Fortress Disc lock...

[Auswahl]

Last weekend i got two brand new locks, a Master #1 (which i can pick in no time now) and a Fortress Disc lock (which is a royal pain in the back).

Ive looked up a few videos/Howto's on youtube for fortress discs. One says jiggle the tension wrench slightly while slowly pulling the rake out. Another says extremely hard tension. I have tried both, and the extremely hard pressure seems to work better.

So I can get all of the pins (or what appears to be all...) pushed down, but it doesnt turn. I have tried time and time again to reset the pins i pushed too far, but nothing happens.

Does anyone have any hints/tricks i can try with this lock? For future reference Im using a http://southord.com/images/fullsize/SP-11.jpg with a jiggle in/rake out motion.

[Abus]

That's pretty big rake for a tiny keyway.
I'd be using a small rake, or much more likely a small hook pick on that lock. If you're dealing with security pins, and haven't felt them before, you're in much better shape to individually deal with them.

[Auswahl]

thanks, i shall try using my short hook later on when i can :] what stumps me is that it appears that all pins are down, and im using alot of tension, yet when i release just a little bit, 1-2 pins drop.

[Phatphish]

It sounds like you are over setting some pins if they are all fully compressed.
Also, alot of tension is generally a bad idea. Try using light to medium tension, while feeling for the binding pin.
Then gently lift pin till you feel a small click, this maybe the shear line.
Check to see if another pin/pins are now bound, and lift them again feelling for small movement/click.
As long as there are no security pins you should have the thing open in no time.

I havnt picked the Fortress, but I have several disklock type padlocks, and none of them like too much tension while being picked.
They also sometimes require a little helping hand on the shackle to get the whole unit to turn inside the lock once the pins have all been set, as the tolerances in some of these locks arent great and have a tendancy to feel jammed even when pins are set to shearline.

[Auswahl]

Update: I found that i was using way too much tension, but the same situation is happening. I get all of the pins down, release tension, reset pins that fall back. Every time its the very first pin, sometimes the second. It's always just barely a little bit of tension that releases the pin too.

[raimundo]

If you think its all about making the pins stay up by force, you have the wrong concept, if force is what is keeping the pins up its also what is keeping the lock closed,

lift the pins gently, if the set on the step leave it there, if not move to another pin and come back to that one later.

pins falling back down is not some big defeat, its just a necessary reset.

don't put so much into keeping pins up, just keep pins moving up and down until it opens