Lock I'm having trouble with

[SaintAccardo]

I'm putting up a picture of the lock I'm having trouble with. I removed the rubber off of the bottom as you can see. What I'm having the trouble with is finding the right tension wrench and knowing how much tension I need to apply. It seems that the wrench always slips into the bottom notch of the keyway and either allows me to put too much tension on the plug or not enough and you can hear the pins and feel them spring down which is extremely fricking frustrating. But then when I add more tension, it makes the pins so hard to move, not only am I on the verge of bending my picks but they are so hard to move that any pressure applied that will move them is too kuch and when they finally move, I know I'm overshooting my mark. Those here with experience will know what I'm talking about I'm sure. Does anyone have any tips on working this model of lock or have any special tension wrenchs they could recommend? And how do you include a picture in a post?? I don't even see the option to be able to attach a picture!

[SaintAccardo]

http://s1171.photobucket.com/user/samge ... sort=3&o=0

http://s1171.photobucket.com/user/samge ... sort=3&o=1

I just decided to post tge picture this way. Click on the link and it should show you the lock.

[Divinorum]

You will probably have better control using top of the key way tension wrenches. These wrenches are commonly known as pry bars. With TOK tension the wrench tends to move around less if properly placed and it also leaves you more room to navigate the key way. LockPickShop.com sells them as do many other suppliers. I have both sizes and love them.

http://www.lockpickshop.com/PPB.html

http://www.lockpickshop.com/PPB-LT.html

To include a picture in a post use the tags around the URL to the picture. Just make sure the pictures size is not to big, if that's the case leave it as a URL.

[Divinorum]

I was looking through Bosnian Bill's videos tonight and came across this video about choosing the right tension wrench for different locks. This will hopefully help you out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_RE1wZfdd0

[KPick]

What set of picks are you using?

[SaintAccardo]

I have many different picks. I've got a peterson gem, small diamond, large diamond, amongst many others in both .025 and .015 thickness. My picks are not the problem. I do have a TOK tension wrench just not those exact ones posted up above. Maybe I'll get some of those from peterson or sparrow. I think it just boils down to getting the right touch and I also am thinking about getting some Euro slim picks as I think the even smaller size would help me greatly. Thanks.

[mseifert]

That is a Master M930. There are no security pins... So it should be a straight forward pick...It does however have a high spring tension .. Top of the Key way .. Med-hardish Tension to overcome the spring... Then seek and set from that point.. If you find one that is hard to push .. Apply some pressure to it and SLOWLY back off pressure until the pin sets... If you hear other pins drop when you set one then you have then set out of order..

Hope this helps..

Here is a link of a guy picking one ..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKZDAQ06HTU

and another
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MllKTYLgJc0

[critmass235]

im guessing this would be similar to picking a brinks r70? a spring on the latch ?

[SaintAccardo]

That was some of the best advice I've gotten on here, thanks. That was very descriptive and understandable by someone who's picked locks. I took the other guy up on buying the pry bar the .05 peterson, they didn't have the lite one in stock but I don't see that being a problem. I also picked up a bunch of different slim line picks, small hooks, small hook with half diamond, about 9 different picks all variations of a small hook. I think the slim line will do me much better as I need more room and these should give me that. Thanks a million guys.

[SaintAccardo]

I really have no choice but to give up on this and a few other padlocks I have. The pins are just too tight and jumpy when trying to pick it. Sure I'll screw around with it from time to time but I just dont see me being able to pick this or a few other locjs that have the exact same characteristics. I hate giving up and admitting defeat but I also think that part of being a good lockpick is knowing when something can be picked and when it can't. I've got probably 15 other Masters that I can go through and pick them consistently so I know it's not that I'm just inexperienced enough to pick it, the mechanics of the lock just don't allow it.
Any of you guys come across locks where you just admit defeat and that the lock most likely is not going to allow you to pick it by any conventional means? Sure I'll screw around with it from time to time while watching tv but I don't expect to be able to pick it with any kind of intention ever. Kinda sucks really.

[GWiens2001]

We all come across locks that kick our hindquarters from time to time. Except for fgarci03 - he always gets the lock open.

Some locks are just not pickable by conventional means. Examples would be most Abloy locks, EVVA MCS, and so forth. The rest take practice, time, practice, patience, practice, learning, practice, and finally practice. A bit more practice wouldn't hurt, either.

Anything in the Master lineup is certainly pickable. They are not a mid to high end lock like Lockwood, Mul-T-Lock, Medeco or ASSA. Even those high end locks can be picked with a fair bit of... you guessed it... practice.

Take the lock cylinder apart, and only put pins and springs into one chamber, reassemble, and pick it until you feel confident with the lock. Then add another pin stack and pick that until confident. Then the next stack, and the next, until you have the lock fully pinned. We refer to this as 'progressive pinning'. The best part is that it works! That is how I learned Medeco. Yes, even those can be picked.

Don't give up! Try our advise. We'd love to see you stick with it and learn.

Best of luck,

Gordon

[SaintAccardo]

Goddamn all I can hear is snap snap snap as the pins are snapping down and I have alot of tension on the cocksucker! If I apply any more tension, the pins become immovable. So I'm if I do, if I don't either way I'm in a screwed position with this lock.

That's a good idea about the progressive picking idea. I did that with a Kwikset but those are so easy now its no fun to even pick them anymore. Its another situation where you're if you do and if you don't because on the one hand I like having a lock I haven't gotten yet because I don't know how many hundreds of dollars I've spent on new padlocks and Kwiksets at the store, once I've learned to pick them, they are basically useless to me. It's no fun picking something that you can pick open as if you were using the key. To friends it's impressive but to me there is no gratification whatsoever. On the other hand, I also hate sitting here picking for hours and hours and hours on end with no appreciable progress made at all on three locks that I have and again I'm in that mode where I feel like a real failure piece of shit! I mean, not even a set or "oh yeah, those are at least the binding pins I need to work.
I've definitely learned that every lock is unique and even some Master lock no.3's are harder than an M5 or M15, it's really the luck of the draw on whether you're going to get an easy or hard lock to pick. This goes for the purchaser looking to secure his valuables too. If he's lucky, he'll get a lock that's hard to pick and if he's unlucky, he'll get a lock that you basically set one pin and lift and snap, you're shit is gone!
It's nice that you can take these M930's apart and repin them or rekey them so there is a different bitting because it saves the money of having to go buy another lock just to get a different pinning combo to pick anew on. Now I just have to go buy the allen wrench size to go down through the hole and unscrew the allen head to release the plug.

[mseifert]

First of all.. Cussing and screaming is not going to open the lock..

A couple things to remember ...

1 - If this was easy everyone would do it ..
2 - If you don't believe you have already opened the lock than you are defeated before you start...

We all have that lock that we would like to throw out the window ever time we pick it up .. Some people nemeis are high security lock .. some are Master No 5.. Mine personally is a American Government issue A5200..

So, Keep Calm.. Step Away .. And truly believe you can open the lock ..

[Divinorum]

I agree with what everyone else has said here. When I started there were some locks in my collection that I could not open no mater how hard I tried or concentrated. I moved on and progressed with other locks and when I went back to the pain in the but locks I was able to open them finally. Likewise there are still locks I sometimes can't open I get frustrated and at that point the chance of getting it open goes out the window. If I let it go and walk away I can usually get it open next time I try. Some locks you just need to give up on for a while and return later.

[KPick]

I wonder how many times you had your neighbors come up to you requesting why there is a lock in their broken window Divinorium. LoL Just say it wasn't you and it is just a coincidence that you are a lock smith/lock picker.