Medeco can blow the wind out of your sails

by **logosys** » 30 Sep 2004 18:34

Ok, I admit it. I was getting a little bit cocky. I was running through Schlages like a teenage male through Playb- err, girlfriends. I had popped a few Yales, and even a Best SFIC or two. Yes, I was on top of the lockpicking world...

Then it came like a wildfire on a cool autumn day. The Medeco Biaxial Mortise Cylinder that I had won from the "Help Romstar" Auctions. I have been fighting with this thing all day. I can't get it to open. I opened the Yale's just to make sure I could still pick locks, and I can. This thing just WILL NOT COOPERATE. There was one time that I got it to turn 25% of the way, but that's as good as it's gotten. I even used Rom's advice of bending a half-diamond to set the sidebar, but it's just not working for me. Any other advice?

by **WhiteHat** » 30 Sep 2004 18:43

have you reduced the number of pins?

I've got one - I've got one also - was able to get it with one pin - soon as I stuck another in - no go for me. havn't spent much time with it though..

by **32768** » 30 Sep 2004 20:11

Heh. I was having enough trouble with two pins that I gave in to the ebay fairy and bought a cutaway to practice on a week or two ago (sorry to anyone who was bidding against me...). That's been a big help for getting a feel for what I was doing inside the lock.

I can get the non-cutaway with two pins now, though it can take a while, and I'm working on three, though I also took out all the mushroom top pins and replaced them with normal. It's also kind of reassuring in a way to take out the sidebar and just pick the thing normally. All my medecos are the original design, for what it's worth.

The false grooves on the pins are just mean in my opinion. I mean, I know it's supposed to be high security, but have some mercy! :roll:

by **WhiteHat** » 30 Sep 2004 20:19

a cutaway medeco? nice...

by **pointofview** » 1 Oct 2004 2:52

logosys,

I got my Medeco Biaxial from the Romstar auction as well... have you opened it up yet? I mean I knew on paper what I was up against with this lock... but once I opened it up and had a peek inside, I was still blown away!

This lock has the tightest machining tolerances I have ever seen! Even the pins are works of art! I found only one mushroom pin, a driver. Though it's not like that's making the difference... The paracentric keyway is so action-packed with wards, the only picks I could get in there were my new mini-blues (also from the auction :wink:

). Last but certainly not least, the biaxial design... Now I had done a fair bit of research about these locks before receiving mine, but again, you really have to examine one of these locks to appreciate the ingenuity...

So I wouldn't feel to bad... the sidebar alone makes this just about impossible to pick (at least with conventional tools)...

by **Enamon** » 1 Oct 2004 13:20

Biaxial design?

by **logosys** » 1 Oct 2004 14:16

Enamon wrote:Biaxial design?

oh yeah

by **logosys** » 1 Oct 2004 14:17

I have renamed the Medeco from "Biaxial" to "Egobuster"! Behold the famous Medeco "EgoBuster"!!!!!!!!

by **32768** » 1 Oct 2004 18:52

logosys wrote:Behold the famous Medeco "EgoBuster"!!!!!!!!

LOL
but how much fun would this be if everything was made like kwikset?
I figure it's good to keep some locks around you can't pick.

by **lock_assassin** » 2 Oct 2004 20:37

Glad you enjoy the Medeco logosys!!!

I am up to 5 pins without the sidebar and 2 pins with the sidebar. And when you add the second pin it REALLY makes things interesting.

Don't get frustrated, but have fun!!!

lock_assassin (The one who cursed him with the EGOBUSTER) Sorry logosys

by **pointofview** » 3 Oct 2004 11:24

How are you rotating the pins?

by **logosys** » 3 Oct 2004 12:08

pointofview wrote:How are you rotating the pins?

Using a bent half diamond. Cocked it sideways so it barely even fits in the keyway but can rotate.

by **Wolf2486** » 3 Oct 2004 15:23

I recently bought a Medeco Biaxel lock off Ebay and I too learned more from taking it apart then from just reading about it. I've managed to open it with the sidebar and three pins. What really worked for me, much to my surprise, was heavy tension. I took the bent half daimond pick and scrubbed it until I felt the cylinder move just a little, after that, I set the three pins very carefully with a hook pick. I added the fourth pin and so far I have had no success.

Wolf

by **TOWCH** » 3 Oct 2004 17:05

I have 3 Medeco cam locks and these things are evil. Instead of a groove running down the side of the bottom pin they have pin holes at various heights with false notch rings. The only upside to them is there are only 3 angles. The only way to pick these from what I can tell is by making lifter picks that imitate that angled cuts on the keys. I'm in the process of making some out of solid bars of steel because I hate myself. I made a prototype out of the half diamond I FUBARed aproaching the problem like it was a biaxial and was able to pick it with one pin. The amount of stock removal I'm going to have to do to the solid bar because of the warding is so high the project has been put on hold until I have access to a bench grinder. Until then I get to try and imitate the angled cuts with some freaky bending of brick strap pick blanks. The bright side is, if they work I'll have some picks that will pwn the standard mortice Medecos.

by **TOWCH** » 3 Oct 2004 19:02

Took some pictures.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/TOWCH2/214_1434-2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/TOWCH2/214_1438-2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/TOWCH2/214_1437-2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/TOWCH2/214_1430-2.jpg

Just incase anyone was having trouble visualizing the problem.

Medeco can blow the wind out of your sails

Medeco can blow the wind out of your sails

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