Fighting with my first American lock right now. Series 20. You make it look so easy. The Roger Federer of lockpicking. As a beginner i'd like to thank you for sharing your knowledge.
That why I'm here. Have an American lock that nobody has had the keys to in years. And it's on a cage that is blocking us from cutting the shackle with bolt cutters.
I was a Supply Sergeant in the Army. I hate it when they misplace the keys or in need of a vehicle and could not wait for the person who holds the key, ended up using bolt cutters. I wished I'd kept all the padlocks with missing keys... I would have more collection to practice on.
Congratulations on your continued success with Locksport, and Covert Instruments! I watched the live episode of Picking Time when you stopped by. Thanks for all your tips, and Tools!!! Have a great day.
Great demonstration of SPP. Fun locks to learn on. ACE hardware sells a steel body clone of the American lock pattern, and they too contain 5 pins on a 6 pin core, serrated key and driver pins, and an anti bypass disc. Mine cost $16. or so, and has been a good investment for practicing, not only picking, but lock disassembly. They also have smaller pins than the ones in the sparrows reload kit.
Thank you for the reply LPL. I love watching your videos. My only complaint is you make it look so easy. 😂 I've opened mine using SPP, and no one would like to watch that video, if I made it. Hour's of trying to do what you did in less than a minute.😁 Keep up the good work Buddy. You, Bosnian Bill, and Lock Noob, have been my main teachers on lock picking. That, and countless hours of practice.
1 more video for the library lol. havent seen this lock i don't believe on any other channel .maybe the cost of steel was less expensive at the time it was made.?? so said no pin in chamber 6.thanks for sharing the video. 😎😎😎😎😎
I have been picking for a little while now, so far i have been able to open up every lock i come across except an American 1100 series lock. I know it has a standard pin, serrated pin, and 4 spools, but knowing that doesn't seem to help. I even know where those security pins are, because i put them there. Yet I am still defeated, i just cant seem to beat the spools.
The United States military uses this lock for equipment boxes. In those boxes are usually unimportant or unclassified materials. But still materials needed for basic daily operations, and generally are never left out of sight of security forces such as other soldiers. That is probably one reason, in the civilian world, these are not seen much.
The army used 5200 series American locks a lot to secure all kinds of things. I know a lot of morons that broke the company bolt cutters on the gold ones when they lost the keys.
So, I'm a relatively new picker, and I've been working on going for more and more difficult locks recently, and I just picked up one of the brass-body American lock padlocks of the same design. What confuses me is I feel like I keep over-setting the pins, and I don't get nearly the same nice *click* that you do out of them. Ive managed to open it twice now but I feel like the more I work on it the worse I get. Is there something I'm missing? I feel like I'm using relatively heavy tension but I keep hitting a point where all the pins feel loose and springy, and I don't seem to be entering into a false set anymore, or if I do I lose it quickly. I can pick the red plastic Master LOTO locks pretty quickly, but I cant figure out what I'm missing on these. Any idea what I should try doing differently? Thanks!
How do you pick serrated pins and things of that sort. I'm relatively new to picking locks I've been doing it purely to learn something new and challenge myself. I've got masterlock down obviously anyone can rake a masterlock. I've yet to get single pin picking figured out and I can't figure out what I'm feeling for when it comes to special pins like in the loto locks and the American made locks. Do you have any suggestions for someone like me just starting out.
In some cases with a new/clean American lock on a serrated pin you can get more than one click without over setting the pin. Once the pin hits the sear line it will stop or require more force to go any further. In my experiences this is aided by applying the correct tension and in some part dependent on the specific lock core/pin tolerances. I have new and old American that will allow this, as well as new and old Americans that will not allow this. Some Americans require a different method to avoid over setting the pins. You can find out if your particular lock will allow more than one click at a time by trying it. I usually start this way because it is faster if it works and then back off if the lock will not allow it and go back to one click per pin. Once you get the hang of them you can differentiate what you are dealing with pretty quickly in most cases.
I picked this type Of lock but now The keyway is stuck in the open position and I cannot move it back to the zero or starting position how can I fix this
LockPickingLawyer is a different type of tension rod required for top of the lock? i can't get a grip with my tension rods, i noticed yours is shaped differently.
i given it some thought, after i get past the next batch of lockpads, abus 55/40, 80ti/50, 72/40, master lock 911. then i will order sparrow tension rods or a peterson like yours and try my American locks 40 and 700. hopefully that will cover my education for bottom of the keyway and i can move to the top.
