.:: Keypicking :: Anything And Everything For Locksmiths, Hobbyist Lock Pickers, Locksport, Lock Picking, lockpicks, cutaways and Security. Simply The Best Lockpicking Forum Around!

Hello Keypicking! I've been picking for over a month now and have had a great amount of success! But one padlock seems to baffle me when it comes to tensioning, the tension wrench slips and them seems to lock up. I can still pick the lock, but ocasionally it does this and I was wondering what it meant, if anything at all? Thanks!

Hey Ryan. Welcome. I'm Mike

Which Master are you are you working on?

When you're using bottom of the keyway tensioning the tension tool can slip off the warding in some locks. You could try a different width or thickness tensioning tool or use top of the keyway tension instead.

As you're probably well aware, Master padlocks generally require a VERY high amount of tension. I'd say the most tension I ever put on a lock is with a master lock. Anyway, applying that much force can sometimes make it difficult to control. It'll come with practice... But in the mean time, there are a few things you can do to help. First, make sure your tension wrench is wide enough. If it's too thin it won't bite, but if it's just wide enough to bite it can also be prone to slipping or wedging against the cylinder and binding up. Make sure it has plenty of width so it's not binding or slipping. I'm assuming you're using bottom of the keyway since you're just starting out. Top of the keyway takes some getting used to, and more of that control, but it can work wonders for certain locks.