Master Lock 150

[brentwal]

Not a lot of info about this particular lock that I can find.. My apologies if I have missed a thread about it..

I am new to lock picking.. Only been at it a week or so.. I have done a fair share of reading, and I understand the theories and concepts of exploiting the weaknesses of locks.. However, I am still a beginner and I have a question about a particular lock; Master Lock 150..

5 pins.. 2 spools, I think? Front pin and back pin I think are spooled.. But what do I know?

I have had the lock for 2 days and have had ZERO successful picks.. I have tried single pin picking, but get my pick stuck.. I feel like it should be easier to jiggle or rake it open.. Any thoughts on this lock?

I should mention - I have been successful with a few other locks I bought.. So I am pretty confident in my ability - I just feel like this lock is a bugger!

[unlisted]

Photos do help, so we know what kind of lock, and the keyway..

[traceurspoon]

Yeah, the 150 can be a little hard. From the few that I've got, I've noticed that the pins are usually set fairly high. Keep the torque light, and keep at is all I can say! If you want practice, grab a 140, it's same # of pins, but is a little easier to feel the feedback.

[brentwal]

Sorry about the pictures.. It's a pretty common lock; So I didn't think they were needed.. But here they are:





I wasn't able to get a very clear shot of the keyhole and pins.. But - I tried my best!

As for giving it light tension, I have read somewhere else to do that, and when I do, I just don't seem like I'm getting anywhere - I don't feel any pins set.. For example, I KNOW the first pin the key touches is spooled.. And I know when I have it properly set.. I don't know! I guess I WILL just have to keep working at it

Any other tips would be greatly helpful! Thanks, everyone!

[brentwal]

Sorry! Bad links with my last post.. ImageShack officially sucks!





Also, I have been using the snake rake to lightly go over the pins.. I find that very quickly, the barrel wants to rotate, and really will.. I don't know why this is, or what it's doing..

[traceurspoon]

I tend to find that the 150 is kinda hard to rake. I had to spp it. Also b/c of the spool pins, it does give a lot when it's falsely set. You've gotta back up and start again... which is really annoying :-p

[brentwal]

So when it gives a lot - That's a bad thing? You're saying stay with light pressure, and don't give in to the urge to turn the barrel over as it wants to give? Even when it really feels like it's going - I know it's annoying!

This lock will be the death of me, as a beginner.. Go big or go home I guess haha..

[oORusHOo]

Hehe, this was the first lock i ever picked - a really good one for a learner (provided you don't get too frustrated with it) because it only has four pins and two are spools.

Here's a tip:
When it gives way and turns a bit, it means your close to picking it.
Find the pin which feels different from the others (with the lock still turned a bit). It might feel stiff, but not solid (a good indication it's a spool), or lower than the others (not such a good indication, but not bad either).
Apply pressure to it, and turn the lock back ever so slowly. Sometimes i find 'bouncing' on the tension wrench helps, where you ease off the pressure and apply it again straight afterwords.
Once that pin seems to be set (again), you might have another pin or two to pick (again), but this time it should open.

Also, these pins are made of brass and wear really quickly. You'll find it gets easier and easier to open - but it doesn't necessarily mean your getting better

Good luck!

[brentwal]

Ahh, the 150 has 5 pins! I think the front and back pins are spooled..

I find when I spp this thing, I get nowhere.. But when I use the rake, and with light pressure I get some pins set, and then I screw with the false set, and bla bla.. I'll just keep working at it I guess.. I just feel like I'm doing something wrong!

How long did it take you to pick it??

[oORusHOo]

Also, (heh, i just had a play with mine), when you find the pin that has a spool in it, depressing it will cause a counter-rotational force.
When you know what you're looking for it becomes second nature (which is why i forgot that's what it feels like )

[oORusHOo]

5 pins?

... Maybe I don't have a 150 then :/ hm.
Looks just like yours... and '150' rings a bell... perhaps not :/

[brentwal]

Yeah, definitely 5 pins.. I know exactly what you're saying about depressing the spooled pin and getting that counter-rotational force.. It happens every time and I always have to start over.. I hate that.. I don't know how to get around it.. I know use light pressure and all that.. Argg.. So frustrating!

[traceurspoon]

Yeah, when you get the false set, it gives a LOT. You think you've picked it for one glorious second... and then you haven't

The pin that is false set, won't move, at all, if you've got a lot of torque on it. So find it, try to lift it up as you slowly let up on your torque. If you're lucky it'll pop open, if not, one or two pins will fall.

[oORusHOo]

brentwal, you shouldn't have to start over from scratch when it happens - you just need to apply more force (sometimes a LOT of force) to the pin which is giving you that weird vibe (and only that pin), whilst letting off the torque a bit. If you're lucky, you can set that pin not drop any others. If you do drop others but that pin gets set - you needed to drop the others

Best advice I can give to a new comer is to choose a really shallow pick (almost straight), and close your eyes as you pick.
Be very away of which pin it is your picking, as often learning where you are horizontally in the lock is harder than where you are vertically.
Try to build up a mental image of the lock, as well as the order the pins are setting (and obviously which pins you've set).

Also, try to lift the pins as little as possible. This way you will set off *every* spool pin, which might seem bad, but actually it's a more correct approach, as you'll learn which pins are spool pins, and which pins aren't.

Spool pins aren't actually such a problem for beginners. It's the non-spool pins in the spool-pin'd lock which are often too high but bound, and won't unbind until you let some pins drop.

So really, you want to take it nice and slow and elegantly, and really just try moving each pin up a millimeter, then two millimeters, then three. As soon as you think it *might* be set, try a different pin.

Reason is, aside from having pins get bound to the sides by over-lifting them, many beginners (i know i did) think they set a pin when really they where pushing hard on a ledge of the keyway, the pick slid off onto a different section of the keyway, and they think it's now set. This doesn't happen if you're really light and delicate.

Anyway, good luck. A 5 pin lock to start off with is not an easy task =P

[brentwal]

I effing did it! Just laid here in bed and picked up the lock and literally picked it for 15 seconds and it just popped open.. At first I was like "WTF" and then realized I finally got it.. Had to post here to vent my excitement LOL

Crappy thing is, I've tried to do it again - And can't.. Musta got lucky!