Wait.... if i understand correctly, you are trying to find the nuber of pins with just applying tension on the lock? No mater how much pressure you're going to apply, you'll never get an answer to your question in this way (well, perhaps when the pins start to crack, you would be able to hear how many cracks there are).
a) To count the pins use a torque wrench only to hold that lock cover, and not to apply tension on the lock. Count the pins with a feeler pick, or a diamont, or a hook, by (from my experience):
- sliding the feeler from the deepest pin untill you reach the 'exit' of the lock (I do it this way. It gives you less feeling of the pins, but it has an advantage that you can hear the pins pop up, and simply count the sounds. It's also faster than the other method.), or by
- making your way from front to back, pushung each pin. This is based entirelly on the feel, so it's a bit safer and precise, but also a bit slower.
b) The key does lay in the tension, similar to like you've tried...but not in 'how much' you must apply for the lock to open. It's 'how little you have to apply for the pins to bind'. All you'll achieve by excessive amount of force is making your tools unusable, and perhaps even damaging the lock (been there, done that... thanks to some lock-killer-raking videos on the net. I had to reassamble a lock once becouse of a broken rake.)
What i really mean is - there is a lot of info about picking locks on this forum, and all over the internet. Give it an hour or two, try to find out how the locks really work, and i'm sure it will all become much clearer.
Oh... and if i missuderstood your problem, than i'm sorry for the lecture on such basics, but my impression after reading your post was that you have the picking methods all wrong, and you didn't read any material nor ever disassambled a lock.
Aye!
