Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:50 am
Re: Who said master lock #3 are good starter lock
Piotr you're right. I wasn't really in the mood to type up a whole thing last night lol, guess I could've explained at least a couple of things.
Laminated master padlocks like the #1, #3 and #5 will open in either direction. Some are easier one way over the other, so if you're not having any luck feeling binding or you keep oversetting something and there doesn't seem to be a way around it, try the other direction and that should sort you out.
Tension placement is something to be mindful of depending on the direction you're picking. If you're picking CCW I would recommend BOK tension. Picking CW with BOK, sometimes the wrench gets lodged funny in the keyway and it won't bind the pins properly. HOWEVER, if you're using a fairly wide wrench or seat a thinner one just right, it doesn't matter. It's just a case of knowing when something doesn't feel right and making the right adjustments. I just dug out my old #3 and am using 2 southord wrenches which I'd assume are part of your kit to talk you through what I'm doing here. One is a fairly wide twistflex, the other is slightly narrower without a twist.
First up, twistflex. If you're picking CW your wrench will be sticking out at a bit of an angle, about 4 o'clock. If you look at the little ward in the keyway it should be resting right n the middle of the wrench... doing this now I can feel binding and set a couple of pins but after that it refuses to pick any further. So that's no good. Switching to CCW, the wrench is about 8 o'clock. This is uncomfortable so personally I'd flip the lock upside down so the pins are on the bottom but you can hold it whatever way you want. With the wrench like this, it picks no problem.
Switching to the other wrench, if I try to tension CW it just spins and gets caught in the very bottom, sticking out towards about 7 o'clock. That doesn't bind the pins worth a shit. But don't give up there. It's possible to nestle it just against the ward, sticking out about 4 o'clock... in this position it holds tight and again, picks no problem.
You could use a shorter wrench to apply TOK tension, but in all honesty it's just personal preference. Picking TOK though, you're guaranteed to bind the pins properly and not have any issues. TOK isn't ever completely necessary, even with the worst bittings you'll come across - there's plenty of space in that keyway to pick with BOK and a standard short hook provided you aren't going all rambo on it.
As for actual picking... apply medium tension, stroke the pick gently towards you from the back until it hits the binding pin (feels solid conmpared to the rest which just spring up and down). Take a second to roll the pick onto the very center of that pin, rolling it back and forth to judge where the middle is if necessary, then apply gentle pressure to the pin. Don't try to force it, just push lightly. Now reduce the tension slowly and carefully until you feel the binding pin start to slide into place. When it starts to move, hold your tension at that amount. You'll feel and hear it click very crisply as it hits the shear line, masters tend to be very good like this in terms of feedback. Which is nice. Also keep in mind that as you're pushing the pin into place, angle the tip up and keep the shaft down so that it stays as clear of the other pin stacks as possible. That way you will avoid potentially oversetting other pins.
After that, simply repeat the process for the other 3 pins. If you can't feel binding properly anymore after setting some pins, chances are something is overset. No need to reset and start again, just reduce the tension carefully til you hear a single pin click back into place then feel through them again to see if something feels nice and bindy like you're looking for. If you just can't seem to get it then chances are the bitting and binding order and collaborating to fuck your shit, in which case a simple change in tension direction will sort it out. Hope this helps. If anything isn't 100% clear I will gladly do a video cos I was a bit of a cunt in my previous reply.
Laminated master padlocks like the #1, #3 and #5 will open in either direction. Some are easier one way over the other, so if you're not having any luck feeling binding or you keep oversetting something and there doesn't seem to be a way around it, try the other direction and that should sort you out.
Tension placement is something to be mindful of depending on the direction you're picking. If you're picking CCW I would recommend BOK tension. Picking CW with BOK, sometimes the wrench gets lodged funny in the keyway and it won't bind the pins properly. HOWEVER, if you're using a fairly wide wrench or seat a thinner one just right, it doesn't matter. It's just a case of knowing when something doesn't feel right and making the right adjustments. I just dug out my old #3 and am using 2 southord wrenches which I'd assume are part of your kit to talk you through what I'm doing here. One is a fairly wide twistflex, the other is slightly narrower without a twist.
First up, twistflex. If you're picking CW your wrench will be sticking out at a bit of an angle, about 4 o'clock. If you look at the little ward in the keyway it should be resting right n the middle of the wrench... doing this now I can feel binding and set a couple of pins but after that it refuses to pick any further. So that's no good. Switching to CCW, the wrench is about 8 o'clock. This is uncomfortable so personally I'd flip the lock upside down so the pins are on the bottom but you can hold it whatever way you want. With the wrench like this, it picks no problem.
Switching to the other wrench, if I try to tension CW it just spins and gets caught in the very bottom, sticking out towards about 7 o'clock. That doesn't bind the pins worth a shit. But don't give up there. It's possible to nestle it just against the ward, sticking out about 4 o'clock... in this position it holds tight and again, picks no problem.
You could use a shorter wrench to apply TOK tension, but in all honesty it's just personal preference. Picking TOK though, you're guaranteed to bind the pins properly and not have any issues. TOK isn't ever completely necessary, even with the worst bittings you'll come across - there's plenty of space in that keyway to pick with BOK and a standard short hook provided you aren't going all rambo on it.
As for actual picking... apply medium tension, stroke the pick gently towards you from the back until it hits the binding pin (feels solid conmpared to the rest which just spring up and down). Take a second to roll the pick onto the very center of that pin, rolling it back and forth to judge where the middle is if necessary, then apply gentle pressure to the pin. Don't try to force it, just push lightly. Now reduce the tension slowly and carefully until you feel the binding pin start to slide into place. When it starts to move, hold your tension at that amount. You'll feel and hear it click very crisply as it hits the shear line, masters tend to be very good like this in terms of feedback. Which is nice. Also keep in mind that as you're pushing the pin into place, angle the tip up and keep the shaft down so that it stays as clear of the other pin stacks as possible. That way you will avoid potentially oversetting other pins.
After that, simply repeat the process for the other 3 pins. If you can't feel binding properly anymore after setting some pins, chances are something is overset. No need to reset and start again, just reduce the tension carefully til you hear a single pin click back into place then feel through them again to see if something feels nice and bindy like you're looking for. If you just can't seem to get it then chances are the bitting and binding order and collaborating to fuck your shit, in which case a simple change in tension direction will sort it out. Hope this helps. If anything isn't 100% clear I will gladly do a video cos I was a bit of a cunt in my previous reply.
