Plateau

[petemoss]

I feel like I have hit a wall or plateau or something. It seems like I'm to a point where I just can't beat any new locks. Any suggestions to break through are appreciated.

I have thought that I should go back to easier locks that I have opened already just to build some confidence, maybe unlearn some bad habits. Not sure.

[GWiens2001]

I have thought that I should go back to easier locks that I have opened already just to build some confidence, maybe unlearn some bad habits. Not sure.

You already have the best advise we can give.

Gordon

[pemlock]

I feel like I have hit a wall or plateau or something. It seems like I'm to a point where I just can't beat any new locks. Any suggestions to break through are appreciated.

I have thought that I should go back to easier locks that I have opened already just to build some confidence, maybe unlearn some bad habits. Not sure.

That's where I'm at as well. Have been trying to beat two locks in the "naughty bucket" (as Bosnianbill calls it) for quite some time now, but not getting anywhere. Very frustrating. So I've gone through some old locks a few times to just check that I haven't lost it completely, but it seems I haven't, I can still pick them. Those other locks are simply that hard to pick...

(And then I have a few locks that I haven't even given a serious attempt, since I know I'm not ready for them yet. ASSA locks that require "float picking" for instance, which I only know how to do in theory.)

[Squelchtone]

I'm sorry but what is float picking? Is this another term made up by bosnianbill?

[pemlock]

I'm sorry but what is float picking? Is this another term made up by bosnianbill?

That's the term used by Geo in a Lock Pickers United video, for a technique to pick ASSA gin and christmas tree pins in a cylinder with counter milling. Very tricky, you can't push them out of the false set, they basically lock in place. I have a few ASSA 700 with christmas tree pins, counter milling, and no side bar... near impossible to pick.

Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbMAcdBsKmY

(The term "float picking" was apparently coined by huxleypig.)

[petemoss]

Well, as an update, I have been going back through locks that I have already opened and have been doing okay with opening them. It seems that the ones I have been unable to open, I am just unable to open for now. I have picked up on a couple of things though, I think.

It seems that I may have been guilty of using too much tension in general. I seem to be having better luck backing off of the tension tool quite a bit. The big difference is that I really wanted those big clicks and greater tension kind of helped with that. Now that I have, in general, been using less tension, I am having to learn to listen/feel for much smaller clicks (although there are still big ones too). I am starting to pick up on the subtleties a bit more.

I hope it is all just a part of getting better.

[femurat]

I hope it is all just a part of getting better.

Yes, it is!

Sometimes I forget how useful is light tension. Then I pick up a yale cylinder. It reminds it to me immediately!

Cheers