aloa.org March 2025 Keynotes 23 Trouble Feeling Stiffness On some high-security keyways, such as Ford door locks that use the HU101 tool (Figure 2), you may not feel any wafers that are stiff. In the scenario where every wafer position feels loose or “bouncy,” try picking each position deeper than you normally would, and see what hap- pens. It is not uncommon that once you begin lifting the wafer, it will present stiffness again, and you can continue until it is set. While testing positions, if you feel that you have overset a wafer, it is easy to restart picking since you have just begun. Serrated Wafers On other high-security keyways, you may discover that a wafer feels set after being picked, yet after noticing that every other position is also loose, you find it was never fully set to begin with. This is especially common in some European auto locks. It is particularly noticeable in Volvo, for example, where every wafer may feel as though it must be set multiple times to finally pick. Serrations on the wafers may cause the wafer to feel set at multiple depths, much like serrated pins in a pin-tumbler lock. So, what is the solution? While picking any automotive door lock, a locksmith’s biggest fear is over-picking multiple wafers and hav- ing to restart. If you notice that a wafer feels set at different positions, try setting each tumbler at the shallowest (or lowest) depth it will feel set. Then, systematically feel for a wafer that will bind again when pressure is applied past that depth. Be careful not to over-pick any wafer. The key is to feel whether the wafer binds and provides counter-rotation as you move the lifting arm, meaning it should be picked, or whether it tightens up and increases the pressure required to move it while providing no rotation in either direction. Once you have set all the wafers, you may still find that the lock does not turn. This can happen when some wafers are not fully set. This brings us to our next question. They all feel picked; which one am I missing? There are times with every keyway where it will feel like you have picked each wafer, but the lock will not turn. In this situation, it is easy to get frustrated and want to restart. This wastes time unnecessarily and will only increase your frustration. First ensure that every wafer feels just as loose as the others. You may be surprised to find one wafer that is less loose than the others or has more spring pressure. Then, try going just a little farther than you normally would with the lifting arm, and you may get a small click. If not, release a small amount of tension to only reset the most recently picked wafer. Then, resume normal tension and pick it again. This will bind the next wafer again, and check for an over-picked wafer at the end. How do I know how much tension is specific to each keyway? This is a com- mon question asked by those struggling to learn more difficult keyways. Putting too much pressure on the tension bar can completely prevent the tool from being able to pick the lock. It is tricky for those who are new to the tools because every lock feels different. While some keyways require more tension than oth- ers because of the actual spring pressure in the lock, it would not be fair to make a chart by keyway due to the variability of the tension required in each specific lock. Instead, it is important to learn how to tell what kind of tension is needed while picking. Each lock will “tell” you what it needs. As a rule of thumb, start with light tension and gradually increase it as you progress through the lock. On higher-se- curity, more precise keyways, you will want to keep light tension all the way through, even though it may be tempting to use more force. Remember that while these tools are durable, they do break, and you should never use so much force that they bend. As with anything else in this trade, the only way to know everything is to sit down with a tool and practice until you have perfected it. FIGURE 2. The tension bar opened on the HU101 tool.
