upside down locks

[willeb123]

I am new to lock picking about 6 months now. With lots of reading, watching and practicing I have done well with the cheap USA door locks without security pins. I have even done OK with a dead bolt with 2 security spool pins. But 2 weeks ago while mounting yet another door knob set with 2 spool security pins on my board. I inadvertently mounted it upside down. So I decided I would give it a shot. Try as I may. I just can't pick it. I have tried picking, raking, pick gun, etc. I have watched every video and read everything I can, but still too no avail. On two occasions, even though I knew it turned CCW, I tried CW. Went half way then stopped. I did get a chuckle out of that. What am I doing wrong?

[raimundo]

american locks are made to be mounted pin chambers up, Euro locks are opposite, Euro locks push pins up against gravity and whatever resistance comes from sand or grit in the cylinder, Euro locks have significantly longer and harder springs.

an american lock mounted upside down might have pins so weak and short that a pin may not be pushing the pins up sufficiently tightly against the shear line, or the mere passage of a pick with the little knocking about that it gives the pins will press some down just a little but with spring pressure too weak to push it back up

Mount your lock right side up and see if the gravity assist helps make it pickable.

Mismounted american locks can be very hard to pick when these deficiencies are in play. if the little coil spring is a centimeter long, it has a certain pressure when its pressed to half that length, but when allowed to expand, the last millimeter at the end is not very much pressure at all. if this pressure is needed to bring the pin up to shear, your gonna have a hard time.
the key may work but could easily become tricky, but picking is worse than a key in this instance as it pushes the pins down further and only a weak spring pushes them back up so if there is binding pressure on the plug, it has no chance of pushing past that.