Just broke a lock through picking for the first time.

[Drifty Flintlock]

I got some new tools a couple days ago and I've been trying them out. Worked pretty well at first, but then my practice lock just started acting... weird. Where it had opened fairly easy before, I spent a good 15 minutes raking it without progress. When I knew something was wrong was when I noticed that I couldn't hear any clicks whatsoever when releasing tension. At that point I put away my rakes and starting poking around with a hook. I couldn't feel any resistance anywhere. Now I've had bad days where even my cheap little Kwikset practice lock won't open for me, but I should at least be finding something. While it would normally feel cheap to call the lock broken just because I couldn't open it, something was wrong here.

I popped the little top panel off and sure enough, something was seriously hosed. One of the springs was completely stuck. Best I can tell, the end of it somehow got wedged between the key and driver pins. I ended up having to yank it out with pliers. Luckily I had a replacement spring laying around. Put it back together, and suddenly everything is perfect again.

So I guess the lesson is, I'm dang glad I was using a practice lock and not something that goes to one of my doors like I used to do.

[serrurier]

Sorry to hear but can I ask what you were doing differently than usual? Were you feeling more powerful that day or in a hurry?

[KPick]

This sounds like you fouled the springs. Very common begginers mistake.

[Raymond]

Jut curiosity but have you actually figured out how it happened? Was that specific bottom pin a very short pin? If so, it is possible that the keypin AND the top pin were both below the shear line, as if it were a very long single pin, when you picked the rest and the plug turned. With part of the spring below the shearline it would have been warped and jammed from then on. ???