What did you pick today?

[EmrysCPennent]

Today my viro slide bolt showed up so I decided to give it a crack and a few moments later after some fun spool pin action it opened up. It has seven pins feels like just one regular and the rest are spools. There isn't a key check pin in this viro which I was kind of sad about but the seven pins are still pretty fun because of its paracentric key way. Then I decided to dig into my commando collection and got them all open. Going from left to right: a brass commando and an IChange padlock with y52 keyways both with five serrated/spool pins. Then another brass commando, and two regular commandos with the m1 keyways all three full of the usual commando line up of pins five serrated/spools.

[C-Horse]

Today my viro slide bolt showed up so I decided to give it a crack and a few moments later after some fun spool pin action it opened up. It has seven pins feels like just one regular and the rest are spools. There isn't a key check pin in this viro which I was kind of sad about but the seven pins are still pretty fun because of its paracentric key way. Then I decided to dig into my commando collection and got them all open. Going from left to right: a brass commando and an IChange padlock with y52 keyways both with five serrated/spool pins. Then another brass commando, and two regular commandos with the m1 keyways all three full of the usual commando line up of pins five serrated/spools.

What Peterson pick did you use there?

[Divinorum]

Nice job on the commando locks I really need to get my hands one some of those.

[EmrysCPennent]

What Peterson pick did you use there?

That pick is/was(there's a story) called the Hook 7 Stainless Slender. Here comes the story.....I went to order a spare of the hook 7 slender I had originally ordered because it is always my greatest fear that I will some how destroy or mangle my favorite picks so I like to have a spare sitting around just incase but when it came it looked like one of their Hook1 DCAP profile. So I contacted Ken about that he said they had a mix up at sometime/had a bad batch and it should have always looked liked the hook1 DCAP style which is a short fat rounded hook whereas the hook 7 I originally ordered was a long thin rounded hook almost gonzo(also similar to the hook5 profile of their euro styles). So I was sad for a little bit until Ken released his bogie styles because he also introduced a slightly thicker set of slenders at the same time. The original slenders where .015 thick the new line up is .018 and when I saw them I noticed that none of them looked like the hook1 DCAP so I took a gamble and ordered the hook 7 slender in .018 and it came matching my original hook7 slender just slightly thicker. I have yet to contact Ken and get some more clarity on the situation so I don't have a real clear answer on what my pick is actually called. So sorry for the odd long answer....if you can call it an answer.

Nice job on the commando locks I really need to get my hands one some of those.

Thanks! I really enjoy picking the commando locks and I would recommend getting one especially because you can pick it open, swing the shackle 180 degrees open, relock the core and then pick the core in the opposite direction and remove the shackle makes for fun picking races with friends to see who can remove the shackle first(this works with any of the commando lineup it's just the ICHANGE series that does it naturally with the key whereas the rest of the commando lineup has stopper ears on the base plate to keep you from doing that....unless you file the key or remove the stoppers).

Keep on Picking,
Emrys

[C-Horse]

What Peterson pick did you use there?

That pick is/was(there's a story) called the Hook 7 Stainless Slender. Here comes the story.....I went to order a spare of the hook 7 slender I had originally ordered because it is always my greatest fear that I will some how destroy or mangle my favorite picks so I like to have a spare sitting around just incase but when it came it looked like one of their Hook1 DCAP profile. So I contacted Ken about that he said they had a mix up at sometime/had a bad batch and it should have always looked liked the hook1 DCAP style which is a short fat rounded hook whereas the hook 7 I originally ordered was a long thin rounded hook almost gonzo(also similar to the hook5 profile of their euro styles). So I was sad for a little bit until Ken released his bogie styles because he also introduced a slightly thicker set of slenders at the same time. The original slenders where .015 thick the new line up is .018 and when I saw them I noticed that none of them looked like the hook1 DCAP so I took a gamble and ordered the hook 7 slender in .018 and it came matching my original hook7 slender just slightly thicker. I have yet to contact Ken and get some more clarity on the situation so I don't have a real clear answer on what my pick is actually called. So sorry for the odd long answer....if you can call it an answer.

