Picking tips.

[Project]

okay so i can pick locks now, but i rely like on luck. Some days i can, somedays i cant. So im trying to do this pin by pin instead of raking and i noticed some "feeling" in the pins. AFter applying some tension i feel a binding pin, I use little tension, so i pick that. After going around i can pick a good 3-4 pins before i hit this really hard pin. It wont move up or down. I check my tensions and everything. Is this a spool or mushroom pin or something?

[Chucklz]

How many pins in the lock your picking? What brand model etc? Try pushing up on the "hard" pin while slightly reducing your tension. Does this make the cylinder want to move towards center? That could be a spool pin. OF course theres always the possibility that you are trying to pick a pin you have already picked.

[Varjeal]

You may also be picking the pins "out of order" meaning that by the time you get to that 4th pin, the plug has already turned far enough to block that pin from moving. Try changing your picking order.

[Chucklz]

Try a bit of teflon /silicone lubricant in your lock as well. You would be supprized. Stay away from graphite and any kind of machine oils. WD-40 may work in a pinch to flush out your lock, and may act as a lubricant for a short time. This is not a particularly good use for WD-40. It is fine and very good at cleaning/getting water/ice out of a lock (the WD is for Water Displacement, btw), but is a poor lubricant for locks as over time it acquires dust and grime.

Graphite tends to attract atmospheric water in some climates, leaving your lock just full of gunk. You notice poor operation, add more graphiite, which works for a while, then makes things worse, and eventually you end up filling the lock with the stuff.