Please help me with 2 locks that are kicking my behind.

[Jimmy2Times]

Ok, let me start by saying I'm no dummy when it comes to picking. I can pick every single lock in my house including the entry locks in a matter of seconds. I can pick my jeep door as well. I have 2 locks that I absolutely cannot pick. You're all going to laugh when I tell you they are both padlocks. Now, I've picked hundreds of padlocks and generally put padlocks into the same catagory as filing cabinets, desk drawers, and tools boxes all among the easiest things in the world to pick. These 2 padlocks that are kicking my ass are very similar. The first is a Brink's brass body padlock with a silver looking shackle. It is slightly larger than a luggage lock. I have actually picked this lock twice with an s-type rake, but I'm positive both times was purely coincidental. I have tried every type of pick imaginable. The other lock is a Defense 2 that looks identical to the first lock except is a full size padlock. It also has a solid brass body and silver shackle. I have tried so many times with both these locks, raking, single picking, reverse picking, you name it I've tried it. To me, they seem to be binding in the front. I have tried picking both back to front and front to back. Both locks behave exctly the same. If I start raking, the cylinder seems to break like it wants to open, but when it does the pick seems to become jammed in the lock. I cannot move it at all unless I release tension on the cylinder. This exact same thing happens in both locks. I can post picks of the locks when I get home tonight, Please help me I'm going crazy here.

[UEDan]

I'm going to let the next posters yell at you for picking lock that are currently in use.

But what do you mean, jam? I'm guessing the pins Jam and you cannot continue picking unless you release tension right?

Its nearly impossible to tell which model padlock you have from your vague description. But seeing how you mentioned Brinks. I'd have to suggest security pins.

[Solomon]

If I start raking, the cylinder seems to break like it wants to open, but when it does the pick seems to become jammed in the lock. I cannot move it at all unless I release tension on the cylinder. This exact same thing happens in both locks.D

This is common when using a 'W' or 'sawtooth' style rake, but it can happen with other styles and larger hooks aswell. The lock is dropping into false set; that brinks definately has spools and if the other one is behaving the same way it's a pretty safe assumption that it does too. I'll take an educated guess and say the pins closer to the front of each lock are shallow setting, which is what is causing your pick to become trapped... when those pins become set, they're too big for your pick to get over again on the way out. You can rake these more reliably if you use top of keyway tension, ie. tensioning from the same side as the pins, but you'll find it much easier to SPP. At the very least, use a gentle rocking motion to drop it into false then clean up those security pins with a hook.

When the plug jumps around more than normal like you described, that's what we mean by false set - when it's in this state, one of those pins should cause the plug to try and rotate back in the opposite direction. Just push on each pin until you feel this, then push on it slowly while fighting gently against that rotation until you feel a nice big click. If the plug doesn't rotate after this, you have one or more pins to clean up. They will also be security pins (the regular pins will be out of the way at this point since they always set first), so continue to drop those into false and defeat them using the same method... keep that up and it will open soon enough.

[raimundo]

what solomon says, but he forgot to tell you it wont reverse unless you lighten up on the tension. In fact the whole problem seems to say "Way too much tension"

[Solomon]

what solomon says, but he forgot to tell you it wont reverse unless you lighten up on the tension. In fact the whole problem seems to say "Way too much tension"

Yeah, I should have said that lol... sometimes you can actually defeat spools just by letting off tension carefully until the pick wants to come back out again, obviously you need to fight the counter rotation of the plug just like you would with SPP. Chances are it'll roll over a spool and set it correctly, although with a rake it's kinda hit and miss... either you'll get it out and set a spool in the process or you'll reset a few pins or even the whole lot. Much better to avoid getting it trapped in the first place.

[pjzstones]

i no what you mean by the pick getting stuck and for these kind of locks i use a short flat hook and ssp. but yeah you're getting a false set. when you get that use a hook and feel for the pins that give counter rotation.