Bird five pin tumbler not opening with key.

by **Zammo** » 5 Jul 2005 3:32

I tried to repin a Bird tumbler that I have. I firstly removed all of the pins and springs I didn't require (the back 3), then I re-assembled it. Unfortunately when I did the plug was turning freely, I then unassembled it again, checked to see why but couldn't find an explantion. I asked on the forum and someone suggested it was because the 1st and 2nd pins were 7 cuts. I presume meaning that the key wasn't actually lifting them up when inserted, so they were already at the shear line, hense the plug would turn freely without the key.

It was suggested that I remove the plug and swap the 1st and 2nd pins with ones of differing lengths or remove them and insert for instance the 3rd and 4th pins instead. I was going to attempt this but now for some reason the plug has locked in place and now the key won't even open it.

What could be causing this and is there any cure?

Sorry if this has been asked before but the search didn't turn up anything.

Thanks.

by **Whodunnit!?** » 5 Jul 2005 3:41

This has happened to me aswell,

I'm a noob, so i may be wrong, maybe the pins are mixed up so that the key doesn't align them properly. to fix this you'll probably have to pick the lock and then slide the cylinder out, re pin it to fit the key and reassemble it.

by **Zammo** » 5 Jul 2005 3:45

Hmm I don't know, because at first I could open the lock with the key, or even my finger as the plug was rotating freely. Now for some reason when I put it together the second time it locked up, yet the top two pins and bottom two pins were exactly the same length so no chance of mixing them up. The only thing I think could have happened is something to the spring?

by **Zammo** » 5 Jul 2005 3:47

I wish there was an edit button in this forum!

I forgot to mention I have looked at the lock and for some reason the second pin is not sticking up into the plug. This is what also makes me think the spring is not doing its job.

by **vector40** » 5 Jul 2005 4:05

There is no length of pin that will not block the rotation of the plug when it is installed properly. (At least with the pins on top; I suppose you could have one so short that it didn't reach the plug, if it was on the bottom... but it'd have to be really teensy, shorter than any real cut.)

by **Zammo** » 5 Jul 2005 4:18

Even when the spring is faulty?

Anyhow I have worked out what has happened.

For some reason the 2nd pin is now in the 3rd hole, which has no spring or driver pin, so is falling from top to bottom when I turn the lock upside down.

Sod it I just took a hammer to it and have now freed the plug. It was a total mess inside one of the driver pins were in the plug and there were three springs inside instead of two. I don't know how I messed it up so badly? Anyhow I'll try again....

by **Shrub** » 5 Jul 2005 4:52

Zammo, leave the tapometer alone,

To be honest the bird stuff is so cheap and nasty you wont get any great knowledge off doing anything with them as they are matched at the factory because they are so poor, pins swapped around etc all can make these locks faulty, notice how they fall open asd soon as you put a pick near them,

Of course its my opinion and may be wrong but for the price start with a Yale 1109 or somthing, easy, reliable, easy spares, well known,

You can buy trays for holding your pins etc but i made my own from a piece of mdf, cut 7-8 rows of 4 slots along a length of wood and then one along the bottom, label the first top left slot as pin one and so on, the 4 slots are for spring, top pin, bottom pin, possable master pin,
When you strip a lock you then know exactally which pin came from where and which ones youve put back in to the lock, any parts left over or any missing soon shows up.

by **Zammo** » 5 Jul 2005 7:00

Ok, thanks.

How much should I look to pay for a yale lock, I'm gonna goto my local hardware shop but he never has stuff priced. :roll:

by **Shrub** » 5 Jul 2005 8:24

You can get them of ebay for a few quid, from a hardware shop probably somthing between Â£5 and Â£8 i would have thought.

by **Zammo** » 5 Jul 2005 8:40

I just went to buy one, he wanted Â£14!

So I bought an ERA one instead for Â£5.

by **Zammo** » 5 Jul 2005 8:52

Thanks for everyones help I just completed the process in ten mintes with the ERA lock. It seems the Bird lock was just of poor quality, the springs were rubbish and also the first two pins were at the sheer line without a key!

by **Shrub** » 6 Jul 2005 6:23

Yep thats a Bird,

ERA much better and will teach you picking better.

Nice one :wink:

by **funky__monk** » 6 Jul 2005 19:24

if you have been picing it you could have changed the pins or you could have bent them with your tention

Bird five pin tumbler not opening with key.

Bird five pin tumbler not opening with key.

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