Picking Old Weathered Locks

[oovgroov]

Hey All,

Been digging in the forums for a bit for an answer and haven't been able to find anything helpful yet.

I just got my hands on an old door-knob my friend gave to me after changing his locks on his old house. Compared to the newer locks (Schlage, Defiant and Kwikset) I've bought from the hardware store to practice, it's quite a bit different of a feel. As of yet I haven't been able to pick it. When I set some pins, there's no real audible"click" or noticeable tension release on the tensioner. I think this lack of any real feedback (at least to my yet untrained senses) is preventing me from unlocking it (or rather, locking it since it's already in the unlocked state).

Do you masters have any wisdom to share that has helped you pick older, weathered locks?

[Jacob Morgan]

Do you know what brand of lock it is? Does the key still work?

[ltdbjd]

Have you cleaned and lubricated it? One reason you might not be getting the feedback or results you expect is because it could be all gummed up.

[ratlock]

I get old locks from a friend to practice on,and they are always harder then new one's because of dirt inside it taking away some of the feedback that you would get on a new version.
Spray inside with something like WD50 and work the key, or a pick to move the pins, to clean it a bit, and things will improve.

[billdeserthills]

I get old locks from a friend to practice on,and they are always harder then new one's because of dirt inside it taking away some of the feedback that you would get on a new version.
Spray inside with something like WD50 and work the key, or a pick to move the pins, to clean it a bit, and things will improve.

Here is the US the company quit when they hit # 40, WD-40 to be more exact

[ratlock]

Cheers well spotted, Your 20/20 vision is better than mine.