Have I damaged the lock?

[JohnoLFC]

Hey everyone.

I'm new to the world of lock picking (day 2 today) and I have a bunch of new locks which I have been playing about with for a few hours. I have noticed that I will play about for around 20 minutes with a lock before managing to crack it (these are by no way high grade locks). After that 20 minutes, I'm basically able to open the lock with a single pick by replicating what I have done.

My question is...Am I been too rough with these locks and possibly damaging the pins/springs so they open easier next time? I have seen posts of people saying they have damaged the springs and the lock will no longer open, but the two locks I have cracked both work fine after picking. Would you guys say that these locks are poor, or is there a possibility I am damaging them? The two locks in question are a Silverline Iron padlock, and a 5-pin garage door lock.

Any help would be appreciated as I don't want to continue damaging locks as I move on to my more expensive purchases

Cheers

[GWiens2001]

What kind of locks are they? How much force are you using? Do you have pictures of the keyways?

Gordon

[JohnoLFC]

Thanks for the quick reply. Here are the locks I managed to pick below:



Just kidding

Its these two...





And here are the keys if it helps...



I have read a bit more and it may be that the locks are cheap. The lock seems to open by me manipulating only the last pin; the rest of the pick may push the other 'earlier' pins.

I'm using quite a bit of force on the tension if I'm honest...I've got a touch like a baby elephant....but I'm working on that

Let me know your thoughts as I'm eager to learn

[GWiens2001]

You got me with that ABLOY!!! You should have seen my expression.

The one with the handle is a wafer lock, and should be very easy no matter what.

The other one (Silverline) looks like the keys are hand filed. Don't think those have any security pins. Do the key pins have any spring tension when you lift them? Wondering if the driver pins got slightly deformed due to heavy tension and are stuck above the shear line. If they do still have spring tension, it may be that you finally figured out the needed tension.

Gordon

[JohnoLFC]

The other one (Silverline) looks like the keys are hand filed. Don't think those have any security pins. Do the key pins have any spring tension when you lift them? Wondering if the driver pins got slightly deformed due to heavy tension and are stuck above the shear line. If they do still have spring tension, it may be that you finally figured out the needed tension.
Gordon

Hey Gordon,

It sort of feels to me like there are four pins towards the opening. These do spring back up when pushed down and move when I run my pick along them. It almost feels like the back pin (the one I manipulate to open) is set back on its own from the other four.

Does that make sense or are my over sized hands getting in the way? haha