new (real) Russwin problem

[walrus]

I have a Russwin lock (several identical ones actually, my uncle is a general contractor) with two cylinders (interchangeable core?) one on top of the other. The locks have seen better days and stick quite a bit. I picked one open and had to use quite a bit of force to turn the bolt. Now the plug is stuck in this position, I can not turn it back to the original point. It did not happen on any of the other locks, the plug would always spin back and reset the pins. I was wondering what caused it to get stuck and if there is anyway to get the plug spinning again.

[Jarod]

WD-40, perhaps a small screwdriver bent to resemble a tension wrench so you can put more turning force on the plug. Does the lock seem to bind or feel gritty when you turned it, is there a lot of gunk around the plug?

[walrus]

gritty is the wrong word, its sluggish, hard and slow to turn. There is no visible dirt but it is old. I think it is dirt that made it jam, but I am just checking with you all to see if it was anything I did. So I will know not to do that again.

[zeke79]

the top pins did not fall into the bottom of the keyway did they? This happens when you turn the plug 180 degrees and the top pins can fit where the keyway was broached. If this is the case, use your tension wrench or the back of a pick to lift the top pins up and spin the plug at the same time. That should do the trick if that is the problem.

[walrus]

thanks for all of the great suggestions, but nothing is working. I tried wd40, no the pins did not fall into the plug, I cant figure it out. I am blaming this one on dirt and the years past. but oh well, no big loss. Thanks for the help anyway.