some help on specific locks(BRINKS 1 9/16, American 5530)

[rewt]

well im onto my 6th and 7th locks im trying to pick

one of them is the BRINKS 1 9/16 laminated, its actually harder than i thought it would be!

im finding it hard to find the right ammount of tension, if i turn it too much then the bottom pin gets stuck at the top, and if i turn it too little it doesnt bind at all! anyone else ever have a go at this one? note - still a beginner!!

the second one is an American Lock Company Series 5530, this ones giving me trouble too!

any tips from people who have beat these? i have opened the brinks by raking and single-pin picking, have yet to open it just by single-pin picking

[rewt]

update:

well i am able to single-pick the brinks now, i was right about my assumption, it seems it had a special pin(spool/shrouded, im not sure which)

if i take my time i can pick it but it takes a few minutes

[rewt]

okay, im not so sure the brinks has security pins

ive been picking it steadily for the past 30 minutes or so

picked it about 8 times

can a mod delete this thread

lol... sorry about wasting your time on my lockpicking journey

[darrel.h]

If you are a noob, don't even try the american lock. It has too many security pins and takes a while to learn. You should try somthing like a schlage.

[rewt]

yeah...

my friend gave it to me, he didnt have a key for it anymore

im just gonna keep it until later when i can tackle it

[rewt]

i can pick the brinks without a problem now
i figured out the secret

my master #3 is a breeze too now

[VashTSPD]

update:

well i am able to single-pick the brinks now, i was right about my assumption, it seems it had a special pin(spool/shrouded, im not sure which)

if i take my time i can pick it but it takes a few minutes

how does one go about picking a shrouded pin?

[Mr PickHead]

i have an american lock series 5260 and i cant pick the thing!...i learned slowly without dismantling due to low resources for doing so and have had mostly sucess in picking and have become "reasonable" and yet this American Lock...stil lio cant do it...ive never see a lock that loocks like it either...is it truleyamerican because i have seen nothing of the sort in england....and will using european slimline pcisk make it harder

[Mr PickHead]

oh and sry for double post (no edit function) ive noticed that when applying tension my wrench seems to slide to one side making picking difficult

[Kaotik]

Golly geez, I love American Locks! I have a bunch and picked most of them, they are indeed challenging and fun.

If you ever get it picked you will need a really hefty tension wrench or even a small screw driver (I like the Peterson Prybar) to overcome the actuators spring to turn the cylinder.

Most of us do not recommend them for beginners, as they do hold security pins (key and driver in all stacks) and can contain a possibility of all three common S/pin types. Takes alot of practice and patience to figure out what your dealing with without pulling it apart (hince, if you don't have the key). I say that because in my lot of Americans there were some with no keys and they were locked.

What fun I had.

[Mr PickHead]

the main problem ive had is more locks ive seen have a sping in the cylinder that makes is spring back to original position...making it easier to ease tension...butthis one seems to have no spring...so to ease the tension you have to manual turn it back...very difficult and my tension wrench keeps slipping....i pick it but this lack of tension control means i cant neutralise the security pins