Proof Of The Process

[deolslyfox]

Or - "Practicing what I preach ...."

I am a great believer in cleaning and lubing a lock - even a new one - before you start picking. Yesterday I grabbed an 1105 out of a batch I got from ebay and just started picking. No joy ... Couldn't get a false set to save my life.

Soooo - I gave it good shot of "secret sauce" (WD-40) and let it "drain" for a couple of hours. I hosed 'er down again and worked the pins with a pick.

Let 'er set overnight and today it picked just fine.

After the pick I took it apart and wiped everything down. The cylinder was still pretty gritty and the pins needed a cleanup too. Old lube mixed with dirt and brass residue makes a great "glue".

Anyhow - again .... If you get one you can't pick to a false set, hose 'er down and let 'er drain overnight. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results.

And please - I know a lot of folks hate WD-40 and I know its not the best lube for locks. But my goal is to find 'em and pick 'em. If that means a bit of "clean up / slick up" along the way, that's fair dinkum in my book. I generally give the lock a good cleaning and proper lube after the pick. Especially if I'm gonna re-pin it and pass it along.

Passin' this on just FWIW .... YMMV

[Comrade627]

I feel like this was directed at me and my 29 year old 5200.
I'm goin' I'm goin', sheesh.

[deolslyfox]

I feel like this was directed at me and my 29 year old 5200.
I'm goin' I'm goin', sheesh.

LOL .... I saw your clean-up and then SPP'd post .... Results speak volumes .... You did a great job on all accounts !!

I have three US Government 5200 series made in June of 1986 waiting for cleanup "as we speak". They are in line behind an 1105 and 6 5530's that I re-cored ....

[Comrade627]

I feel like this was directed at me and my 29 year old 5200.
I'm goin' I'm goin', sheesh.

LOL .... I saw your clean-up and then SPP'd post .... Results speak volumes .... You did a great job on all accounts !!

I have three US Government 5200 series made in June of 1986 waiting for cleanup "as we speak". They are in line behind an 1105 and 6 5530's that I re-cored ....

The only American locks I've messed with are 5200's old and new, and the ASL40N gov issue. Good luck with them.

[deolslyfox]

If you watch ebay you can generally pick up 1100s pretty cheap. They use an APTC12 type core (5/6 pin cylinder). They come pinned with spools and serrateds and some have one standard as a key pin.

They are aluminum bodies, but who cares ?? You're picking the core, not the case .... You can swap the 1100 cores with 5200 cores. This makes for a cheap supply of "spare pins and springs" if you do repinning, make your own pins, etc. FWIW the security nuts, screws and trapdoors are interchangeable as well. If you find nice 5200 that someone has drilled, super glued, epoxied, etc and you want to rehab it, the parts from an 1100 make great "donor organs".

Point being, the "expensive" part of the lock is the body - Big hunk of brass vs smaller chunk of aluminum. Harder shackle = even more cost.

Again - "in general", you'll pay about half of the 5200 price for a comparably pinned 1100 series. Or, you can get twice as many picks for the same $$ by buying 1100s, however you want to look at it ....

Finally, you can get pinned APTC12 cores for about $4.00 from Mr Lock. They have a mix of serrated, spools and an occasional standard pin, and come with 2 keys.

[Comrade627]

Good to know. I've never actually bought from ebay, suppose I'm paranoid.

[deolslyfox]

Good to know. I've never actually bought from ebay, suppose I'm paranoid.

I only use PayPal. Haven't had any issues .... (knock wood)