exspook wrote:if picking a cylinder with security pins (normally two or three found in the UK type cylinders) the best and easiest technique to begin with is as follows.
Apply tension and use a simple rake until the non security pins reach shear, the others will bind, then use an individual lifter tool to ease each locked pin up in turn (the tightest one first) adjusting the tension.
You can mentally map out the pins knowing the positions, and this will allow better results when they all drop down
If you are impressioning the lock the serated pins can easily be damaged and cause major damage!!
Happy picking
Most of the time you can do this and it might work for you. When dealing with locks you have to deal with the security pins in the lock first. Most of the time you're going to find them pretty easily.
To the OP, dealing with security pins works like this:
Spool pins: When you false set them, you'll get more than normal plug movement and then a dead stop in plug movement. HOWEVER, lighten the tension but remain constant, and continue to life that pin stack and you should see and feel the plug start to rotate backwards like it's trying to reset itself. This is actually the spool pin overcoming the lower lip that it's caught on. Once the spool pin clears the lower lip of the spool, the plug will again rotate forward, but not nearly as much as the false set. If you continue to attempt to lift the pin stack at this point, it will feel like a very solid stop. This security pin is now set correctly.
Serrated Pins: These will be harder to deal with, and the only real way to deal with them is through proper tension control. When you false set a serrated pin, it will feel like a solid stop correctly set pin, HOWEVER, if you let up on the tension while keeping it constant, the pin stack will continue to rise and either set correctly or false set on another serration. Again, you have to continue to adjust the tension appropriately and you can overcome the serrated pin.
Something else to keep in mind too is that by false setting a security pin, it will transer the binding pin to another pin. And that pin will bind again. Just some things to think about.
