Master Lock 576

[ckc123]

First post , and a newbie here..

after trying out a few basic locks and getting good results, I tried out a master 576 lock.. to put it bluntly.. FRUSTRATED!!!!! even after searching, and various youtube videos.. no luck

I decided to disassemble the 576 to see exactly what I was doing wrong, and low and behold.. no wonder I was having problems.. I found lots of post saying they had no spool pins, or only a single spool pin..

Mine had 4 spool pins..

[MacGnG1]

yep! that'll do it practice is good for spools! try a diamond pick. that has worked well for me.

[mylt1]

yep, that would give you a difficult time. LOL. as Mac said, give a small diamond a try. maybe try repining it so it only has one spool and then once your comfortable with that add a second and so on. if your really feeling brave, have someone else pin it for you so you dont know whats where.

[ckc123]

I've re-pinned it to 2 pins (one spool) and going to get used to that.. then keep adding from there..

I've also replaced the friction pins (that keep it together) with cotter pins, so it's easier to take apart to repin it.

[Theist17]

Dude, harsh. Haha

Would you mind detailing how you disassembled that lock for us? I have a 532 that I would love to take apart. I'm convinced that it has two spools in it, even though the list in the sticky shows one. Plus, it's getting a little too easy to pick. Sub-ten second times are boring. Maybe drop a mushroom or serrated pin in there.

[ckc123]

Dude, harsh. Haha

Would you mind detailing how you disassembled that lock for us? I have a 532 that I would love to take apart. I'm convinced that it has two spools in it, even though the list in the sticky shows one. Plus, it's getting a little too easy to pick. Sub-ten second times are boring. Maybe drop a mushroom or serrated pin in there.

I'll post some pictures when I get a chance, but here is the short version.. on the side of the lock
there is hole with a "Steel" pin that has been inset into the side of the lock.. drill that pin out (if you make the drill hole small, and go "deep" then use a lightly larger drill bit, the larger drill bit will "bind" in the hole and then you can use it to pull the pin out (or insert a screw and pull it out)

with the first pin, you can now pull out the cylinder.

if you look, there is a second "brass" pin which is underneath the still pin (right in line).. use the same process as above, and you can now disassemble the cylinder and get to the pins.

BUT!!!!! be carefull not to get the pins/springs stuck when you pull the plug out it will mess up the springs (like I did with 2 of mine)

after my disassembly, I just put back the brass pin, and used a cotter pin to replace the steel one (so I can disassemble it easy next time I want to play with it..)

[Johnny9]

So I picked my old 576 for the first time. After about 20 unsuccessful mins the night before, I had it open in about 5 minutes last night. Which led me to believe it had no spools. I don't know how to pick spools yet. So I followed ckc123's directions and removed the cylinder, and lo and behold, 4 spools. Must have been dumb luck. So now my problem is re-assembly. I dropped a spring on the floor already, again dumb luck I found it. Anybody have any tips or advice on how to put it back together before I lose all the parts?

[Jremington401]

Johnny9 it's funny that you posted this I was just looking at this thread lastnight going to take mine apart tomorrow. Good luck post pics if you can.

[Johnny9]

Holy cow what a chore. Jremmington, if you like your lock, don't do it! lol. I managed to destroy one spring, and lose another along with a keypin. This takes a lot more patience and coordination than picking IMO. Good luck if you decide to go ahead with disassembly. The pics I took look pretty much the same as OP, mangled spring and all. Sorry not much more I can contribute at this time I'm afraid.

[Jremington401]

Well might hold off on that then. Thanks