by dtm1982 » 1 Jun 2015 15:14
Hello, I just joined this site and I look forward to discussing lock picking and appreciate all your help in advance. I did a search using the term "loose plugs" and found a couple of topics that contained a little information on it, but I tried it and it didn't work for me.
I bought the suggested lock pick set, a Master No.1 lock (4 pins), and a Master No. 150 (5 pins with some security) lock. I have been able to rake both of them open, but I did it so much that my rake actually broke. So now i'm forced to SPP with the short hook and i'm having a lot of difficulty with the Master No.1. I have a hunch that it's simply because I suck at it, but the plug is really loose; I've read the MIT guides section on loose plugs, and it's a little confusing to me. What I garnered from it is that I basically pull the plug towards me, and try my best not to move it back into the cylinder as much as possible using both a combination of torque from the tension wrench and the short hook (please let me know if that is correct).
The strange thing is, everything I've read about setting pins and the way it FEELS; I have not experienced any of that with this lock. The only thing that I'm certain about (or maybe I'm wrong on even that) is that the furthest back pin is the binding pin (I will use maximum torque and that is the only one that won't budge). When I lift this pin, I hear no click, feel no plug rotation, nothing. Also, strangely enough, the times I've picked this lock successfully by sheer luck, it's like a lot of the key pins are still kind of lifted in a stuck position as if over set, when I thought they're supposed to fall back down.
For the record, the original key will open the lock without any problems, and the cutting on the key (1-4) is shallow, followed by 3 identically deep cuts (don't know if maybe I'm over setting stuff).
I've been doing this for hours on end for a couple days now and I finally gave up and realized I need a little help from the experts. If there's a certain way to attack loose plugs, I'd like to know it as I feel like I'm wasting time. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, guys!
