Mildly depressed about this

[Josh K]

So I can SPP a full 5 pin Medeco (no sidebar, 3 mushroom drivers), and I can SPP just about all my Master locks. I also have another mortise cylinder that I can SPP even though it has six spools.

I can't pick a Schlage. I've tried up ways and down ways. I've tried raking. I've tried tensioning from the top, the bottom, the back. I probably have a half dozen cores laying here that I just can't pick.

Is this unusual?

[Schuyler]

One specific Schlage? Don't forget that the bitting will dramatically effect how difficult a lock is to pick. I have a fistful of Ace Hardware knock-off masterlocks that happen to have at least 1 if not 2 spool drivers. Neat little locks, and cheap as dirt. They are brilliant to pick though because the 3rd pin is extremely deep and the 4th extremely shallow. So, setting the 4th pin without disturbing the 3rd is difficult as all get out to begin with, and then it false sets on you. Great little locks.

Anyway, all of that is to say - if your simple as dirt, no spools lock is whopping you - it might have a dramatic bitting. The simplest lock can be made much harder with a full MACS transfer once or twice in the bitting.

[FarmerFreak]

Schuyler beet me to this post, I'm going to post this anyways.

Is this unusual?

Nope, not at all.

From the experience I have from picking thousands of locks. I can tell you that from time to time you will run into a lock that should be simple and easy. But is virtually impossible to pick for whatever reason. Some Schlages are easy, some nearly impossible. The same goes for every other manufacture out there. It just happens.

Of course it could all depend on the bitting. A Schlage lock with the last cuts being really deep followed by really shallow, will always be a problem.

The main thing to remember is to stay patient, practice, and don't let it get ya down.

By the way. What kind of Schlage is it? Do you have pictures? Schlage has a couple different kinds of pins that can act weird if you don't know what's inside. For example, the Schlage F series now uses "T" shaped driver pins. And they can be tricky to pick, mainly because they are different from everything else out there.

[nostromo]

Three cheers and a tiger to you, JoshK- that's impressive!

FarmerFreak is bang on. I teach an NDE course with 24 students in each class and for whatever reason there are some locks that just will not pick. More frustrating is the situation where a lock picks very easily for one person and not at all for another.

Is it pin wells drilled out of line in a pattern that makes picking difficult? HI-LO depth patterns? Tightly machined pins? Different "hands" among pickers? Mysterious.

[Josh K]

I guess it's off to gut my Schlage and start with one pin at a time.

I'll try to get a picture of the lock and the bitting. I'm pretty sure it's not crazy, but I honestly can't recall.

[Schuyler]

Yeah, when I was starting out I would pull apart every lock I couldn't pick. Learned so much from that simple practice. Hell, I pulled apart every lock I could pick, too Had a few disappointments that way also - like finding out the first high security lock I picked, a DOM ix 10, was ridiculously mastered and only half the chambers were full! Kinda took the wind out of my sails on that one.

[Josh K]

Here's pictures of this Schlage, I'm getting the key back tomorrow. Left it with a friend by accident.

[Klaiviel]

I guarantee you can get that Schlage open tonight. All Schlage's pick extremely easy backwards; couple that with TShock's 2min or less plug spinner viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9096 and your good to go. I attached my mousetrap spring to a drilled wooden dowel for an ergonomic handle; however in a pinch a locking pliers will work too. Good luck!

P.S. - I can pick my Schlage in the correct direction as well; however, it is simply not worth it when the right direction takes me 8 minutes vs the wrong direction + plug spinner takes me 20 seconds.

P.P.S. - When picking backwards your tension wrench actually nicely fills in the nasty gaps in the Schlage keyway, I actually lever my short pick off of it and it works quite well. Here is a horrible picture taken from my phone to give you and idea of what I am talking about.

[Josh K]

Well thank you for that hint about picking it backwards, I will try that.

[FarmerFreak]

The direction that picks easier changes from cylinder to cylinder. Definitely try it both ways.

Also, my preferred place to put a tension wrench is at the top of the keyway. I know you've already tried that, but it's just my preference.

[tacomn]

im quite a newb so mostly rake.. but with the couple of schlage that I have come across, just a little tension and i mean little, along with some good rake strokes and it eventually opens

[Josh K]

im quite a newb so mostly rake.. but with the couple of schlage that I have come across, just a little tension and i mean little, along with some good rake strokes and it eventually opens

I don't rake.

[Legion303]

One of the hardest locks I've ever attempted was a tiny blue plastic Master padlock. Three physical entry experts (as in, it's part of their job description) couldn't get it, and neither could I. Some locks are just surprisingly hard that way.

-steve

[nothumbs]

Yeah, when I had the house rekeyed, part of the bitting was 6161. Locksmith suggested I never lose all the keys because, as he stated it, 'I sure as s**t won't be able to pick it open, it will need to be drilled.'

Not sure it's that bad, but between that and the set of spools that were used, it will surprise anyone attempting to pick it. Just a SC1, but bad to the core.

[raimundo]

now that we have the bitting it should be easy to make one