Masterlock #7 - tiny little pain in the rear

[erehwesle]

I don't know if it is the small keyway or what, but I just got one of these and it is driving me nuts.

I can pop my #5 reliably raking or single pin, but for some reason with the #7 I just can't get a tension on the cylinder that feels right.

I have popped it, but inconsistantly with a single pin feeler and a thin wrench, but haven't been able to rake it with either an s or a w rake, which suprises me. Theoretically this lock is easier, right? So why does it hate me so much? Any advice is welcome

[BrownDwarf]

I don't know the 7, but I am familiar with the 3 and the 5.

If it's also laminated you might try putting counter-clockwise tension on the cylinder. The Master laminated locks will open either way and, for some reason, some of them seem a lot easier "backwards".

[BrownDwarf]

Just ran across a Master 7. The biggest problem seems to be getting a pick over the deepest pin. The really shallow hook in the South Ord slim line set will do it. After that, it feels very much like the Master 3.

[another aussie]

for some reason, some of them seem a lot easier "backwards".

Yeah I've found that. I couldn't open my master #3 (my first lock that cost more than a dollar or two* until I did it that way, made it a lot easier.
Anyways hope youv'e sorted out your #7, if not, good luck and keep at it



*locks cost more down here than the US etc. economies of scale and all that

[raimundo]

I don't remember all the massalocks right here at this keyboard, but if it has a brass cylinder showing, its one of the tiny ones, similiar to the control key in a school set of combination locks, pickable, but think about downsizing some of your picks. At to the tiny massalocks that have a spinning warded curtain showing instead of the brass cylinder, these can all be opened by putting a halfdiamond pick in and turning it like a key, couldn't even call this picking, theres no skill to it.

[winston84]

I have that one, It was much a coincidence, I actually picked it using a peterson S rake last night. Like somebody else said, I picked it back to front. Which is what I've done for all the masterlocks I've encountered. I sort of snaked with the S rake, if that helps at all. I was able to do it with a small tension wrench, and a regular sized one.

[threedguy]

this little sucker is a pain. i've been trying to pick this one for a while now, earlier today i had all the pins pushed up and it felt like it should just open, but it wouldn't budge. I took out my pick and tension wrench and tried the key and the key wouldn't work. I hit it a couple times and then i could turn the key, i guess i pushed the pins up too far and they got stuck or something. Anyway, just now i saw the comment on turning the tension wrench counter clockwise so i tried it and it popped open for the first time after like 5 seconds of effort... but now i'm trying to do it again and it's not working... i think i need smaller picks for this one.