Schlage B360

[keycode]

Hi all,

I'm a pretty new hobbiest and I'm having a pretty good time with it. Once the Kiwis and padlocks around the house posed no challenge, I wanted to get a more difficult lock to pick. I went to Home Depot and got a Schlage B360 Deadbolt.

As confident as picking the Kiwis made me feel, this one put me in my place, granted, my skill level is pretty low.

I've only spent a couple hours so far, and at this point, I'm questioning the size of my half hook. Might be a little too big although I am so new at this that there's a bigger chance it's just me. Seems like pins are falling after I get another pin set, .. or if I do keep all the pins up, they are just too high because I have too much tension.

I'm using the SO beginner 14 piece set. Can someone tell me if this should be an adequate challenge for someone at my level?

I've only tried so far with all the pins in. Next step is taking it apart and seeing if I can try it a couple pins at a time.

Nice site BTW, I have been lurking around the last day reading lots of good information.

[keycode]

I watched this guy do it and got it within a minute. I noticed how the pick would come out, and he would go back in all the way and come back out again. +1 skill point

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCGj7C1TqwI&NR=1

[cppdungeon]

schlage is a big step up. i can pick spools and 5 pins all day long, but i have an old schlage that i havent cracked yet. my advice, since you bought it and have a key (i bought mine from a restore) is to take it apart, and repin it with a few pins, so you can get used to spools and whatever else it has. i think DB or someone posted some security pin exercises on here somewhere...use the search function.

[cheesehead]

that lock does have spool pins. if you haven't yet learned how to deal with them, do a little searching and read up on the topic. I find it much easier to pick schlage locks buy placing my tension wrench at the top of keyway - it will give you a little more room to pick. good luck!

[iforgotmykeys]

Hi, new hobbyist here

I just picked up this lock today from ACE to start practicing with. My understanding is that there is 1 regular pin and 4 spools? That is way above my difficulty level at the moment, so I would like to remove some of the pins. However, I'm not sure how to get to them.

Looking at the cylinder, the only likely access point seems to be at the top where there is a crimped piece of metal covering the pins. Do I have to pry this cover off? How do I do that without damaging it so that I can put the lock back together?

Thanks for the help, and I really enjoy the site. Lots of great information here.

[freakparade3]

There will be 3 spool pins, not 4. Although at times you will get one with no spools at all. This link will help you. It has helped many, many of us. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10677

[iforgotmykeys]

There will be 3 spool pins, not 4. Although at times you will get one with no spools at all. This link will help you. It has helped many, many of us. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10677

Thanks for the reply, I am definitely planning to follow the progression in the beginner's guide. I did some more digging on google for "repin schlage deadbolt", and came across this awesome page with step-by-step to disassemble the lock (turns out I was waaaaay off on how to break it down):

http://consumer.schlage.com/tradeprof/rekeying.asp

Interestingly enough, this schlage (B360N V 609) has 4 spools. Its a little less ideal for my purposes because I only have on regular driver to work with, but I will try my hand at it for a bit. After that I will probably give up and find a place to go buy some regular drivers.

[iforgotmykeys]

Breaking down the cylinder seems to be a lot simpler than rebuilding it. Does anyone have tips for inserting the drivers?

A pair of tweezers works well enough to get them seated on the springs, but I am having a tough time keeping one driver in place while I insert a second. At this point, I can't even imagine trying to redo all 5 pins. I have tried a couple of different tools, but nothing seems to work well. Things like screwdrivers, pens, etc are too loose for me to keep the drivers depressed (ends up slipping off one side or the other, and the driver comes flying back out), while others are were too big to fit inside the housing.

Looking around the forums and web, I can see that tools can be made or purchased to make this easier. Does everyone go this route? Are there makeshift tools that any of you find are successful (especially with schlage SC1 cylinders)? I don't want to spend the next 3 hours fighting this thing

[freakparade3]

Always remember, the sticky's are your friends. This will help you in replacing the top pins. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=22090

[iforgotmykeys]

Thats was my problem, I was searching on repin instead of top pin. Thanks for the link

[nothumbs]

You really want a plug follower for this. You can make one from some thin, flexible material, but I recommend buying a set. It is not that large an investment, and makes the job much easier.

You can make a repinning tray from a piece of corrugated cardboard. Just peel the top layer off and leave the corrugations behind. You can lay each set of pins and springs in each valley of the corrugation and everything stays in place until you are ready to reassemble.

[iforgotmykeys]

Yea I saw the accordion layouts people seem to use for pins, so I made a quick and easy one with a piece of 8"x11" paper. I ended up using a nail file of all things to hold down the pins that I was setting earlier today. It worked OK, but I'm seriously considering buying a kit to speed up the process. I envision many a repin in my future.

Hopefully I can get that video from the stickied thread to load before too long so I can see if he has some better ideas

[iforgotmykeys]

Well after about 4 hours of practice total I can now pick the b360 with all pins in place. I can also pick the deadbolt on my apartment door and by extension any door in the complex

Its kind of scary that deadbolts that I considered "safe" a few weeks ago can be bypassed by someone with 4 hours training and a set of picks then can get off the internet. If there is one thing this hobby has taught me already, its to be a little more selective in what locks you get to secure your home. Obviously I always knew someone could bust out a window or kick open the door if they wanted to, but I wouldn't have though covert entry was quite this easy.

[tballard]

I can also pick the deadbolt on my apartment door and by extension any door in the complex

Just as a gentle reminder, picking locks which are "in use" (even though you own them) is a recipe for trouble. This is especially true when you mix cheap locks with inexperienced pickers. Congratulations on your success, a four-spool Schlage is a good accomplishment for a new picker.

[iforgotmykeys]

I can also pick the deadbolt on my apartment door and by extension any door in the complex

Just as a gentle reminder, picking locks which are "in use" (even though you own them) is a recipe for trouble. This is especially true when you mix cheap locks with inexperienced pickers. Congratulations on your success, a four-spool Schlage is a good accomplishment for a new picker.

Wise words, I can only imagine what that would have looked like if someone walked by while I had my door open picking the lock

I was heady with the success of picking all 5 pins on my schlage though, and didn't have anything else available. I can see this is going to become an expensive hobby for me. Thankfully I don't have enough space for an actual workshop, so that might keep me in check for a couple of years

Now I just need to go pick up some padlocks to play with...