picked my lock too many times?

by **iceman3019** » 20 Oct 2007 0:17

hey all, this is my first post here, so cut me some slack

. . . i got my first lockpick set (southord 5 piece) about 6 months ago, and was into picking a bit then, but i didn't have any locks to practice on except a schlage 5 pin lock on my door. i was able to pick that fine, but stopped lockpicking for a while, until now, when i decided to get back into it again.

i purchased a master lock #3 yesterday, and picked it upwards of 50 times with no effort. however, i can barely pick it today, even though i'm doing the exact same things i did yesterday (same pressure on the wrench and hook, starting from the back, etc.). is it possible that i went completely overkill yesterday and somehow mess up the pins/springs in my lock? or did i just have a streak of luck? thanks in advance, and i look forward to spending some more time on these forums . . .

by **hurri** » 20 Oct 2007 6:35

luck does not exist.just practice and relax.

by **raimundo** » 20 Oct 2007 7:59

does your tensor fall right out after trying or is it stuck, if its stuck, its grounding all the tension and probably cutting a groove into the bottom wall of the cylinder.
Do your picks come out of the lock looking a bit yellow from the brass dust you are filing off the pins, this would mean that your picks have sharp edges that are cutting into the brass, leaving the pins scratched and scarred, and the drillings they sit in also cut up and filled with brass dust, so that the pins have a lot of friction surfaces that you have created to make them more likely to bind in inconvenient places.
The answer to this is to sand all sharp edges off the picks which are hard metal capable of cutting brass easily.

by **JackNco** » 20 Oct 2007 12:46

push the plug back with you pinky and make sure there is a small gap between the bend in the tensioner and the front of the lock.

As said you should sand them down. Wipe your picks on the back of the hand you hold the lock with. it would leave either a grey line or no line. if you are getting brass then your picks need more sanding.

You COULD have broke it but if it works with the key then its still fine.

John

by **mitch.capper** » 20 Oct 2007 17:16

Also keep in mind that somedays you just may not be on, and if you can't get it and just keep trying it can just get harder. Its best to try and relax and maybe pick it while watching TV. Also we probably assume you are doing SPP but if you are not please post as some other methods can definately cause damage after a lot of use.

by **mitch.capper** » 20 Oct 2007 17:18

sorry SPP = Single Pin Picking, so lifting one pin at a time and not doing something like raking?

by **Raymond** » 21 Oct 2007 1:29

You can test your lock for stuck pins by trying the key with the key cuts upward and then again with the key cuts downward. Slide the key in and out each time in each orientation. If a pin is stuck the key may only turn one of these ways.

Also to test, slide a thin, flat piece of metal (like the turning tool handle or a broken pick or a bobby pin etc.) all the way into the lock. Raise all pins up to the top of the keyway. While holding all pins up, slide the flat metal out and listen for each pin to SNAP down as it clears the tip of the metal. Watch and feel the spacing and if any pin is stuck there will be no snap at that position.

If the lock is working properly SMOOTH OFF your picks and keep trying. You are probably just having a bad day.

by **iceman3019** » 21 Oct 2007 2:45

thanks for all the help guys, i'm much obliged. i don't think any pins are broken, because i don't get any brass or any particles out when i remove my pick (i do get a grey line when wiping it), and the key still opens it. i tried picking it again today, and i still can't do it the same way i did before, but i decided to try to put tension in the other direction (turning right instead of left). miraculously, i can open it at the same rate that i did before, and with ease :?:

. . . this is screaming suspiciousness . . .

by **iceman3019** » 21 Oct 2007 2:47

and yes, i am just single pin picking. i don't know how to rake yet

. . .

by **fuzz** » 23 Oct 2007 13:41

hmm, i would say raking is much easier. . .not tried single pin picking much yet, but i prefer to rake

by **PhR0Z3N_PhL4M3** » 24 Oct 2007 9:12

Raking is indeed easier (if not easier, maybe a bit faster) but SPP would be my preferred method (which I do not have completely down yet), being able to tell exactly what is going on and where, to me, is my main goal, although when SPP fails, you bet I rake it like my lawn ;D

picked my lock too many times?

picked my lock too many times?

stuck tensor

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