lock almost open

[illusion]

maybe the dog swallowed a pick

...or db's joke.

'Twas I that re-posted the tension tip, but I still can't find who posted it originally.

the poor dog... it never stood a chance

well that person will have to remain annonomous for the moment

[nails]

[nails]

a question...

is their any limit of pressure to put on the pick ?
i mean... if u want your lock opened without setting them false all the time and pushing them below the shear line ?

[illusion]

try applying minimal preasure to move the pins, you push gently untill you feel the pins set - whether or not you need to apply more preasure will differ as a result of damaged springs, dirt etc... try with minimal preasure, and if more is required then do it

[nails]

k... ive been trying to open the same lock for an hour non-stop now and my hands are hurting and my pick is literally bending because im trying so much (my pick is also homemade and has been used much before) and now i am thinking if i am doing anything right, but hey... they say you need to practise! practise!! pracitse!!!

[digital_blue]

That's right. Practice is key. However, the quality of your practice will decrease when your hands are fatigued and your head is no longer in it. You might be well served to put it down and come back to it another time.

db

[nails]

uhhh maybe ill take a bath or a shower and then relax... somaybe ill concentrate more or something like that

[illusion]

if you concentrate your picking for long periods of time and fail you will get wound up, and your picking will go down the drain due to less concentration.

If this happens to me I make a hot drink, and sit down in a chair for an hour or so. During this tme don't think about the fact that you can't pick it - ask yourself what could be happening which prevents you from opening the lock - brainstorm during this time of relaxation and by the time you have finished you will have new ideas to go and test on your lock, ask yourself why you are not suceeding, then try and think of a way of overcoming it

[nails]

nice idea... the bath was very relaxing but i almost fell asleep in it so it got so late that i think ill sleep over it and tomorrow maybe ill have more concentration and better thinking

[nails]

nighty night

[Greyflex]

I am going to get flamed for this, but....

I always INCREASE my tension when I am having trouble opening a lock. I want to push on a pin where it won't move at all - until I decrease tension just enough where I can move it. The reason I use higher tension is mainly because of this - I want everything I do to be deliberate and repeatable until I find that algorhythm that opens the lock. Using very light tension will make it far more likely that I might accidentally open the lock, but I may not be as sure of what I am feeling. "Did I just set pin four? Or did the shaft pick up pin two?" With a heavy hand it becomes painfully obvious what is happening, or not happening, as intended.
One thing that seems to occur more often with higher tension, and is definitely something for noobs to watch out for, is sometimes you set the pins and nothing happens. This can occur on the last pin (as you have described), and then the result is, "huh? the lock isn't opening." Or it could occur on another pin, and you are left wondering, "Why aren't any of the remaining pins sticky/binding?" In this case rather than giving up and starting over (or even letting just one or two pins drop), consider that one of the pins is at the shearline, but not EXACTLY at the shearline. This seems to happen more often with cheaper locks. In this case, you want to go back and press very firmly on each set pin in turn (focusing on the ones you set most recently), increasing the force/decreasing the tension, until something gives. Either you will happily clear the hurdle and feel the wrench advance a smidge (or lock opens), or you will "break through" the shearline on a stack and find yourself over-setting a pin. Either way, you will get one of two very crystal clear results, then you can go from there. Just keep on picking methodically, and chances are you will discover where the problem is by the process of elimination.

[Greyflex]

oh... and there is no limit on how hard you may press the pick. I will lever my pick against the warding on the bottom of the keyway for control and power, wherever possible, and I will frequently flirt with the bending point of my pick. If my pick can take no more pressure, and the pin still hasn't budged, then I reduce tension slowly while "bouncing" pressure on the pick til the pin "breaks." If the pin hasn't already set from the short, jumpy motion that occurs when it "breaks," I increase the tension before I finish setting this pin.


And there you have it.... Greyflex's Non-Traditional Method for Picking Lower Quality Locks.

After I get my American padlocks in the mail, I will find out if Greyflex's Non-Traditional Method for Picking Lower Quality Locks works on higher quality locks!

[helix]

I don't know about being flamed for that.

I sort of do a similar thing, but I use "heavy" tension to find
the minimum tension by slowly releasing, then pick as normal.

I wouldn't say that my picks are close to bending, but.

If it works for you, do it.

[nails]

hmmm my pivk just broke.... well there is always time for making new ones and maybe better ones... thats one lesson i learned today...

[nails]

oooh look what i found in my dads basement... looks old and hard to open. and thats why im telling u guys... do u think it will be hard to open i tried but i am looking stupid trying to, even the key cant open it

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d113/ ... /lock1.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d113/ ... /lock2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d113/ ... /lock3.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d113/ ... /lock4.jpg