What is my problem?

[tmasboa]

Hello i have been doing this for about a year, and I'm inconsistant.

Basically when I try the 5 pin deadbolt i find normally the first binding one, press it, maybe find the second, but after taht they either all feel springy or pressed down.

What am i doing wrong? I can rarely get it to open it seems

[digital_blue]

You're poking and prodding. Go find the "Beginners Lock Picking Exercise" in the PickFu section (it's a sticky, won't be hard to find) and take it from there.

db

[tmasboa]

maybe i'm oversetting them?

[illusion]

You might be, but if you follow Digi's advice then you'll learn properly and find out what is going wrong.

I could spend time writing a long post, but you honestly need to read the thread he linked to and practice.

[tmasboa]

ok well i've done that many times before i have a question, when setting pins should i stop right when i hear the click or keep going?

[UWSDWF]

ok well i've done that many times before i have a question*, when setting pins should i stop right when i hear the click or keep going?

*no you didn't or this question wouldn't have come about

[illusion]

It took me 15 attempts to figure it out, but at the end of it I was sure what was going on.

Don't rely on sound tbh. When you feel the pin set then it's set. If there are security pins then it might have false set - you should still be able to find the next binding pin, and if not then jiggle the pin that has flase set whilst reducing tension slightly. Once the pin has set properly you should feel the next pin that is binding.

What lock are you trying to pick by the way?

[tmasboa]

kwikset lock

i think i'm not a locksmith lol

[illusion]

You know you need another hobby when you can't consitantly open a Kwikset after a year.

Follow db's link and try again.

[tmasboa]

yeah i hate lock picking i'm never picking and dang locks again

thanks for the "help" i'm too dumb to figure all this out i guess

[Gordon Airporte]

yeah i hate lock picking i'm never picking and dang locks again

thanks for the "help" i'm too dumb to figure all this out i guess

Well don't get all negative until you've given the beginner's exercise an honest try.
When a pin sets feel for it 'hitting a ceiling' and the plug shifting ever so slightly.

[Dragunov-21]

Too dumb? No such thing. It took me ages to get the hang of it, even now I can't pick Lockwoods, but if you're really that bad, start from scratch. Read the guides, make sure you're using decent tools, whether bought or homebrew, and work from there.

If you think you'd still enjoy it, then go for it.

[digital_blue]

Too dumb? No such thing.

Indeed. Even Kevin got in eventually... even though several of us BEGGED him to pick up another hobby.

(Only the old timers are likely to remember dear old Kevin.)

Besides... I've met some pretty.. um... thick.. locksmiths in passing. I don't think this hobby takes smarts, exactly. Not to say that we don't have a whole lot of pretty darned smart people, but it's about an attitude and a determination more than a cognitive capacity.

But... if you're ready to throw in the towel... might not be a bad idea. Not trying to be harsh about it, but if you don't have the patience to REALLY go through the exercise I mentioned, then this probably isn't for you. Good luck in photography class, or metal working, or whatever you decide to do with all your newfound free time.

db

EDIT: For posterity's sake:
viewtopic.php?t=6527&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[lockeymoto]

I wonder if he ever got this open?
Ive got some of these that pop before the pick hits the back of the plug, and other ones that can be tricky but doable

[raimundo]

stop trying to understand the lock, lighten up and just accept it as it is, put the pick in and make the pins dance a happy dance, don't try so hard to make it open, play with it. get to know it in a different way. and when you really get to know it, it'll open up when ever you want it to.