Neilau wrote:Maybe I just need to give it a rest till mp LP mojo comes back.... Any one else had that problem??
It can happen. I suggest keeping a "confidence lock" around. Some lock that you enjoy, or once enjoyed picking. A lock that's not very difficult and that you know so well you can pick it in your sleep, every time, without fail.
Always end a practice session on a positive note. If any particular lock is plaguing you and you just can't get it open, sometimes you just need to take a break from it. But before you put down your tools, grab your confidence lock and pick it open at least once, just so psychologically you still keep that mojo flowing and you don't feel like you were beaten. It can help keep you from dipping into a slump.
Neilau wrote:Is it possible to pick a lock “to Death”
I've seen it plenty of times. Here are a few examples off the top of my head:
-Locks that have been raked so much they're full of brass dust and there are deep grooves worn in the pin tips from the picks.
-Burrs on the sides of pins from being scratched up with sharp tips on picks, the burrs prevent them from moving up and down freely.
-Burrs on the edges of pin holes that have the same effect.
-Overcompressed springs.
-Springs that have had one end slip between the plug and shell, which can seize up rotation, or at least make it grind horribly when you try to turn it.
-KIK cylinders with the sides crimped in from being held improperly or too tightly in a vise.
-Top caps that have been launched off, sometimes breaking the top edges of the bible in the process, usually from excessive or improper use of a pick gun. Or sometimes because it's a cheap chinese copy (usually of a Kwikset) and the shell of the KIK is plastic.
-Master pins/wafers that have slid in between the plug and shell making rotation difficult or seizing it up entirely, usually because of heavy wear on the lock, or improper masterkeying.
-Keyways that are so chewed up from picks and tension wrenches that you can't even tell which keyway it is anymore and sometimes makes key insertion difficult. Sometimes it's just chewed at the front but a couple of times I've seen locks which appear to have very little warding remaining as I look down the keyway.
-Wafer locks with bent and jammed wafers, usually from aggressive raking.
-Plugs that have cracked in half, usually from the top edge of the keyway to the outer edge of the plug, either from heavy tensioning or just cheap lock materials.
Some of these conditions are repairable, or as GWiens put it they "may just be comatose". Sometimes, they're toast, in which case I usually gut them and toss any usable parts in a jar for future repairs of other locks.