need help... (with a no. 3 master lock)

[bree]

ummm i got my first pickset today and im trying to pick a no. 3 master lock and it seems like im not applying enough tension but when i apply more it feels like the tension wrench is gonna break and the pins wont stay on the shear line
plz help me i can use some advice thanx

[globallockytoo]

lighter tension is better....keep trying....you'll get it eventually....and when you do...you'll realise that amount required...

BTW...try to picture in your mind exactly what is happening inside the lock....this help to understand the principle

[DeadlyHunter]

Yeah you shouldn't need to put that much tension on it, less is more. You may want to try with a door lock that you can remove pins from that way you can get the right feel for how much to use.

[bpc293]

here's a link to DB's lock picking exercise for beginners
viewtopic.php?t=10677

[Krypos]

and also remember that the key pins (the bottom ones you are touching with your picks) are gonna fall back down into place if you set a pin. however, the drivers (or top pins, the ones you cant see) will (or should be) up above the sheer line.

[LockNewbie21]

Take your tension wrench... and a snowman. Insert wrench, then insert pick appyl light tension and pull out snowman fast.. this will open 90% of them in one shot.

OThers take an S-rake, and insert and do a side by side motion with a slight in and out.. the open liek nothing.

Ggood lock to make you feel better.. although the past week i smashed a few and ahcked a few.. long story.


Or jsut take shims and pop the shackle... take a key extractor and disengage the shackle retainers...

Its a master bud i could go on.


But keep it up and glad to here you picking and not asking.. uhhhh how do i bump this lock?

Need any help, feel free to PM i will see if i can get a small video with ym sisters digi cam on here or somthin.

[bpc293]

i had this cheap 40 mm pad lock. i couldn't get it opened it felt like i was going to bend the wrench. turns out this lock needed so much force to turn the plug that it would of bent my normal wrench. i was setting the pins the whole time and didn't no it. so finaly i used my bent nail. as soon as the pins set the plug will turn quite a bit but not open. thats when i had to crank on the wrench and it opened. the plug turned normal to set the pins but to turn it the rest of the way was hard. hope this helps.

[ericm115]

bpc: Haha. Yeah, I bent up my SouthOrd TwistFlex opening my R70 every time. I actually picked a wafer the other day that was so tight I had to use a flathead screwdriver to apply tension. It was so tight that after I applied tension, I could pull the screwdriver out and tension stayed while I picked. I put the screwdriver back in to bind the next wafer. Ha.

bree: In any case, the Master #3 doesn't take much tension. You shouldn't be anywhere near bending a commercial tensioner I wouldn't think. I think it's more probably you aren't feeling the pins well.

Can you describe exactly what it feels like is happening inside the lock with the pins?

em

[!*AMP*!]

Yeah, definitely be careful on the R70...use a harder tension wrench helps a bunch.

Tension is the holy-grail of lockpicking. It takes a while to find the right feel for the right amount, but it is the closest thing to a "secret" to the art.

[bree]

umm okey....
im applying less tension and it feels like only 2 pins are set and the first pin i can see the driver pin....wierd.....and i can only set it if i randomly pick at it... are all the other pins like that too or what?

[Ray_Air]

Master No.3's are generally easy to pick. However, they vary a little bit in difficulty it seems depending on the key cut and maybe variations in the manufacturing process. I have one No.3 that opens when you just insert a snake and then some others take a few minutes.

[Bud Wiser]

All the #3's I've seen were very easy to rake, even raking with any pick and some even a upside down pick and just wiggling it around, the tension is the main thing. It's every thing on the #3.

But picking #3's pin by pin can be tricky at first. I've found that the higher bite pins require more work then the lower bit pins. Look at your key to see how many higher bites you have and where they are.

On the higher bite pins it's a combination of lightly playing the pin and tension wrench ever so gently at the same time. It will feel like it can't go up any higher but it's jamming and need to find the right amount of tension. Patience is needed until you find the right feel and combo, but you will.

[dmux]

yea those no 3's suck, the cylinder is sooo loose inside its pretty wierd, but it is light tension that is "key"

[9000white]

this is my first post,hope i am doing it right.i have been picking master locks for about a year.a #3 gave me fits.i tried every night after work to open it.it is an old lock.one night i was going to try 1 more time to open it,then cut it open to see if it was damaged.i had the least amount of tension that i had ever used because i didnt expect it to open.i started picking from the back with a diamond pick and could actually feel the pins set for the first time.as i picked out then back in it opened!now i open it every night just for spite.i also found some cheap stuff to soak old rusty locks with.it is called Rust Aid and costs about$9.00 a gallon and is reusable.this is a great site.i have learned much here--thanks.