I started picking about 6 weeks ago and have put in about 20 - 30 minutes a day. I can open standard master locks with good proficiency and have picked several door knobs/deadbolts, but can't seem to make any progress on more difficult padlocks like American. What can I do to continue to progress. Haven't shown much improvement in the last couple of weeks.
Take apart your American padlock core. Remove all of the key pins, driver pins, and springs.
Reload only the spring, driver pin, and key pin furthest into the lock core when you reassemble.
Now you have a 1 pin practice lock. Pick it over and over until you can pick it reliably. Then add the next pin stack forward. Practice with that until you can open it reliably. Then add the next stack. Repeat until you have the lock fully pinned.
When you take apart the lock, pay attention to the pins. Are they serrated? Spooled? Spoorated? Each kind of security pin behaves differently. Learn how they work, and the lock will open.
Can you please post pictures of your actual lock showing the model, then one of the keyway, and finally of the picks and tension wrenches you are using? A picture of the key might be a good idea, too.
The pictures may help us diagnose your issues.
Also, if you are not using TOK (Top Of Keyway) tension, try it. It really makes a difference with American padlocks.
Good luck, and keep us posted.
Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
DavePaulson wrote:I started picking about 6 weeks ago and have put in about 20 - 30 minutes a day. I can open standard master locks with good proficiency and have picked several door knobs/deadbolts, but can't seem to make any progress on more difficult padlocks like American. What can I do to continue to progress. Haven't shown much improvement in the last couple of weeks.
I don't know how to stress this out to new pickers Dave. Okay so let me start out by saying that what I'm telling you is somewhat of a very true piece of thought. Lockpicking is one of those things that takes a good amount of patience and you're not going to master it in 6 weeks. You can get pretty good in 6 weeks, but not very good, unless you're some kind of freek super genius.
For american locks, you have to develop a good sense of how to distinguis the clicks on the sides of the security pins. Building this "feel" is key to your success. Don't stress out. It's gets very easy after a while. After some time (months) you will be able to open locks in the dark. (Yes, I can do this even blindfolded, upside down, tied up with flames surrounding me.)
First off, start off by practicing on spools, then move onto serrated pins. Focus on picking open a fully spooled up lock. Then after, you should be able to open it u with great ease. Practice my friend, practice like you've never learned before.
Thanks for the responses. These are the locks that I seem to get nowhere with http://imgur.com/LqVk9TS The only one I can disassemble is the 5200 (the schlage is a found lock with no keys and the Ace may not be able to be dissembled) which I did partially, the bottom pins are all serrated I did not drop the drivers but assume they are spools, I will do that when try the add one pin at a time method, I have fair amount of rekeying experience, I work in the rental real estate repair business. I would not be unhappy with my progress it just seems that I have not made any on these locks. My go to tension tool is a Peterson pry bar .040 or.050 used in top of key way, that is what I liked best from the start, my go to picks are the Peterson classic hook #1 or the Sparrows shallow hook. Here is a video of the Schalge being picked and gutted.
Update I took the American apart and rekeyed it with two pins, one sounded too wimpy for me. Well after ten minutes of trying I still do not have it open. This is what was in it not bad for a lock that appears to be fifty years old. http://imgur.com/cZ6uyU0 I put in one serrated spool and one serrated. The image feature does not seem to work for me.
That American lock... think it has been rekeyed. Don't think I can recall seeing a spoorated driver pin on anything earlier than the early to mid 90's.
Does anyone here know when American started using spoorated pins?
Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
If it makes any difference with the pinning I think this was a U.S. military lock. This has been a great learning tool I can open it with some degree of proficiency, but will not be adding a third pin for a day or two. It's amazing how easy it is to overset the spoolrated pin. I may take you up on the offer of picking the Schlage, it may be quite awhile before I will be able to pick it, I've got more time into it than any other lock and judging my difficulty with a two pin American, probably have never been close to opening it.
Edit to say: Thanks again too all who have contributed.
that lock was made in jan of 1986 
