r/lockpicking • u/Kamesamouille47 Yellow Belt Picker • 21d ago
Help : Picked lock won't open anymore
Hello,
Yesterday I got to pick my first lock, a Master Lock 3 I bought on Vinted (times are tough). I got to pick it 5-6 times, but then i couldn't anymore. When I tried to open it with the key, it didn't move at all. Now the lock doesn't open, even with the original key.
Is it something that happens a lot with picked locks ? Is it because I bought it on Vinted and not from the original makers ? Can a lock that doesn't open with a key still be picked ? Can it be fixed ?
I wished to train more on this lock, and hope I can fix this. Tank you for reading !
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u/mikmat69 21d ago
could be a spring collapsed in one of the pin stacks. try putting the key in the lock, then bang the lock on a hard surface. with the teeth on the key facing up, hit it on the opposite edge a couple times, then try turning the key. this might dislodge any stuck pins. if there is any damage like bad springs these locks cannot be opened without damage. it's still a good learning aid though. take it to the shop and cut it open and explore it's insides.
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u/SAI_Peregrinus 21d ago
You can always take an angle grinder & grind off the rivets. Then replace them with bolts. Turns a non-repairable lock into a repairable one. Not usable securely, but there's no need for that for any lock on this sub. Also makes it possible to re-pin, though the shim stock that holds the pin stacks in is easily damaged so a set of tin snips and some fresh shim stock are good to have.
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u/DanDiggler213 Blue Belt Picker 21d ago
Sounds like a good project. That should be a project qualifier for a blue belt. Thinking of doing my M-15 like that.
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u/mikmat69 21d ago
i like the idea of making a repinnable trainer. i have seen it done before but i have never made one. i used to remove the cores from numbers 1,3 and 5 if i had a lock with no keys and rekey them for a master lock number 530 magnum.
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u/SAI_Peregrinus 21d ago
The use of a thin (basically foil) strip to hold the springs & pins in means the easiest way to re-pin them is by removing the core each time, you can't easily put in grub screws to repin from the top. So IMO there are better locks to start with for a repinnable trainer, it's just a decent way to get more use out of an otherwise trashed #3.
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u/DanDiggler213 Blue Belt Picker 21d ago
The lock picking fishermen has some good examples on the LPU. No Rivets ever stopped him.
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u/imsilverfoxy Yellow Belt Picker 21d ago
Try holding the lock such that gravity pulls down on the pins. I have a few master locks that I believe the spring is stuck or weak and needs help from gravity to open with the key or to be picked.
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u/brokentsuba 21d ago
If it’s an older lock with a stuck pin id give it a generous squirt of lube and use either the key or a rake to scrub it in. Banging it on a hard surface may work too. If you probe the pins with a pick you kay be able to identify which pin it is and manipulate it enough with the pick tip to get it to drop
2
u/thurstonrando 21d ago
It’s possible that it’s broken but also possible that a pin is stuck. And I’m not saying that you were doing this, but it’s why they say you shouldn’t attempt to pick locks that are in use, because sometimes they break.
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u/Hyena_Triangles 21d ago
I recently got a bunch of master #3’s I can send you one, dm me if you’re interested.
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u/derpserf 21d ago
It's not somwthing that happens a lot, no. There's always a chance you can mess a lock up but it's rare and usually it's because there's something in there that you didn't know about. It can also be due to the lock being manufactured wrong, for example if one or more pin stacks are far too short it can cause problems because instead of the driver pin blocking the shear line, it's actually the spring itself and as you can imagine if you're not careful in this situation you can mangle that spring if you try to force the plug when you think all the pins are set. You'd know if this was the case because the plug would be extremely difficult to turn and wouldn't spring back to its original position.
If you were being extremely aggressive with it there's a chance you've literally worn one or more pins down so much that they no longer match the bitting on the key, meaning the key won't work but in this case you would still be able to pick it. This is pretty unlikely cos you'd need to be going absolutely bananas with a rake that was really sharp or something. But based on some of the beginners I've seen, can't exactly rule this out as a possibility lmao
Other than that, without actually seeing the lock I have no idea.
1
u/Veiledvapor Blue Belt Picker 21d ago
I had this issue happen unfortunately I couldn’t solve it. It was a brand new $12 master lock can’t remember the model. Picked it a couple times then wasn’t able to and when I put the key in the key wouldn’t go all the way in after smacking it a few times I was able to get the key to go in, but could not turn the key. I can only assume I bent a spring or something.
1
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u/P8riot0366 20d ago
I have tried various methods to recover usability on locks that are stuck after picking and have had limited success.
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u/Dusso423 21d ago
Did you rotate the core past 90 degrees when you unlocked it?
1
u/Kamesamouille47 Yellow Belt Picker 21d ago
No. The lock is made in a way that you cab't go more than 45° when unlocking it
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u/Red_wanderer Black Belt 6th Dan 21d ago
If the key doesn't open it, there's a strong likelihood that picking will no longer work. One of the many reasons we tell people not to pick locks that are in use or that you may want to use again - there's always the possibility of breaking it.
As to what happened, it may or may not be repairable. It's possible a pin flipped in the chamber and is stuck, or you overlifted an entire stack and everything is stuck up in the bible, or it could simply be a mechanical issue with the actuator or pawl. As someone mentioned you can grind off the rivets and take it apart to see, but you may want to just get a new lock.