Picking old locks

[LarrySDonald]

Are there any good strategies for picking old, sticky tumblers? I've tried to read the FAQs and online things, but this lock caught me a little off guard. It was on my front door, probably about 15 years old and was starting to stick something terribly. It'd open with a little wiggling but not easily, so I replaced it with another knob I had around mostly to pick since I was already bored with picking the other one and while it was a little worn it was certainly still in better shape then the door lock.




Just for completeness the key claims "COLE DE7" and it does indeed appear to be a DE7 (or DE6) keyway. What I'm mainly looking around for is what to do when going up against a lock that is way old, lose and tends to stick. I feel like I get the pins lined up (one time I actually got it open) but it's amazingly hard to get it to move. I haven't really seen (after searching and reading) a whole lot about how one should act as opposed to picking nice, clean, fresh locks albeit ones with security features not around a decade back.

I also got a Brinks 2717-105 a while back, so just for the hell of it here's a vid of picking that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxHmyX01xT0

[cheesehead]

try flushing out the gunk and derbis with a silicone or teflon lubricant. I have even used lighter fluid in a pinch - works pretty good, and you can pick up a little plastic bottle at almost any gas station. (not the pressurized butane - the liquid stuff for zippo type lighters)

[LarrySDonald]

Hmm, might try that. I already use a zippo (and have fluid for it) and speedcube (therefore have teflon spray), after I get work done I'll play a little more. It baffled me quite a bit, starting to learn that old bad locks are a very different animal then new good locks.

[nostromo]

Try carbuerator cleaner in the spray can, or if you don;t want to risk anything corrosive, rubbing alcohol. Get the guts sloppy wet, then try working all the mechanisms as well as banging them a bit with a soft headed mallet or just the handle. Repeat until you no longer feel grittiness.

That's a kwikset key in the knob and can be taken apart fairly easily, which you will want to do to get at all the parts to make the job much easier. ANd also check to be sure the parts are in good working order. You can get a removal tool for cheap and pull the cylinder out.

Sometimes pieces and parts are so corroded you have to use abrasives (like emery paper or sanding bits on a dremel)to smooth the working surfaces. Being a builders grade lockset, the pieces are not solid brass, but plating that eventually wears enough to allow the metal underneath to oxidize.

Lubricants are good to get things working better, but since they need to 'stick' to the parts they are lubricating, it tends to not be very good for irrigation. The debris does not tend to flush out as readily as a thinner non-lubricant. And it's more expensive than a bulk chemical liquid like alcohol, gasoline, paint thinner, etc, tho you don;t have all the safety and hazmat concerns.

If there is a lot of gunk to get rid of, try liquid wrench or another penetrant to loosen things up, some serious wire brush action, and a lot of irrigation. Maybe a local auto shop will allow you the use of their parts cleaning tub. And while you're there, scrounge some wiper blades!

Cost and hassle's factor, IMO. If you HAVE to get it working because this color & style is no longer in production and you need to match the decor of the house, sure, it's worth it. If it's something that will take a lot of time, has a lot of broken parts, still works stiff after a lot of work, etc, and is only being used for practice you might want to retire it since it has had a long and productive career. Like us hoomans!!

Just took a better look at the photo- that one's a keeper. FOr the best job, you need to pull the cylinder and then the top cap to get at the pins. Great practice for working with other locks.

[LarrySDonald]

Thanks for the advice. I tried to flush it out with naphta a bit and then lube with sillicone spray. Did make it less sticky but not too much. I may try to break it down at some point, didn't get around to writing about it and it's still a very hard pick.

I certainly don't *need* to get it to work, this is purely a hobby and the knob I replaced it with works just fine. I'm only playing with it for the sheer fun of it since I have it and it's now not a big deal if I should happen to mess it up. I may try some carb cleaner (I have some of that too . Who knew I had so much stuff useful to locks laying around..) and see how that goes. I suspect the insides is pretty hardcore corroded, even with some of the gunk gone it's sure sticking a lot. Perhaps at some point I'll try to pull the plug out, though I think I want a little more experience trying it "raw" before risking messing it up.

[raimundo]

The lock has that weiser/kwikset look, the key blank is probably colenationals code for dexter lock, which is also probably interchangeable with weiserkwikset.

[5thcorps]

Try Brake Cleaner spray in it then let it sit for a bit before putting on your goggles and blasting it out with compressed air.

[LarrySDonald]

I propped it up and filled the whole knob with brake fluid, waited a bit and blew it out (i.e. exactly as above). It helped a little bit more, but it still sticks a whole lot.

I think I'm probably going to try taking it apart instead when I have some more time to play with it - I'm kind of over trying to clean it from the outside. The place it sticks (right as the pins are lined up) sure feels like a mechanical wear problem rather then junk in it, so it'd be fun to open it up and see what the deal is. I'll try to get some pics, perhaps write up what I think and see about the insides, though it's one of those things that are hard to find uninterrupted time for.