so I just bought a medeco.

[south town ninja]

I just bought a medic on eBay, should be here in a couple o' days. Are the picks i have sufficient, or should i buy something medeco specific? I believe it is a 51S or something (?) I know it has a sidebar which i can defeat by rotating the pins to various angles, but that's about all i know. any other help would be greatly appreciated.

[BSG_314159]

So some people say (farmerfreak) all you need is a hook to pick a medeco open.

I kinda got addicted to medeco's because of all the sergeant and greenleaf military locks I own.

You should build a medecoder (groove grabber)
http://theamazingking.com/medeco-build.php

This is mine


I can only open one with 3 pins and a sidebar consistently but it's been a few weeks since I went at it.

All I use is a hook and my groove graver to turn the pins.

When attacking a medeco you can either set the pins to the shear line or turn them to set the side bar. I turn the core counterclockwise because I set the side bar first then pick the lock to open it.

[Squelchtone]

I just bought a medic on eBay, should be here in a couple o' days. Are the picks i have sufficient, or should i buy something medeco specific? I believe it is a 51S or something (?) I know it has a sidebar which i can defeat by rotating the pins to various angles, but that's about all i know. any other help would be greatly appreciated.

There is a ton of Medeco posts here explaining how the locks work, how to pick them and what that mysterious 51S means.. but it sure isn't a model number.. you'll learn a lot by just reading the existing posts, go fourth and get your Medeco knowledge on.

Before you go sticking your picks in the lock when it arrives, take the time to take the lock apart and go "ohhhhhh I get it now, so that's how they work" It's especially helpful to hold the plug in one hand with the key pins in it and insert the key and watch what the pins do. To start learning how to pick them, dump out all the stacks and only pin up 1 stack and try to pick it, you'll get a lot further that way. Then add another stack and another. at 3 or 4 stacks it will get harder, 5 and 6 will take you considerable time using SPP. Raking can often speed things along.

All you should ever need is a hook pick, a half diamond, and an L-rake if you're feeling frisky. Bogotas are also very powerful against Medeco's voodoo magic.

Squelchtone

[Big Jesse]

this may not be true for all medecos. but the Medeco Classic (which is your lock) has the pins spaced at .17 apart if i do remember correctly, as stated in the NDE Magazine, 3 or 4.
either way, i etched some lines on my pick of choice for the medeco, spaced at .17 apart, to destinguish which pin i was on while rotating the pins in the lock individually, i was able pick a medeco lock using this technique, progressively pinned up to 4 pins. however at that point, my shop manager complained that i was wasting company time, and that "medeco locks cannot be picked, its just a trick people do on youtube to fool people". and i was forced to leave it at home. discouraged and pissed off, i never tried for 5 pins.

keep at it, try something new. dont give up like i did.

[nite0wl]

I prefer a flat-tipped hook and a bogata myself. Good tension tools that grab the keyway also help a lot. I built a medecoder a while ago but I rarely have much luck with it (they can't do much against ARX pins and some of the keyway designs Medeco has made over the years makes maneuvering the hook into position very difficult).
Practicing with the lock pinned progressively is the best way to get to grips with the peculiarities of the Medeco designs.

[south town ninja]

is there a book on medecos or something? i am drowning in information with no way to make sense of any of it. I don't mind doing research, but i don't want to recreate the wheel. can someone please point e in the right direction?

[GWiens2001]

Open in Thirty Seconds, by Marc Weber Tobias.

Gordon

[UnlockingBoredom]

Open in Thirty Seconds, by Marc Weber Tobias.

Gordon

That book is on my short list of things I need to get as soon as possible...

[south town ninja]

Open in Thirty Seconds, by Marc Weber Tobias.

Gordon

That book is on my short list of things I need to get as soon as possible...

I know right? I watched the presentation entitled "open in thirty seconds" by the same guys, i believe it was at "blackhat," but i'm gonna get the book for good measure.

[UnlockingBoredom]

I watched it as well and is the reason I wanted to get the book... I want a Medeco!

[south town ninja]

well, my medic came in the mail. it was short pins, springs and screws. I am bent. anyone know where i can get the missing components for cheap?

[GWiens2001]

well, my medic came in the mail. it was short pins, springs and screws. I am bent. anyone know where i can get the missing components for cheap?

You can get a used Medeco mortise cylinder with all components for $15 from Security Snobs. Or spend an extra ten dollars, and get a new one for $25. Keys are extra, but think they are somewhere around $7 each for a working key, or a non-working key for $1. Guess if you were going to make cutaways, it would be nice to have a working and a non-working key.

If you are shopping on eBay for Medeco locks, be aware that a distributor went out of business, and many locks were purchased "sub-assembled". That means no pins, springs and in some cases, no sidebars. Make sure that you read the listings. (That is not intended as a criticism of anyone, just a warning for those looking to buy on eBay). If it says either "no pins" or "sub-assembled", then you will need to get them elsewhere. There are plenty there that do have the pins.

Gordon

[south town ninja]

thank you gordon. i am headed to security snobs presently.

[nite0wl]

Another option, since you have the cylinder, is to take it to your local lockie and ask them to pin it up and cut you a key (assuming they are a real lockie, and not just a guy with a duplicator in a hardware store). They will charge you but you end up with a working cylinder.

[GWiens2001]

Another option, since you have the cylinder, is to take it to your local lockie and ask them to pin it up and cut you a key (assuming they are a real lockie, and not just a guy with a duplicator in a hardware store). They will charge you but you end up with a working cylinder.

That might be a good idea, but as the lock was purchased online, it may be hard to find a local lockie with access to that particular keyway.

Gordon