Locks Breaking

[xBMW M3 GTR]

So I was picking my only #3 master lock today. Ive been picking it for months and months during practice and it finally gave out and was unpickable. (but the key still worked with some added effort) The plug moved all around inside the lock's body and while trying to pick, some of the pins just seemed jammed. Can someone please explain exactly what is broken inside and how it happened due to picking? I never quite understood exactly how picking breaks locks . Now I understand the whole rule against picking locks in use. Good thing i never made that mistake or id be in some deep crap.

tl;dr - how does a lock break from picking?

[unlisted]

Well, lets think of some physics here. (at least, I think its physics?)

What happens when metal contacts other metal? Friction. In this case- most lockpicks are harder than the pins contained within a lock, causing more than just friction- they also wear and grind, and shave off minute pieces of pin brass and other metal bits and bobs.

Basically your taking a really really slow manual grinder to the pins in your lock, and are wearing them more quickly than a key ever would under normal operation.

[xBMW M3 GTR]

Well, lets think of some physics here. (at least, I think its physics?)

What happens when metal contacts other metal? Friction. In this case- most lockpicks are harder than the pins contained within a lock, causing more than just friction- they also wear and grind, and shave off minute pieces of pin brass and other metal bits and bobs.

Basically your taking a really really slow manual grinder to the pins in your lock, and are wearing them more quickly than a key ever would under normal operation.

Ive known that due to that, that wear could cause the key to not work or have trouble working which is sort of the case with this master lock #3, but when i go to pick it, some pins are just too jammed up for me to pick them (the key seems to move them) but also, the plug is just wobbling all around. The plug used to just move about 3mm's back and forth, but its been like that since day one which never was a problem. I have never gone hard on this lock while picking. Its only a 4 pin lock with no security pins and is simple to open so Ive never used a rake on it. Just kinda curious as to how this all could come from single pin picking.

[raimundo]

Take a very close look inside that keyway, look at the bottom where you can see the cylinder wall, your tensor which probably has a sharp 90 degree edge on it has probably finished eroding a groove in the cylinder wall right there, when it does this, it no longer applies tension to the plug, it just causes the plug to bind,
Try to pick the lock, then after releasing tension, tip the lock to see if the tensor falls out of it, if the tensor is stuck, you are binding it and it will never work this way,
get as many varieties of wiper inserts in stainless steel and learn to make tensors of different types, its not hard, just bend and then round off the sharp ends.
If your lock dosent start picking again when you are using a tensor that does not become stuck, you may have damaged the pins and the channels they guide in, if this is the case, that lock will be damaged in a way that may become progressively worse, but do this, pound the lock on a wooden surface, do not damage the lock, you are only trying to loosen any pins that are jammed due to roughening by the picktip or brass filings jammed in the guide channels.
let us know if these tips help on your lock.

[Ortin468]

Autopsy time... Rip it apart carefully and learn from what you did to it.



Get a GOOD magnifying glass and take a look.

Disassemble the cylinder, since the lock is unreliable now.

[stratmando]

For it to turn that much, I can almost picture the Pins must have ripped out or filed down to dust to the point only the springs are at the shear line?
I don't see how it could turn as much as I am Imagining?
Curious of other responses

[Josh K]

For it to turn that much, I can almost picture the Pins must have ripped out or filed down to dust to the point only the springs are at the shear line?
I don't see how it could turn as much as I am Imagining?
Curious of other responses

Master locks get loose with any use, though if you really want to find out what happened break it down.