Help with American 1205 padlock

[Snakedoc]

Hey guys,
I've been working on this American 1205 padlock for a few days now and have no luck with it so far. I am familiar with security pins but this my first American padlock experience. I have read everything I could find regarding the lock but yet to come across a technique that would work. The main issue for me is finding the binding pin, regardless of the tension everything seems springy. Every once in a while I find one and hear a few clicks but then......nothing. I have tried lifting very gently as to not overset the serrated key pins but that doesn't seem to help. The only thing I haven't tried yet is raking it. Can someone that is familiar with this lock please point me at the right direction.

[ggpaintballer]

I thought Americans were really tough when I started picking them. It gets easier. One of those pins is binding. I actually like to use pretty heavy tension on those. Sometimes the stars can align in such a way that the lock is accidentally manufactured with near perfect precision. You would find it very tough to get feedback on one of these freak locks. I would say stay at it. Top of the keyway tension. If i feel a bunch of serrated I will generally switch to going from the bottom of the keyway using a thin peterson gem. I doubt you'll rake it open. Maybe you can rake in a false set.

[Snakedoc]

Thanks for the reply. What I'm finding hard is the binding order. It seems to be random at the moment,haha. The only conclusion I can come up with is that I'm either not pushing the pins high enough or too far and that is preventing me from finding the next binder. The extreme high low between pin 4 and 5 is not helping either.

[ggpaintballer]

American often has serrated key pins. If you're over setting them you may think you've brought a pin to sheer when you're actually just in a serration on the key pin.

[Raymond]

From seeing the bend on your curved picks we can tell you are applying too much force to the pins. With spools and serrated pins, they will bind in a cutout and you will NOT be able to move the bottom pin until you release the turning force. So, what everyone is trying to say is to use much lighter turning force and finess the spools and serrated pins past the cutout and into the true shear.

Pretend you are a raccoon. Close your eyes and feel with your fingers.

[Snakedoc]

Haha, you are absolutely right about me being heavy handed. These picks are what I started with a few months ago so you can see my learning curve in them (pun intended). The issue I am currently experiencing with this lock is not that the pins are too hard to push but rather the lack of any feedback from the pins leading me to believe that the previous set pin is either over set or under set. I have tried pushing up very slowly so I can feel the clicks as the pin rides up but that doesn't seem to help. I understand that I need to keep at it and I intend to. I was just wondering if anybody has any tricks . Bosnianbill recomended to push the pins up one click at a time in his video about this lock but that is not working for me because by doing so I loose feedback on all the pins and have to start over. What I found is to push up on the binding pin till I feel a slight give in the core (false set) and move on to find the next binder....... This is where I'm stuck at.

[Divinorum]

Is the lock re-keyable? Do you see a screw in the shackle hole? If truly stumped and you can access the core, I would take it out and start with less pin stacks. Add them back in 1 by one. Then it will click in your head ahhh that's what I needed to do. There's a trick to every lock, you just need to find it. I know it sounds backwards but, have you tried bottom of the keyway tension instead of top? Try different combinations of things eventually you will find what works.

[Snakedoc]

Decided to pick it the opposite direction and I got it open in 2 minutes. I bought it used from eBay and it Looks very used so I'm not sure if that could be the cause but either way...... It's open!!! Thank you guys for taking the time to comment.

[ggpaintballer]

How'd you pick it backwards with the steel plate there?

[Snakedoc]

I used the peterson pry bar and it managed to give me just enough room for the core to rotate in the opposite direction. It will ultimately get stuck but the lock is already picked so just take it out and the core should be free to move with a plug spinner.