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Hello folks,
After some Home Depot shopping sprees, I finally made my first challenge lock! It's a five pin KiK cylinder with pretty good tolerances. Core is a mix of threaded chambers (1, 3, and 4), as well as counter-milled chambers (2, 5). Most of the pins are a combination between serrated and serrated spools. However, the last pin is a drunken spool—the drunken part of which slides into the counter-milled chamber. Would definitely be open to feedback, or other ideas on how to improve it!

Cheers!

-
GizmoRay

Sounds like a great first lock! To tell how good it actually is, you have to send it out to get picked.

I use Texas Jim as my benchmark. He's one if the best pickers I know. I don't listen as much as I watch. Everyone makes mistakes. I just use the opening times.

Don't necessarily listen to everything they say either. People are different and make mistakes. Like 2 of the same kinds of locks pinned similar, Jim says locks that have the bible threaded are easier to pick. Then proceeds to take longer to open the one that had the threading in the bible.

I go by time alone. Also variation is the best way to complicate a lock. Different springs, type pins etc..
Also try to come up with some new pin shapes. We are all used to most of the standard serrated and spool pins, I mix it up with 5 security fetured pin 8n pin pins, stepped t-pins (Stanley Cup/wedding cake pins) and stuff like that.

Anything not normal is going to act new to the picker, it slows them down quite a bit.

Thank you so much for such a fantastic reply, WestCoast! I also realized, I didn't post a picture to my post... which certainly may have helped, haha. I'm definitely looking forward to sending them off to get picked, just want to have something worthwhile for them to do!

I've moved onto a second lock, this time six pins, with some more "alien technology" as BosnianBill puts it.



The only thing I changed from the lock in this picture, was the top pin in position 6—I had some issues with the whole core seizing up during normal usage. Bottom-pin 1 is a pin-in-pin type deal, where the top-bottom (so to speak) pin has a single serration to catch on the threading of the core's chamber. The top pin is a reduced diameter serrated—almost like a mushroom that's been serrated. Of other interest is the top-pin in the fourth position, which is another pin-in-pin deal, but a different style than pin 1. It goes all the way through, with a plunger-like action. The outer pin is serrated to catch on the core's serrations. Everything else is a cross between spools, serrated, and anything in between. Pin 6 is a drunken spool, but as I said before, I changed the top pin in that stack to be more standard.

Those look very well made. Should be tough for the victim ☺

I think you're on the right track!
If you need a victim let me know ☺