lock turns 1/3 - 1/2 but wont open

[gwydion]

i can get all the pins to set in this 5 pin dead-bolt (don't know the make) and it will rotate freely but right when the bolt should slide in, it stops. i might just have been being a pansy and not applying enough torsion but i think it might have been something else.. .. maybe .. .

[mrdan]

Umm, Are you turning clockwise? Did you try the other way?

[Krypos]

ok well first, it sounds like you are picking a lock that is in the door, so it is probably in use. please dont do this. there are a number of things that can go wrong and as a new person to this hobby, you probably wont know how to fix your front door (for example)

second, go and buy a cheap deadbolt from the local hardware store. this will allow you to do many a things. one: you can follow digital blues beginner exercise ( viewtopic.php?t=10677 )

also, it will mean that if you mess up the lock, it isnt a big deal, no one gets locked out/in.

third: with a cylinder in hand, there is very little tension needed and so you can get a feel for how much tension you need, no guesswork involved trying to decide if your a pansy or not.

and if you must continue to pick this lock, then i would suggest doing as mrdan said, make sure you are turning the right way. or maybe some of the driver pins are getting stuck on the plug when you turn. is it hard to turn the plug back?

and lastly, i think you can call it torsion, however, tension is the accepted term. just so ya know.

[Schuyler]

and if you must continue to pick this lock, then i would suggest doing as mrdan said, make sure you are turning the right way. or maybe some of the driver pins are getting stuck on the plug when you turn. is it hard to turn the plug back?

If that's the case, when you get it to 1/2 and it stops turning? Just insert the back of your pick into the bottom (not at the top position) of the keyway, as Krypos said, the drivers pins likely slipped back into the bottom of the chamber when it came around. Push them back into position, keep turning, and you should be fine.

Also, if this is a lock on a door, if this is a lock you rely on, stop picking it! It'll only lead to heartbreak...

[HeadHunterCEO]

check the bolt to see if it is binding on the strike.

[gwydion]

i am definately turning it the right way, cause it is my friends front door and we had the key at the time. also i doubt it is the pins re-entering the keyway on account of it not turning that far around (only just about over 1/4) it is not difficult at all to turn it, nor to turn it back after it gets stuck. by being a pansy i meant that i may have been too scared to damage the lock and not tried to give it just that extra little twist to engage the bolt. the lock is a little old and does stick from time to time.

[gwydion]

i wrote the wrong fraction in the initial post, i meant 1/4 - 1/3 ... not 1/3 - 1/2

[Shrub]

The best thing you can do is as already said is to leave your friends lock alone, you can end up in a mess if you contiune your line of practice,

We cant be held responcible for your actions and thusly cant advise you on how to pick that lock anymore, it could turn disatourus.

[gwydion]

oh ya and i say torsion wrench instead of tension because: torsion refers to the twisting of a structural member loaded by torque, where as tension refers to the physical action of something being stretched or strained.

[Octillion]

Torque would be the proper term to use... who started this whole tension mess?

[gwydion]

torque is indeed the application of a twisting force, but we are not applying torque directly to the tumbler but through the wrench to the tumbler, therefore it would correctly be refered to as a torsion wrench. (the wrench being the structural member refered to in my definenition of torsion) but i don't want to start off here making enemies or anything so lets agree to disagree and you can call it a torque or tension wrench and i will call it a torsion wrench. fair enough?

[Octillion]

I refer to it as "torque wrench", as that is the force it applies to the lock's plug. However, I'll agree with you, there is torsion in the wrench which torques the plug, so torsion wrench works for me. Now just please stick with that terminology so it catches on to some people, tension has got to go!

[gwydion]

no problems there, whether it's torsion or torque it'll be better than tension. any idea why my tumbler stops turning right when the lock should open?

[Krypos]

The best thing you can do is as already said is to leave your friends lock alone, you can end up in a mess if you contiune your line of practice,

We cant be held responcible for your actions and thusly cant advise you on how to pick that lock anymore, it could turn disatourus.

emm. for picking this lock. i think shrub here covered that. and going against what a moderator is a bad thing. (and especially a mod like shrub....grrrrrrr)

[mh]

I refer to it as "torque wrench", as that is the force it applies to the lock's plug. However, I'll agree with you, there is torsion in the wrench which torques the plug, so torsion wrench works for me. Now just please stick with that terminology so it catches on to some people, tension has got to go!

Well, I guess, because the plug is just a lattice of all those tiny metallic crystals, and that what happens at the shear line is tension - some people will still call the thing that applies torque and causes torsion --- tension wrench

Cheers,
mh
- who is used to strange words in this profession... SSDEV (the German Locksport Group) keeps calling locks "Zylindereingerichte" - one of the strangest words I've ever heard...