which pin to set first

[maverick003]

hi guys, ive been tryin to pick a masterlock num. 3. i can get the first pin set but after that i cant get the rest set without unsetting the first. which pin should i set first?

[stick]

Feel all the pins and find which one requires the most force to lift. That's generally the one you need to set.

[maldotcom2]

yeah, gotta set the 'binding' pin, just push your pick to the back of the lock and gently pull it out, you will be able to feel a 'stiff' pin, lift that gently until it clicks. Keep finding the binding pin and doing that until the lock opens.

[Benji026]

Is it even possible to set the first pin if it isn't the one that is binding? I could imagine that you can set a pin that is binding even though it isn't binding the most, but is that even true? I always thought you could only truly "set" the pin that is binding the most.

[poisoned]

The answer is in the MIT guide..

[Xerty]

When i began to pick I also had the problem that I could set the first pin of a lock that I had, but then I was stucked.
What I found ot after some frustrating days was that I hadn't actually set the pin I had pushed it up 'til it clicked, but that was at half the way. I had to push it up even further to make it set
The lock was an ASSA 5-pin dead-bolt. I had picked some "madeinchinacosts$1.50"-locks before that lock, but this lock was a problem for me until I found out how to do.
I hope that this could help you, noone shall be forced to invent the wheel twice...
If you're a beginner and have the key to the lock, you could try to take some pins out when practicing. It really helps.

[stick]

Yea, you can set the first pin even if it isn't the binding pin. I think it was called elasticity, and it was covered either in the MIT guide of the Secrets of Lockpicking book, which is pretty nice. It's pretty much putting so much force on the tension wrench that the binding pin is squeezed thinner, causing more pins to bind at once.