Analysis: Spool Picking

[Pickitup]

Hi there,
As usual, sorry for my bad english.

I want to face a little analysis for a little technique for picking locks with Spool pins and security pins in general.
My technique is:

First of all, with light light tension, you pick the lock as a normal cylinder, with no security pins...
If there are more than two security, you will feel the cylinder rotate a little bit, the false set is going on.
(This works well with a diamond)

After that, you have to push the pins false setted behind the sheer line.
To do that, you can rake the lock, or you can push pin by pin the false setted pins.

This, for me, works well 1 time to 5....

any better technique?

Cheers

[Devs]

I have one. The tension technique you just dececibed and use a pickgun instead of a dimond pick. -Devs

[Romstar]

Identify each stack with a security pin. Try to remember where it false sets. Most times it will be immediately before it clears the shear line.

Then, set the security pins first, as you feel it catch for the first time, ease up on the tension, and puch just a touch higher, them move to the next security pin.

If the first pin falls while you are setting the second pin, ignore it and set the second pin, then return to the first pin that fell and re-set it. This time both should stay.

This is standard picking order stuff. If you have a cylinder with four security pins, you may have to move back and forth between them until you find the picking order.

After that, the last pin sets, and the plug should turn.

Adjusting the tension is important while picking security pins. Just remember that the false set normally comes just a bit before the real set. The time where this isn't the case is with serrated pins, and that can be annoying. Often an "over lifting" technique works well with serrated pins, but not as well with mushroom and spool pins.

I tend to find a tighter fitting tension tool to be an incredible asset while picking security pins. It allows me to feel the very fine differences in the sets, and also allows me the ability to adjust the plug tension in smaller increments.

Romstar

[csavalas]

Hey hey,

As Romstar said, the overlifting can indeed be very helpful. Try lifting all of the pins at once with a rake pick, then gradually lower them while raking back and forth with short, fast strokes and appyling feather light tension with your wrench. Do this about five times, and if it is still not open, finish off with single picking any remaining pins. That explanation may be a bit oversimplified, but you hopefully get the idea. It seems to work the best on locks with larger, unrestricted keyways. Just my two cents

Peace

[Pickitup]

Oh thanks Romstar, but my trouble is this:

I set all the pins and i go back and forth between all the four pins....but
Many times happens that i reset the lock because, tryng to overlift the spool, i think i push a pin too far past the sheer line.
Is good to reset the lock usually for this reason or is more effective to pick constant the lock without reset it?
Another strange thing:
I can open this kind of locks ONLY with the snake....

[Romstar]

Oh thanks Romstar, but my trouble is this:

I set all the pins and i go back and forth between all the four pins....but
Many times happens that i reset the lock because, tryng to overlift the spool, i think i push a pin too far past the sheer line.
Is good to reset the lock usually for this reason or is more effective to pick constant the lock without reset it?
Another strange thing:
I can open this kind of locks ONLY with the snake....

Yeah, you really have to be gentle with this, because in some cases you only need to push it up another 3 thousandths of an inch.

The other important aspect of this is the setting or picking order. If you set the wrong pins first, the next pin could dislodge the one you have set. This is why I said to ignore the first one if it falls. Then go back to it after you set the second one you were picking. Chances are your picking order was incorrect.

You will know if you have gone too far, because the bottom pin won't come back down. The bottom pin should always be able to come back down.

Romstar

[bumpit]

I am having major trouble with my Tri-Cricle 266. It has 6 spool pins. I removed it to 1 pin and now I am on 2 pins. Tension is a major factor. You have to be very light with your pick I found as well.

[5thcorps]

I like to re-pin a lock with each stack containing a different type of security pin. One stack may require "overlifting" like romstar said, then the next may require almost no tension and a feather touch of the pick.
Even if it takes a month to get the feel of one kind of security pin, it's well worth it.