Hi, thank you for the video. Just wondering why you stayed on four after the first click without seeing if anything else was binding first? I’ve tried hundreds of times over the years to pick American locks and I was only able to do it once.
Mr. E. I was repinning my 3 1105's yesterday (same core) and tried using serrated for deep cuts and spools for mid to shallow, and then did the opposite. The spools do have serrations so it doesn't make them useless, but it is a bit of a waste for deep cuts as you only get a very small amount of counter rotation (if any). Looking at his keys there are no 8, or deepest, cuts. Pin 5 is probably a 7 cut, and pin 1 a 6 cut, then pin 3 a 4 cut. Only pin 5 would be deep enough to make the spool irrelevant.
It depends on the lock... binding order and bitting, together with core tolerances all conspire the make pins more or less effective. I don't think that anything is wasted in these locks.
Hey LPL, do you know of an online store that sells the key & driver pins for these (& 1100 series) cores? I have found a Master pin set but I don't think the keypins have serrations in that kit. Really love these locks, a lot of fun to pick! Thanks man, and great video!
Have you done a video on the parts of a lock? If not do you know of one? I've got a simple little cabinet lock that I need to pick, remove, and have a key made for it. I think I can pick it. A thief would just break the door off of the cabinet. I like my cabinet lol so I'll do it the right way.
@@deralictv. They went through the trouble of machining a core that is long enough and drilled the extra hole. For a fraction of a cent more per lock, they could have pinned it and made the lock more formidable. It's a bit like making a race car engine and spending the extra time and effort to make it extra fast, but installing a gas pedal that doesn't reach the floor.
Do you have the clip remover in covert instruments website? I can't tell you how many times I've slipped with a screwdriver and stabbed myself while trying to take a clip off
HELP! I just picked my first padlock, American 5560. SO STOKED! Now the key will not go back in. I picked it open, the shackle popped open and I pushed the shackle back in. The keyway still looks to be in the open or unlocked position, and the key will not enter, and the keyway will no turn.
Hi LPL, Any interest in an American Lock Series 30 that was previously used for LOTO? It's my understanding that they are pinned to 3 different keys, and seem tricky for a noob (such as myself).
Just picked up a 5200, trying to feel the pins, what do you mean when you say "counter rotation?" I think that detail is causing my fail... lol. Thanks.
When you fall into a false set due to the security pins, as you're picking the next pin the core will counter rotate to pull out of the false set and fall into the real set.
American Lock as no affiliation with Master Lock? American locks are so much better than Master Lock. It wonders why Master Lock is not out of business.
i dont get it, after all these years, why doesn't masterlock just change the actuator design so they dont need to add those anti-bypass wafers? and why do they keep drilling 6 holes and populating 5? they've been doing it for so long..is there a reason? why not just drill 5 holes and save the wear and tear on their drills? it makes no sense! so much of it makes no sense.
Every time I see you using this blue srew driver it hurts me. Judging from my view, it has a Phillips No. 1 bit, while the srews in the shackle hole are Phillips No. 2.
All these guys learning how to pick locks turning to lock picking career and possible criminals. I know of a lock that is impossible to pick and literally no locksmith INTHE WORLD can pick it. as it is nearly impossible to do so. Yes it is a mechanical lock
I agree that it is odd to have so many security pins in a lock with such a small hasp. I have one of these (I bought cheap) that I can only pick every third or fourth time I try. Nice tough practice lock for a newbie. You make it look really easy.
![[328] 40mmAL Series: American Lock 1100 (Edge Keyway) Picked and Gutted](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/StZCIDBKI-A/mqdefault.jpg)
Fighting with my first American lock right now. Series 20. You make it look so easy. The Roger Federer of lockpicking. As a beginner i'd like to thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I'm fighting with a series 30 American lock at the moment.
It's nice to see that a standard padlock has security pins in it.
American Lock products are mostly very good in that department.
Adding a comment to an older video but we used the 5100 series extensively in the Army. Used on all our duffel bags and footlocker.
That why I'm here. Have an American lock that nobody has had the keys to in years. And it's on a cage that is blocking us from cutting the shackle with bolt cutters.