Nice job on the commando locks I really need to get my hands one some of those.

Thanks! I really enjoy picking the commando locks and I would recommend getting one especially because you can pick it open, swing the shackle 180 degrees open, relock the core and then pick the core in the opposite direction and remove the shackle makes for fun picking races with friends to see who can remove the shackle first(this works with any of the commando lineup it's just the ICHANGE series that does it naturally with the key whereas the rest of the commando lineup has stopper ears on the base plate to keep you from doing that....unless you file the key or remove the stoppers).

Keep on Picking,
Emrys

Well I want to say thanks , but I am not sure lol
Oh well !

[Robotnik]

Finally opened that American 5200 referenced in my post from a week or two ago. Added a Peterson Prybar to my tool kit; lock took about five minutes after that.

[Hachronn]

Finally opened that American 5200 referenced in my post from a week or two ago. Added a Peterson Prybar to my tool kit; lock took about five minutes after that.

That's still one of my favorite locks. Did you disassemble it? If so, what was inside?

[Robotnik]

Finally opened that American 5200 referenced in my post from a week or two ago. Added a Peterson Prybar to my tool kit; lock took about five minutes after that.

That's still one of my favorite locks. Did you disassemble it? If so, what was inside?

Haven't gutted it yet. My wife and I are moving this weekend, so my plug follower, pin mat, etc are all packed up. Left it in the unlocked position; I'll post pics once I unpack and disassemble.

[C-Horse]

Finally opened that American 5200 referenced in my post from a week or two ago. Added a Peterson Prybar to my tool kit; lock took about five minutes after that.

I love that Prybar it is no doubt the best purchase I have made. I have the Lite and the full size with the teeth and without

[phrygianradar]

I picked this old Sargent and Greenleaf lever lock today. This was a first for me and I am very proud. I didn't think I would every be able to do this, but then I tried…



I tensioned it with one of the Peterson flat five and manipulated the levers with a piece of piano wire through the bottom drain hole. It worked like a charm!



Now I just need to do a little research on how to make a key for it. I think I can decode it (in a matter of speaking) by looking into the shackle opening, but I am not real sure just yet. Cool old lock though. And this one had been on the shelf for a long time!

[C-Horse]

I picked this old Sargent and Greenleaf lever lock today. This was a first for me and I am very proud. I didn't think I would every be able to do this, but then I tried…



I tensioned it with one of the Peterson flat five and manipulated the levers with a piece of piano wire through the bottom drain hole. It worked like a charm!



Now I just need to do a little research on how to make a key for it. I think I can decode it (in a matter of speaking) by looking into the shackle opening, but I am not real sure just yet. Cool old lock though. And this one had been on the shelf for a long time!

Bad ass man!

[Hachronn]

I picked my Master 532 back up. I got pretty comfortable with it last summer, but after setting it aside for a year, I find myself struggling. Reaching those short pins behind the two deep cuts has made getting a good feel for the binding order difficult to say the least. Half the time I think I've picked the lock, only to realize that I've missed pins 4 or 5 altogether. This lock has been a great reminder of the fact that lock picking is a perishable skill. Practice.... Practice.... Practice....

[YouLuckyFox]

@Phrygianradar: well done!

[phrygianradar]

@Phrygianradar: well done!

Thanks Fox! I almost got a key impressioned for it using a method I read about explained by Lauren, but it didn't quite work right. I ended up breaking a piece of the key off in the lock! Fortunately I have an extremely powerful magnet (1" cube) and it sucked it right back out the key hole! I was very pleased with that part.

Today I picked a lock I got off eBay:



perhaps some of you guys saw it. No keys, but I got it to the control position and pulled out the core. It wasn't too easy although I have to say that if you have the special tension wrenches for these sfic locks you really must use shims to have them work well. I used pieces of post-it notes rolled up. That is what those pieces of garbage things are doing in the shot. Really clean lock, too. I am pretty stoked on it for 15 bucks.

[GWiens2001]

Good one, PR.

Gordon