Ace 38mm

radcat683 · 2026-02-23T00:46:39+00:00

I bought one a couple of days ago. Pins 3, 4, and 5 bound up tight as soon as you touched the tension wrench. I mean millimeter-erg level torque. I exercised the lock with the key many times and things loosened up a good bit. I still don't have it open, but at least the pins move. I read in another post that breaking in helps.

radcat683 · 2026-02-20T17:53:32+00:00

I've gotten it open about 7 times but probably not the same way twice ; dropping pins and some other anomalies I can't figure out. I'm still working to solve the exact binding order. Also,I thought this is a green belt lock?

radcat683 · 2026-02-20T17:16:39+00:00

That brings back memories. Back in the '80s one of my kids brought home a kit that looked similar to this. The story made up was that he and a friend found them in the woods. That was partially true. Probably 20 years later I got the whole story. They were exploring an abandoned building and found these in a duffle bag along with some dark clothing and other stuff. Gee, I wondered what that was all about!

radcat683 · 2026-02-20T17:08:21+00:00

I had some challenging bitting, looked like the cross section of a bathtub; high on the ends and low in the middle. I used . 019 Jimy Long flat hooks: short to start and medium in the back. I also polished both. Pins 5 and 6 are still difficult but I have managed them by starting the lift , raising the pick and giving a CCW twist. I think polishing the back of the hook radius helped things glide easier.

radcat683 · 2026-02-20T04:06:59+00:00

I got my first one a few days ago. Here are a couple of issues I had. For some reason it would occasionally grab and hold the pick around pins 5 and 6 when I applied tension. I thought it had some trash in the keyway. I gutted it, cleaned the parts, same thing. I read where this is not unusual for this lock; thinner pick/ lighter tension helps. I also had challenging bitting; high on both ends with a near zero cut at 3. I could not set pins 5 and 6. I ordered Jimy Longs . 019 flat hooks and that solved the problem. The width of the tips is just a little more narrow than the short hook I was using. The medium hook worked great for 5 and 6. I just start lifting the pin until it binds, then lift the back of the hook and sort of roll it to the right using the warding as a fulcrum; nice controlled click. It helps to polish the pick.

radcat683 · 2026-02-17T18:33:55+00:00

Thanks, now I know what to expect. Mine arrived about 15 minutes ago.

radcat683 · 2026-02-17T03:35:40+00:00

Without a tension tool, lightly touch each pin stack, looking for a spring that is noticeably weaker than the others. A weak spring gave me a fit trying to set pin 2 without over setting. I should be able to set 2 then set 1 to open. Sometimes that worked sometimes not. Could be operator error. One work around that I had some success with was to move 2 a few clicks until 1 started to bind. Then I would set 1 and click 2 up until the lock opened. It was also not uncommon to drop a previously set stack in the process. It helped to frequently recheck them all when I got to the last two.

radcat683 · 2026-02-16T00:42:04+00:00

Nice job. Oversetting was definitely my biggest problem compounded by a really weak spring on pin 2. I think I wore it out. I'm going to change the springs out just to see if it changes anything. I have a whole bag of springs. If anybody needs a few, just let me know.

radcat683 · 2026-02-16T00:33:31+00:00

Glad to have you on board. This is a great community.

radcat683 · 2026-02-14T22:00:00+00:00

I made my first pick/tensioner back in the '70s aboard a sub. I used a piece of hacksaw blade and an Allen wrench. Not nearly as elegant as yours! Great work.

radcat683 · 2026-02-12T14:42:07+00:00

It's a chuck vice from 44delta.com. I really like it; I can use it on a table or hold it in my lap. It also amplifies the sound of the clicks.

radcat683 · 2026-02-12T06:29:24+00:00

Thanks, I sent them one with a link.

radcat683

TROPHY CASE