I was a Supply Sergeant in the Army. I hate it when they misplace the keys or in need of a vehicle and could not wait for the person who holds the key, ended up using bolt cutters. I wished I'd kept all the padlocks with missing keys... I would have more collection to practice on.
We use these at work so I'm learning to pick it in case we lose the key! But it's kicking my butt so far
I’m in the same position now. Did you ever get the hang of it?
Where you get those picking tools?
Congratulations on your continued success with Locksport, and Covert Instruments! I watched the live episode of Picking Time when you stopped by. Thanks for all your tips, and Tools!!! Have a great day.
These are always fun locks to pick. Also, nice bitting on that key.
Agreed.
Great demonstration of SPP. Fun locks to learn on. ACE hardware sells a steel body clone of the American lock pattern, and they too contain 5 pins on a 6 pin core, serrated key and driver pins, and an anti bypass disc. Mine cost $16. or so, and has been a good investment for practicing, not only picking, but lock disassembly. They also have smaller pins than the ones in the sparrows reload kit.
Most padlocks use smaller sized pins... but thankfully, they seem to be standardized across brands.
Thank you for the reply LPL. I love watching your videos. My only complaint is you make it look so easy. 😂 I've opened mine using SPP, and no one would like to watch that video, if I made it. Hour's of trying to do what you did in less than a minute.😁
Keep up the good work Buddy. You, Bosnian Bill, and Lock Noob, have been my main teachers on lock picking. That, and countless hours of practice.
picking an Anerican Lock 5460. As a beginner it is giving me some trouble. maybe someday i can pick it that fast! great video
Nice pins. Looks like they have made an effort on the pinning.
Yes, American Lock cores are usually quite good,
woke up to this on my notifications, thank you
:-)
Great job picking as always brother, pleasantly surprised to see some security pins, too bad it wasn't pinned to its capacity
There is a tool to bypass that waver. It is destructive, however. It punches a hole right through it to allow you to get to the actuator.
1 more video for the library lol. havent seen this lock i don't believe on any other channel .maybe the cost of steel was less expensive at the time it was made.?? so said no pin in chamber 6.thanks for sharing the video. 😎😎😎😎😎
No idea about metal prices, but yes, that empty chamber is always disappointing. :-(
I have been picking for a little while now, so far i have been able to open up every lock i come across except an American 1100 series lock. I know it has a standard pin, serrated pin, and 4 spools, but knowing that doesn't seem to help. I even know where those security pins are, because i put them there. Yet I am still defeated, i just cant seem to beat the spools.
The United States military uses this lock for equipment boxes. In those boxes are usually unimportant or unclassified materials. But still materials needed for basic daily operations, and generally are never left out of sight of security forces such as other soldiers. That is probably one reason, in the civilian world, these are not seen much.
Nice job as always!
Thanks/
The army used 5200 series American locks a lot to secure all kinds of things. I know a lot of morons that broke the company bolt cutters on the gold ones when they lost the keys.
Should have had the Mechanic break out the big wrenches from the Tool Room. The shackle is easy to break using the double wrench technique.
I also use free Ikea twine to lock my stuff up just in case, like a backup! lol
Another great video and picking Sir.
Thanks.
My thoughts exactly on the steel body. Still uncertain as to why they only populate 5/6 chambers.
Re: 5/6... so they can sell the upgrade, of course. Look at AL's price lists. Same locks come pinned 5 and 6 for different prices. It's a business.
I have this lock and have had trouble picking it, is top of the jetway tension necessary? Because I don’t have tensioning tools for that.
So, I'm a relatively new picker, and I've been working on going for more and more difficult locks recently, and I just picked up one of the brass-body American lock padlocks of the same design.
What confuses me is I feel like I keep over-setting the pins, and I don't get nearly the same nice *click* that you do out of them. Ive managed to open it twice now but I feel like the more I work on it the worse I get. Is there something I'm missing? I feel like I'm using relatively heavy tension but I keep hitting a point where all the pins feel loose and springy, and I don't seem to be entering into a false set anymore, or if I do I lose it quickly. I can pick the red plastic Master LOTO locks pretty quickly, but I cant figure out what I'm missing on these. Any idea what I should try doing differently?
Thanks!
