i have a question about a YORK lock...

[Thriceskater311]

I recently found this pad lock in my garage, i have looked on the internet and no luck about all i can tell you is its a"YORK" it looks kinda old but that could just be how it looks, its heavy and made in hong kong it has a silver clasp and the "body" is like faded gold...well i cannot seem to pick it and i thot well ill try to rake it and no luck there my dad said its a pretty good lock, its pretty burley. i tried a hook and a shallow hook and none worked does any one know what is wrong with this lock or what im doing wrong???


Thank you,

Chris (Colorado,US

[bigbike]

Did you get your lock open yet? By the way, raking is not true picking. It is a technic unto itself. Some locks respond to raking, others do not. My suspicion is yours is the later. My advice is to learn to pick as well as rake.

[Eschatos]

The key to this padlock might just be thats its cheap, old, and was laying around your garage. Sometimes they just jam up with gunk or rust, or things get stuck in the springs and picking a real pain.

I suggest you get some non oil based cleaner, spray it into the keyway, then insert the original (or a similar) key or keyblank and pull it out. Clean the key off, and repeat until the key comes out clean. Then, shoot some graphite into that lock once its dry (overnight). This should help quite a bit.

If not, maybe the lock isn't something you should be picking right now. If its big and burly, like contractors grade locks, it might have a serrated pin or two in there, and it may or may not have 5 pins. Good luck with this!