Mon Oct 11, 2010 8:01 pm
5 easy steps to picking an Assa Twin
Step 1. Run away. Seriously, do you really think this is actually going to be easy. 
Step 1.5. Put a good tension wrench into the lock. Top tension is they way to go or you won't be able to manipulate the sidebar pins.
Step 2. Set as many of the regular pin stacks as possible.
Step 3. Set as many of the Sidebar pins as possible.
Step 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the cylinder turns.
How will you know if you have the regular pin stacks set correctly or if they are at a false setting?
If you are working on the older style Twin 6000 and it has the one large false gate. My best advice is to pay close attention to how high the pin has been lifted, it will likely need to be set at a shallower depth than the depth that it sets at first. Getting out of that false set just to be able to set it at a shallower depth is tricky. If the lock has a fair amount of wear and tear, it will probably give you some counter-rotation. If the lock is new and/or isn't worn, the false sets won't give you any counter-rotation and you will have to manually turn the cylinder back yourself. Having to do that significantly raises the difficulty. Also note that on the older Twin 6000 design, one of the chambers won't have any counter-milling in it.
If you are working on the newer (not as old of a style) Twin 6000/V-10 cylinders. The false gates for the regular chambers are a lot smaller, but there are several small counter-millings to grab a hold of the driver pins. To tell the difference on if a pin is locked into a false set I recommend heavy tension and lightly try to lift up on each pin (not to move them, just to feel them). If when the key pin makes contact with the driver, it feels springy at all. You should probably leave it alone and move on to the next pin (unless you know that it isn't set yet because it is a shallower depth. You may find, after a while of picking, that a pin needs to be set higher, but in order to do that all the other pins must drop. With that in mind, in the next attempt you should try and set particular pin at the shallower depth earlier in the picking process). Now then, if when the key pin contacts the driver pin it feels completely rigid. Lighten up you tension and click that pin past the false gate, hopefully none/some/not too many of the other pins drop back down on you.
Twin 6000 sidebar. I pick these with a hook pick turned on it's side and I twist it to lift the pins. If a pin is binding, obviously it needs to move up. Once you get them all set, to the real gate or a false gate. Again, at this point use heavy tension and carefully feel each sidebar pin. If they are springy at all, leave them alone. If you find one that is locked up and completely rigid. Continually lighten up the tension while repeatedly bouncing the pin with your pick. Basically you need to move the pin up and down inside of the false gate that it's in. Doing this while continually lightening up the tension should allow the cylinder to slowly turn back far enough to allow that pin to move up the the next gate, hopefully not to many other pins drop back down in the process.
Twin V-10 sidebar. These pins rest lower in the keyway and are harder to get underneath to lift them up. But they are easier to pick because the notches between the false/real gates are beveled in such a way that allows them to be lifted up. To check if they are set correctly it's the same technique as the Twin 6000 sidebar. You just need to be extra careful about over-setting them as it's easier to do in the V-10. But since you won't need to continually lighten up the tension (as much) just to get them past the false gate like the 6000, I think they are easier.
Step 5. If you are reading step 5, it's probably because you didn't manage to get the lock to turn by using step 4. If this is the case, take a break and/or work on an easier lock. If that's not the case and you didn't need a 5th step to pick the lock. Good work, you are a fantastic lock picker!!!!
...Um ...Good luck!!
Step 1.5. Put a good tension wrench into the lock. Top tension is they way to go or you won't be able to manipulate the sidebar pins.
Step 2. Set as many of the regular pin stacks as possible.
Step 3. Set as many of the Sidebar pins as possible.
Step 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the cylinder turns.
How will you know if you have the regular pin stacks set correctly or if they are at a false setting?
If you are working on the older style Twin 6000 and it has the one large false gate. My best advice is to pay close attention to how high the pin has been lifted, it will likely need to be set at a shallower depth than the depth that it sets at first. Getting out of that false set just to be able to set it at a shallower depth is tricky. If the lock has a fair amount of wear and tear, it will probably give you some counter-rotation. If the lock is new and/or isn't worn, the false sets won't give you any counter-rotation and you will have to manually turn the cylinder back yourself. Having to do that significantly raises the difficulty. Also note that on the older Twin 6000 design, one of the chambers won't have any counter-milling in it.
If you are working on the newer (not as old of a style) Twin 6000/V-10 cylinders. The false gates for the regular chambers are a lot smaller, but there are several small counter-millings to grab a hold of the driver pins. To tell the difference on if a pin is locked into a false set I recommend heavy tension and lightly try to lift up on each pin (not to move them, just to feel them). If when the key pin makes contact with the driver, it feels springy at all. You should probably leave it alone and move on to the next pin (unless you know that it isn't set yet because it is a shallower depth. You may find, after a while of picking, that a pin needs to be set higher, but in order to do that all the other pins must drop. With that in mind, in the next attempt you should try and set particular pin at the shallower depth earlier in the picking process). Now then, if when the key pin contacts the driver pin it feels completely rigid. Lighten up you tension and click that pin past the false gate, hopefully none/some/not too many of the other pins drop back down on you.
Twin 6000 sidebar. I pick these with a hook pick turned on it's side and I twist it to lift the pins. If a pin is binding, obviously it needs to move up. Once you get them all set, to the real gate or a false gate. Again, at this point use heavy tension and carefully feel each sidebar pin. If they are springy at all, leave them alone. If you find one that is locked up and completely rigid. Continually lighten up the tension while repeatedly bouncing the pin with your pick. Basically you need to move the pin up and down inside of the false gate that it's in. Doing this while continually lightening up the tension should allow the cylinder to slowly turn back far enough to allow that pin to move up the the next gate, hopefully not to many other pins drop back down in the process.
Twin V-10 sidebar. These pins rest lower in the keyway and are harder to get underneath to lift them up. But they are easier to pick because the notches between the false/real gates are beveled in such a way that allows them to be lifted up. To check if they are set correctly it's the same technique as the Twin 6000 sidebar. You just need to be extra careful about over-setting them as it's easier to do in the V-10. But since you won't need to continually lighten up the tension (as much) just to get them past the false gate like the 6000, I think they are easier.
Step 5. If you are reading step 5, it's probably because you didn't manage to get the lock to turn by using step 4. If this is the case, take a break and/or work on an easier lock. If that's not the case and you didn't need a 5th step to pick the lock. Good work, you are a fantastic lock picker!!!!
...Um ...Good luck!!