Me too! That's why I looked up this video because I figured lpl picked one before. Did you ever figure out a trick to this one?
Same here
Thanks!
How do you pick serrated pins and things of that sort. I'm relatively new to picking locks I've been doing it purely to learn something new and challenge myself. I've got masterlock down obviously anyone can rake a masterlock. I've yet to get single pin picking figured out and I can't figure out what I'm feeling for when it comes to special pins like in the loto locks and the American made locks. Do you have any suggestions for someone like me just starting out.
Steel makes the lock more resistant to tampering by fae
How did you know that the pins needed more than just one click? Great job as always!
Aaron Bradshaw my guess is because so many American locks have serrated pins
In some cases with a new/clean American lock on a serrated pin you can get more than one click without over setting the pin. Once the pin hits the sear line it will stop or require more force to go any further. In my experiences this is aided by applying the correct tension and in some part dependent on the specific lock core/pin tolerances. I have new and old American that will allow this, as well as new and old Americans that will not allow this. Some Americans require a different method to avoid over setting the pins. You can find out if your particular lock will allow more than one click at a time by trying it. I usually start this way because it is faster if it works and then back off if the lock will not allow it and go back to one click per pin. Once you get the hang of them you can differentiate what you are dealing with pretty quickly in most cases.
He picks in advance of the video.
He may pick in advance but he has also picked a bazillion locks so he knows what he's doing as a result.👍
Serrated pins make a less "deep" click than the pin setting does. He made a video on it at some point.
That is the standard miltary issue lock from most tool cribs for use on lockers and toolboxes lol
And tanks lol
I've got a lock that's almost the same as this, but it's branded as a Master Lock.
Dirk Stabins Master locks owns American Locks
Yeah, I know, I'm sure this Master is made on the same machines as the American.
I picked this with a rake yesterday. Today trying to single pin pick and I'm getting no where
I picked this type
Of lock but now The keyway is stuck in the open position and I cannot move it back to the zero or starting position how can I fix this
LockPickingLawyer
is a different type of tension rod required for top of the lock? i can't get a grip with my tension rods, i noticed yours is shaped differently.
Sharp edges are very important to TOK...
i think i understand, thanks
i given it some thought, after i get past the next batch of lockpads, abus 55/40, 80ti/50, 72/40, master lock 911. then i will order sparrow tension rods or a peterson like yours and try my American locks 40 and 700. hopefully that will cover my education for bottom of the keyway and i can move to the top.
Heres why you dont see the 5100 often; on amazon the 5200 cost LESS than the 5100.
LOL... that can be an issue.
Hi, thank you for the video. Just wondering why you stayed on four after the first click without seeing if anything else was binding first? I’ve tried hundreds of times over the years to pick American locks and I was only able to do it once.
Hell's favorite NPC #69OU812 . exe , Thank you for your reply. I guess that method won’t work though in noisy places.
I've heard that spools are rather wasted over long key pins but you seemed to get false sets and counter rotation on a couple of those - your opinion?
Mr. E. I was repinning my 3 1105's yesterday (same core) and tried using serrated for deep cuts and spools for mid to shallow, and then did the opposite. The spools do have serrations so it doesn't make them useless, but it is a bit of a waste for deep cuts as you only get a very small amount of counter rotation (if any). Looking at his keys there are no 8, or deepest, cuts. Pin 5 is probably a 7 cut, and pin 1 a 6 cut, then pin 3 a 4 cut. Only pin 5 would be deep enough to make the spool irrelevant.
It depends on the lock... binding order and bitting, together with core tolerances all conspire the make pins more or less effective. I don't think that anything is wasted in these locks.
Hey LPL, do you know of an online store that sells the key & driver pins for these (& 1100 series) cores? I have found a Master pin set but I don't think the keypins have serrations in that kit. Really love these locks, a lot of fun to pick! Thanks man, and great video!
Sorry, I don't. I bought my AL pinning kit a long time ago. :-(
LockPickingLawyer Hmmm... Well I'll just have to keep an eye out for one on eBay then I guess. Thanks for the reply!
Have you done a video on the parts of a lock? If not do you know of one? I've got a simple little cabinet lock that I need to pick, remove, and have a key made for it. I think I can pick it. A thief would just break the door off of the cabinet. I like my cabinet lol so I'll do it the right way.
