ASSA lack of practice or too strong?

[Christian2001]

Hey dear lockpickers,

I got a box full of locks, including a winkhaus, an abus cisa, an iseo whatever it's called and an Assa with a Euro profile.

I tried picking the ASSA lock for multiple weeks now and unsurprisingly I didn't get it open.
I'm not quite sure what I'm doing wrong but I'm not getting any kind of feedback (or at least I didn't notice it). I think the lock has been used for quite a while, but it doesn't look too worn either.

I would be very happy to get some advice or a rough idea of whether I could pick that lock as a beginner or if there's an alternative way on opening it without just ripping it apart.


... Stay healthy,
Cheers!

[tpark]

You could possibly shim the cylinder. Since it's out, remove the clip from the back, then (from the back) take a shim and insert it at the shear line. Take a pick, and push the last pin up until you can get the shim between the pin and the driver. You can buy shims from a locksmith supply company, but the thin resonator strips used in Sensormatic Electronic Article Surveillance systems (the tags that set off an alarm when an item is removed from a store) will work too. Since many items are source tagged (that means that the manufacturer puts the tags inside the box) you may have something that has one of these tags in it. Progress through the pins until the shim is at the first (closest to you) pin. At this point, you should be able to turn the core slightly, and use a follower to remove the plug. If its a Euro cylinder with with a lock on both sides, this is more problematic.

Assa locks often have spools in them, so when picking these locks it's super important to be certain you're not pushing on pins that are already set. Look through the Lockpickinglawyer's videos, and you'll find one that explains how to identify set pins IIRC. It's important to be methodical when opening these locks, and be certain that you're only pushing on pins that are binding. There are others in this forum who are much better at this than I am, and hopefully they'll be able to provide some advice too.

[Squelchtone]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

How much of a beginner are you and what are some other locks that you can pick with no problem? Which pick set and picks are you using?

Also, where in the world are you from so we know what lock brands are common in your area.

Squelchtone

[pemlock]

I can't tell from the picture which type of ASSA lock this is or how old it is. (But guessing from the keyway, fairly old.) An ASSA lock can contain anything from just standard pins, to spools and torpedoes, to the infamous xmas tree/ASSA pins. If it's the latter, combined with counter milling, it's extremely difficult to pick.

[Christian2001]

Hey guys,

sorry for answering so late!

@tpark thanks for the tip with the shims, if I really continue failing badly I guess that would be worth a try.. It's a dual cylinder btw.
Not pushing on pins I already set sounds so simple yet it's really difficult in all honesty...

@squelchtone I'm not picking all too often, mostly because of the lack of locks until recently when I got a load of locks
still, earlier I picked a Zeiss Ikon Euro profile, a fairly simple one it seems. It needs a lot of weight on the pins but once set down it works perfectly.
Then I picked the Abus Cisa (our garage door), the one I got in the box looks to be more difficult tho?
Also some different BKS cylinders tho all of them are probably mainstream here.

I'm from southern germany so we have quite a variety of locks here.

I'm using a set from sparrow's (Tuxedo euro royale) it's 0.15 I think, as well as a cheap but decent china type of lockset with at least 0.3.

@pemlock my dad passed away years ago and I think he got some of those locks trough his job as a electrician, they used to renovate electrical complexes and all that stuff... So I'm guessing those locks have all been retired at least 5 years ago.


Cheers and all the best, thanks for answers guys!

[jwrm22]

While all locks look a like. Not all are build to the same standards.
It looks like an Assa 600 (or family) and from a little research I can tell it has 'gin bottle' spool pins.
They are by no means undefeatable it's not a lock you should be focusing on.

The Cisa and Winkhaus are by far easier to pick but also not easy.
Iseo are of these the easiest. for easier locks I would suggest Basi as it's a fun brand.
Then go from Iseo to Cisa to winkhaus etc.

If you encounter a lock you can't open. Set it aside and come back to it later.
That I can pick an Abus does not mean I can pick all abusses. I found locks that are just way harder to open than most.

I hope this helps a little.

[Christian2001]

Thank you for your tips!
I'll probably also keep an eye out for a bump key for the assa.

For now I would probably do as you said and focus on other locks, tho the specific winkhaus I mentioned is probably even more difficult because the keyway is the most complex I have ever seen.

Anyways, I'll def keep practicing :p

[Christian2001]

While all locks look a like. Not all are build to the same standards.
It looks like an Assa 600 (or family) and from a little research I can tell it has 'gin bottle' spool pins.
They are by no means undefeatable it's not a lock you should be focusing on.

The Cisa and Winkhaus are by far easier to pick but also not easy.
Iseo are of these the easiest. for easier locks I would suggest Basi as it's a fun brand.
Then go from Iseo to Cisa to winkhaus etc.

If you encounter a lock you can't open. Set it aside and come back to it later.
That I can pick an Abus does not mean I can pick all abusses. I found locks that are just way harder to open than most.

I hope this helps a little.

Actually I made progress.

it's a "TL" profile and after bumping it several times I managed to pick it for the first time.
However still no luck on the one above, feels a looooot more "stiff" than the TL one, from my research it should indeed be a 600 series and has a "UL" keyway.
Don't have any idea on how I will get my hands on a UL blank, bcause picking still seems impossible to me

[GWiens2001]

If it feels very stiff, there is the possibility that it was dropped and one edge hit the floor. Have seen profile locks before that had been dropped and the edge around the plug was deformed, causing it to be tighter.

Gordon

[Christian2001]

I can't spot any visible deformations tho, it's probably super well manufactured, I mean it's binding but it doesn't turn a millimeter, when inserting the key in the TL cylinder u can already wiggle around a tiny bit, while the PK is just completely rock solid.


It's much more likely a PK than a UL tho.
Luckily those seem to be a bit easier to access for me, but I would be extremely grateful if someone could help me out with the bump key, for the TL it was easy as I already had a guide from the original key. In this case it's gonna be just a blank

Cheers guys