broke my lock trying to pick it

[master in training]

as usual, a quality post raimundo, but he said he couldn't pick the lock, so nothing has fallin into the keyway due to the turning of it, sorry to correct you! (im making the most of it, it wont happen again! )

maybe db was right that it was the end of a pick in there?

[hzatorsk]

thanks everyone for the suggestions, especially you hzatorsk

btw, where in Va are you? I'm in Annandale, northern va. we should start a lock exchange

[snip]

I assume this lock has security pins of some sort?

keep the tips coming please!

Richmond area... No security pins. I've traded my picks for a stepper moter so my only interest in a lock exchange is safe/vault combination locks only. I need a SG 6731, a 8400 or 8500 Group 1R, and a 6123 with Time Commander.


hz

[hzatorsk]

i'm determined to pick this s.o.b ...so far I have tried using the curved pick, a diamond pick, and a rake. nothing works. i think i'll skip the woodsmack trick, as tempting as that is

It rakes easily and I've picked it with just a diamond a pin at a time. I've also bumped it open in the past. Not a particularly aggressive biting... and I did know the biting before picking them... but... even so... They are actually quite easy to open.

Point of interest... the control key has a notch in bottom of it at about position 3 so the plug with the control key can turn past a retaining slug that would normally stop the customer key from a complete rotation.

hz

[tri-city]

if you take the lock out and get a piece of thin aluminium like a piece of coke can them you take the back clip off ( im pesuming that it is a cylinder ) you will be able to feed a small piece of the coke can between the top side of the cylinder and the body.. what you could do is gently bang the top of the lock while pushing the shim in. alternatively put a tension tool in the key way and gently bang the top of the lock, it shoulkd right itself..

[Rusty Shackleford]

I posted after having the same problem recently.. a search didn't bring this thread up at that time; I just found it now by coincidence.

I believe what hzatorsk said about it re-keying when the owner uses their key for the first time has everything to do with why these locks can stop working when you pick them. I removed mine and replaced them, and then used them as practice after re-pinning them. A bunch of *tiny* ball bearings came out with the pins, along with the tiny wafer pins. Either one could potentially freeze up the lock or prevent full key entry. The lock can, however, easily be re-pinned to still fit the key and function properly after experiencing this problem.