Who said master lock #3 are good starter lock

[MixedMotives]

Master lock #3 is the best starter lock then why i am i have trouble with it
i can spp and rake house door knob locks with no issues 10 out 10 but when i try to pick the #3 i blow at it im like 1 out 10

[Josh66]

You'll get it. Some Masters are kinda tricky too... I have a few that rake open instantly, but are a bitch to SPP.

[Aedalas]

You'll get it. Some Masters are kinda tricky too... I have a few that rake open instantly, but are a bitch to SPP.

Crap tolerances and quality standards. There is no consistency in those things at all. I had one that was so loose and shoddily made it could hardly ever be picked open. Another I could open in well under a second, just set tension and run a half diamond in and out as fast as you can. They are a total crapshoot.

[MixedMotives]

does the #3 have spools? i ask cuz it does have alot play

[Josh66]

I've never seen one that had any security pins of any kind.

[Alaphablue]

Get your self a 4 pack of master #3 so you will know if it's you or the lock . Then Pickem till they break or you need new picks .

[piotr]

AFAIK the Master #3 has no spools. The play is due to wide tolerances in its manufacture. You motivated me to dig out my #3 and it rakes open easily but I haven't SPP'd it for about 1 year and I can't do it now. The crappy quality makes it unusual to pick. I'll keep trying and I'll let you knowhow I go.

[Arctor]

Try using really light tension

[Aedalas]

The crappy quality makes it unusual to pick.

This is what I was going for up there. It's hard to explain, they're so bad it makes them hard to pick sometimes. You guys are right about the pins too, there are no spools, only crap tolerances.

[Josh66]

The unusual amount of play is normal - the pins are a lot smaller than the chambers, I think.

[piotr]

Got it after some f*cking about. I used bottom of the keyway tension with a fairly stiff tension wrench and I applied moderate tension, i.e. enough to take up the play plus a little extra to get some feedback from the pins. Also, I used a small hook with a narror shaft to prevent oversetting the long pins. I was using a standard hook (South Ord.) and it was oversetting the pins. Hope this helps.

[Solomon]

First lock I ever picked was a #3. Could only rake it CCW, and even then it was only sometimes. I still have it and nowadays I can SPP it no problem, both directions. Same for raking. Doing it with consistency comes down to practice and having the right feel, correct tension placement and choice of wrench plays a big part I think. I know you can open other locks easily but that isn't necessarily because your technique is good. No offense. Just keep practicing and pay attention to the lock instead of doing "what works for the other ones".

A master should honestly pick open no problem, I've picked a metric shitpile of them and never come across one that gave me shit. It just takes you to have a good overall feel and be able to adjust to the lock, give it what it wants.

[MixedMotives]

Got it after some f*cking about. I used bottom of the keyway tension with a fairly stiff tension wrench and I applied moderate tension, i.e. enough to take up the play plus a little extra to get some feedback from the pins. Also, I used a small hook with a narror shaft to prevent oversetting the long pins. I was using a standard hook (South Ord.) and it was oversetting the pins. Hope this helps.

im using a SO short hook sp-09 some times i over set is my tension to hard and not letting the key pins drop back down?

[piotr]

Got it after some f*cking about. I used bottom of the keyway tension with a fairly stiff tension wrench and I applied moderate tension, i.e. enough to take up the play plus a little extra to get some feedback from the pins. Also, I used a small hook with a narror shaft to prevent oversetting the long pins. I was using a standard hook (South Ord.) and it was oversetting the pins. Hope this helps.

im using a SO short hook sp-09 some times i over set is my tension to hard and not letting the key pins drop back down?

Oversetting is when you push a key pin too high and into the shearline and trap it there (with the tension you are applying). If you overset even one pin then the lock will not open. Oversetting tends to occur when you have a short pin after a long pin: in an attempt to set the short pin you inadvertantly push the long pin (before it) too far with the stem/stalk/shaft of the pick. Oversetting can also be a problem with small keyways.

If your tension is too hard then it will be difficult to set any pins. The amount of force required to set a binding pin is proportional to the tension you are applying. If you are able to set pins without bending your picks then you likely aren't using excessive tension. Regardless of the degree of tension, so long as you don't push the key pin beyond the shear line then it will not overset. Oversetting is typically due to either inadvertantly raising the pins that precede the pin you are working or pushing the key pin you are working on too much without any regard for any of the feedback that a setting pin will produce.

I hope this is clear. If not, I have a cutaway and clear plastic locks that I can use to demonstrate oversetting. I can't find any graphic demonstrations of oversetting on YT.

Hope this helps.

[piotr]

First lock I ever picked was a #3. Could only rake it CCW, and even then it was only sometimes. I still have it and nowadays I can SPP it no problem, both directions. Same for raking. Doing it with consistency comes down to practice and having the right feel, correct tension placement and choice of wrench plays a big part I think. I know you can open other locks easily but that isn't necessarily because your technique is good. No offense. Just keep practicing and pay attention to the lock instead of doing "what works for the other ones".

A master should honestly pick open no problem, I've picked a metric shitpile of them and never come across one that gave me shit. It just takes you to have a good overall feel and be able to adjust to the lock, give it what it wants.

Solomon, you are a good guy, a competent lock picker and you mean well but what you have provided here is totally unhelpful. What you are saying is essentially "I can pick the Master Lock #4, you can't, so you must be doing something wrong, keep trying and you will get it right". Obviously if he can't pick the lock he is doing something wrong. I am reminded of the quote attributed to Calvin Coolidge: "When large numbers of men are unable to find work, unemployment results". Thanks President Coolidge, it's all clear now. Unless you can tell someone how -- in specific terms -- they can improve their technique there is no point in telling them that their technique sucks. That their techniqie is lacking goes without saying. Would telling a high jumper that they missed their jump because they didn't jump high enough count as coachworthy advice? I don't think so.

If what you provided counts as advice then I can advise on an endless amount of topics:

Airbrush artwork: Airbrushing comes down to selecting the right paint and learning to control the airbrush, its about getting the correct flow of paint and air and controlling the trigger...

Brain surgery: Surgery on brains comes down to knowing which part of the brain to cut and which to leave alone and knowing which tools to use at which time in the procedure. If your patient wakes up and he can't speak you've messed with the wrong part of the brain. Eventually, with practice, you'll be able to remove tumours without paralysing your patients...

Flying the SR-71 Blackbird: Flying and landing the SR-71 Blackbird comes down to getting the plane off the ground, flying it and then putting it back on the ground without crashing it. If you've crashed the plane then you aren't doing it properly, you need to put it on the ground without it exploding in flames and bits falling off of it. It's all about understanding the controls, knowing which levers to pull and which buttons to push.

Defusing IEDs: You've got to make the IED incapable of detonating. If the IED explodes then you are doing it wrong. Neutralising the IED is all about knowing what to do at which point in time. Correct placement of tools and correct understanding of the IED is necessary.

Platitudes and pleonasms don't comprise advice or counsel even when they are coming from a competent person.