i can't pick this without raking :(

[omgxraycat]

Hey, I found this Ace Hardware brand padlock a few weeks ago. Been trying to learn to pick it...but it's really hard. I know there is 1 spool pin (pin #3) and 1 other security pin (pin #1), possibly more. I know how to open it consistantly, but I have to rake 3 pins first...then I have to reset the #3 pin since it's a false set spool pin, then #1 pin comes down and binds again. I use the same technique as I do for setting spool pins for the #1 pin and it pops open. It's really strange. I don't know if it's just a weird combination of pins, but I just can't pick it with my hook and wrench alone. When I first apply tension to start picking, it seems like the 3rd and 4th pins are both binding. I have tried multiple combinations of single pin picking, but the first 2 pins never bind, unless i rake.


Have you ever run across any locks that you can't pick without raking?

[omgxraycat]

wow...i need to buy a vice! or get some thinner picks! I sat down on the floor with the lock and held it firmly in between the bottoms of my feet so I could apply torque from the top of the keyway, that way i could hit pin 4 before 3. I get it down to the last pin, but my torque wrench is making it really hard to pick pin #1 lol

[p1ckf1sh]

wow...i need to buy a vice! or get some thinner picks! I sat down on the floor with the lock and held it firmly in between the bottoms of my feet so I could apply torque from the top of the keyway, that way i could hit pin 4 before 3. I get it down to the last pin, but my torque wrench is making it really hard to pick pin #1 lol

Yes, sometimes a vise is the way to go. I had trouble in segmenting the force of my fingers when I started. That means, when you are holding a lock and tension it with the same hand, it was hard for me to use a lot of force on a few fingers to hold the lock tightly and then use a minute amount of force on the finger that operated the tension tool. It got better after time, but a vise works wonders, because it frees the hand and allows you more precise control on the force applied...