyrim and try to pick the master level locks I break alot of picks....

As in real life, you have to connect to the right people

In Skyrim you can get as present one pick that doesn´t break even when abused with hardest locks...

[daniel22747]

The pins seem to be falling down ok, but I still think I am done with this lock. It sliced my L rake like butter!

It's ok though. It gave me some good practice.

[ojulius]

Had a chuckle about Skyrim: when life imitates video games . . . .!

[daniel22747]

Had a chuckle about Skyrim: when life imitates video games . . . .!

Haven't broke any picks since that one time... in real life that is... still break em in skyrim.

[PinPopper1]

The lock you are referring to, is it an M15? Just curious as I also broke my batarang working on one. Large, hexagonal shaped shackle with boron yada-yada stamped in it?

[PinPopper1]

BTW...Skyrim rocks!!!! High elf baby!!! Lol