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Not sure if this is the right forum for this question, so please move it if not. I just got an abus 72/40 in the mail. Anyone have any experience with these? The first thing I noticed was its very tiny, twisty keyway. I use Southord slimline picks (supposedly "European" in style), but even they felt a bit unwieldy in this keyway. According to the package, there are six pins, which leads to my question: Does anyone know how many/what kind of security pins are in there? Also, does the 72/40 have an interchangeable core? There's a small metal cap which may or may not be removable, and it appears to hold the core in place. If indeed the cap is removable and the core is an IC core, I'd like to take out the core, remove a few pins, and work may back up to six. Barring that I may have to put this lock off to the side until I'm a bit more competent!
S.

According to the specs found on this website:
http://www.mrlock.com/eshop/locks/mfg/abus/72.html

The lock uses the American PTC12 cylinders, so I assume it has the American type dustguard and cap found on the 1100 & 5200 series padlocks.

If so, when you unlock the shackle, look down into the hole and you'll see either an allen head screw or phillips head screw.

Screw it out, and the cylinder, guard, and chrome cap will fall loose.

To pick it, use the same method as an 1105 padlock.

Here's how I opened my 1105.

[Edit - BTW, it will probably have serrated and spool pins.]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7bt9bZoLDM[/youtube]

No experience with a 72/40, but I know how tricky Abus keyways can be. I try to attack the pins from the side with my thinnest hook and hope for some luck!

All,
Thanks very much for your replies -they give me a lot to work with (especially the video!). Now it's a matter of putting theory into practice. Easier said than done, eh?
S.

???

Got me craving one!

Follow up: I ended up taking apart the lock as Hallis suggested and I took out all the pins. It turned out to be a six pin cylinder. The first (i.e. at the keyway) driver pin was a normal pin. Driver pins 2 through 6 were all spool pins. I put back in pin sets 1 and 2 and worked on them. When that felt comfortable, I added the next pin set. I ended up adding a pin set every day - yesterday I had the full set, and now I can generally get the lock with all the pins open in a minute or so.

A few observations: 1) Picking the spool pins isn't as tough as I thought it would be. I get the first/regular pin to the shear line, and then work my way one by one through the spool pins, easing off on the tension, pushing to the shear line, tension again; 2) Going from the first spool pin to the last, it gradually gets more difficult to get my pick under the spool pin to lift it up. The first spool I can generally go straight in and lift up, but by the last one I have to really work my way in from the side, as Wozzlock said. It's tricky; and 3) For the first few spool pins, it was pretty clear when I got them above the shear line - strong feedback on my tension wrench. But for the last spool I half the time I don't even realize when the lock is picked! Frequently no feedback whatsoever for that one.

So I can do this lock because I've gone at it a hundred times since last week. But if I got another out of the box today ... that'd be another story. Just got a bunch of old yale cylinders so I'll work on them for a bit, but then will try to get another abus.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Good question and great tips on solving it , thanks to all , it helps gimps
like me 'cos you're answering questions i hadn't even thought of asking yet