I can't seem to find any stores that carry these locks locally. wish I didn't have to get one shipped.
What if you put a contact microphone on the locks so we could hear what you’re doing
Are these american lock's easy to pick, or is this just your ability making it appear so?
I am very, very experienced with American Lock cores. Most beginners with have a good deal of trouble with them.
Some people try to avoid brass because of its lead content, so this would make a good option for a step up over the aluminum version.
Where can I purchase that tool you use to remove the clip?
fighting with a 5200 US govt Series, pain lmao, if its a lock that locks the key in when unlocked, does that change much?
Why can't I see this on your channel?
Waste of a core pin hole. It is disappointing.
Agreed.
Why?
@@deralictv. They went through the trouble of machining a core that is long enough and drilled the extra hole. For a fraction of a cent more per lock, they could have pinned it and made the lock more formidable. It's a bit like making a race car engine and spending the extra time and effort to make it extra fast, but installing a gas pedal that doesn't reach the floor.
We have a ton of these at the prison I work at. I think the reason for the steel body is protection from impact attacks.
What do serrated, spools, and security pins do?
Why not viewed as much? :(
Do you have the clip remover in covert instruments website? I can't tell you how many times I've slipped with a screwdriver and stabbed myself while trying to take a clip off
I am a left handed and a noob. I am having hard time tensioning at the top of the keyway. Any tips?
HELP! I just picked my first padlock, American 5560. SO STOKED! Now the key will not go back in. I picked it open, the shackle popped open and I pushed the shackle back in. The keyway still looks to be in the open or unlocked position, and the key will not enter, and the keyway will no turn.
Is it possible to turn the core too far? The core seems to be in an unusual position.
Where can I get that tension bar???????
I have American padlock lost the key how do I get a key made the company told me not to mail it in I need the key number
Hi LPL,
Any interest in an American Lock Series 30 that was previously used for LOTO? It's my understanding that they are pinned to 3 different keys, and seem tricky for a noob (such as myself).
Would the series 10 be the same way to open
I been tryina usa lishi on this, don't work lol
Just picked up a 5200, trying to feel the pins, what do you mean when you say "counter rotation?" I think that detail is causing my fail... lol. Thanks.
When you fall into a false set due to the security pins, as you're picking the next pin the core will counter rotate to pull out of the false set and fall into the real set.
@@XQsizZz
Thanks for that...
@@XQsizZz
Thanks!
Can you do the series 10 lock please
Can you do bottom tension or does it have to be top
How thick is that pick that you are using?
Nice.
Nice pick as always, Where did you get your pin tray
Looks like my 7200 series but mine has a tubular core
Can you use bottom of the key way tension on the American lock I'm curious
Yes, then pick off the warding on the left side. The method I use is easier imo, and also better addresses difficult bitting.
American Lock as no affiliation with Master Lock? American locks are so much better than Master Lock. It wonders why Master Lock is not out of business.
ML bought AL several years ago!
Isn't steel cheaper than aluminum?
Nice pick!
Thanks.
Why top of key way?
i dont get it, after all these years, why doesn't masterlock just change the actuator design so they dont need to add those anti-bypass wafers? and why do they keep drilling 6 holes and populating 5? they've been doing it for so long..is there a reason? why not just drill 5 holes and save the wear and tear on their drills? it makes no sense! so much of it makes no sense.
So you can add another pin.
Will a shim work on these?
Dont think so
47 seconds to open.
Darn... I'm slowing down. :-P
Have the key and it won’t open 😔
Found it 😂
Every time I see you using this blue srew driver it hurts me.
Judging from my view, it has a Phillips No. 1 bit, while the srews in the shackle hole are Phillips No. 2.
Would you recommend prisons use this lock?
All these guys learning how to pick locks turning to lock picking career and possible criminals. I know of a lock that is impossible to pick and literally no locksmith INTHE WORLD can pick it. as it is nearly impossible to do so. Yes it is a mechanical lock
This is his least popular video
Again, the army wasting more money on shit products like this pad lock.
I agree that it is odd to have so many security pins in a lock with such a small hasp.
I have one of these (I bought cheap) that I can only pick every third or fourth time I try.
Nice tough practice lock for a newbie. You make it look really easy.
American Lock cores are great for practice. Keep at it!