Have I ruined this padlock?

[Squelchtone]

Hi everyone, total newbie here;

I have had a pair of padlocks now for nearly 20 years, in that time they've secured my bicycle trailer, they've often been rained on and full of water but I've tried to keep them lubed and working and they have never let me down. They are AAA (tri-A) #264 padlocks. I wrapped them in leather many years ago to stop them banging on the trailer as I cycled along.

Almost a year ago I was looking for a new challenge and lockpicking seemed cool so I bought a couple of picks online and made a tension wrench out of a hacksaw blade, and every time Bosnian Bill would upload a video I'd get my picks out and fiddle around with one of the locks while I watched it. But for months and months I had no luck at all, until I ordered a proper tension wrench about a month ago and suddenly it was working, but mostly it was random picking that popped the lock. I picked or raked that lock precisely 51 times in the last few weeks but to my shame I still don't know the binding order. I remember the first time I managed to pick the lock, such a great feeling, such a big smile!

Now unfortunately I think I've broken the lock I was using. I stopped having success about a week ago and was getting frustrated at myself until I tried the key one day and found it wasn't working any more. I think I overset a pin (#5, at the back) and now it's jammed. Also another pin (#1, at the front) in the same lock has no springiness, it just hangs there, and if I turn the lock upside down it falls out of sight. But that never stopped me picking it, don't know if the spring is damaged or the top half of the pin is jammed at the shear line.

Anyway, I have a few questions I was hoping you could help me out with.

1. In my exploratory picking I sometimes had some counter rotation. Does that indicate a spool pin or other security pin? They were pretty cheap locks so I wasn't expecting any spool pins, but maybe you can tell me? I googled of course but mostly what it came back with was similar looking locks but with a different name, triple-circle 264 padlocks. Are they the same locks, with a different name, or otherwise related?

2. Is there any way to fix my stuck pin? I've tried lubricating it and banging it on the table but to no avail. Strange because getting lubricated and banging my head on the table has always worked for me

3. I've tried the other identical padlock sometimes, but never opened it yet. I notice that when I use the key in that padlock I have to pull the key back out slightly before the chamber will turn. Is that somehow the reason I can't pick it open?

4. I also have an ABUS 65/40 padlock, it's narrower but I can get into it if I tilt the pick a bit. But I've had no luck at all with it, not once. Are there security pins in these locks or something? Ok, scratch that last, found the relevant thread. But none of the pins seem to bind, even with relatively heavy tension, am I doing something wrong? The key works as normal so it's not broken or anything.

Thanks in advance, from rainy Holland.

http://i.imgur.com/4mbGCn7.jpg

[kwoswalt99-]

Hello, and welcome
It might have similar pins to this one. http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=10665 I am of course not positive, but yours are probably the same as the tri-circles. They might have been made in the same factory.
Even with a stuck pin you should be able to get it open. I assume you were trying to bang the key pins down towards the key? Your picking it probably crushed the springs, but even so, you should be able to put the key in and knock the key pins down onto it.
Having to pull the key out slightly means that the key was poorly cut. It shouldn't have an affect on picking though.
About the abus, Your tension wrench might be binding in the bottom of the keyway. That happens a lot with yale keyways. That's all I got.
Maybe you could turn one into a practice lock like in the link.

[rafflesthecat]

Thanks kwoswalt99 for your input, I shall try banging it a bit with the key in! As for the link, I don't have the tools to do that, but if the pins are the same then I've been picking spool pins without knowing it.

I didn't know the ABUS has a yale keyway. I'm familiar with yales, being a brit, but of course I never paid much attention to the keyway shapes before I started picking. Would you happen to know if there is anywhere I can learn something more about keyway designs?

[GWiens2001]

Do an online search for the ILCO key blank catalog. Great resource.

Gordon

[rafflesthecat]

Thanks, that's an interesting lead.