Note that I'm not very good yet. That said, I sort of share your position, and here's how I've overcome it.
Become a known entity.
I don't know to what extent that matters, but I find reassurance knowing things about the others that I talk to on here as well. Some of us are professionals and whether paranoid or justified, some folks worry about who they're giving their help to. So I made sure I became a known entity.
To start off, I just fucking camped in the chat room. I asked questions, told jokes, and made sure I gave everyone a chance to get to know me. That's not to say I sucked anyone off - quite the contrary - but I made myself open to questions, critique, and I asked questions. I initiated conversations.
That was months ago.
Shortly after that, I began meeting as many people in real life as I could. So far I've only met three people from the community here, but it's a start. This helps make me a known quantity too. There are at least two other members here who can attest that I am in fact, an honorably discharged, college educated high school teacher that is not using information or shared resources so I can knock off the Pepsi machine next to the swimming pool.
Since then I've posted vids of my picking, my failing, and of my beer making. I'm accessible and I'm not all mysterious and shit. People - whether they love me or hate me - know who and what I am. That means they're not worried about how what I do reflects on them.
This also makes it possible for me to get involved in some of the "resource sharing" I was talking about above. Let's be honest... This shit's
expensive! We all know how much the tools cost - or we know how long and how many tries it took to make our own. We know what the locks cost. This shit's expensive. If you're a known entity in the community, you don't even have to try. You'll be
invited for pass-alongs. These things are fucking GREAT, man!
It's where one person has a lock, and picks the shit out of it. That person then posts a vid and asks who else wants to take a shot at it. It gets sent to that person who fucks with it, posts a vid, and then sends it on to the next stop. Sometimes the owner wants their shit back, sometimes it's perpetual. None the less, getting into some of this kind of resource sharing is a great way for people like myself to get their hands on some of the really expensive locks out there.
In order to do that though, you have to show you're trustworthy, reliable, that you're not stealing anyone's shit, and that you're going to handle the stuff with the responsibility that comes with being part of a shared community.
I sent things out to several different members before anyone sent anything to me. I can't be certain of course, but I suspect that it didn't hurt that I had sent some stuff to other members first, showing trust and dedication on my part. Before I knew it, I was getting packages from other people.
In this way, you can get into the pass-alongs and such. Someone like you and I will probably never be able to afford some of these fucking locks. But if you build up your street cred and make yourself known, you'll be able to get in on these pass-alongs and enjoy the locks that are hundreds of dollars a pop for about 6 bucks (because that's what it costs to mail them to the next guy).
How can you beat that? Locks that cost hundreds - sometimes
thousands - of dollars... For 6 bucks?
Make yourself a known entity, and build up some street cred.
Also... I'm not sure what your skill level is currently, but I know that Brinks makes a padlock that costs less than 15 bucks (as low as $7 sometimes).
Here is the lock, and the world's most awesome video on it courtesy of Jruther. I have one of these locks. Some of the gang here have extras. See if you can buy one cheap because if you're new to security pins, these fuckers will entertain you for months!
Another good option is the American locks. I know Riyame has a few he will sell you at a good price. They're inexpensive and a very good learning lock. They're going to be less than $15 a piece as well, and they have interchangeable cores so they remain cost effective. These are fun and they're good for many levels of learning.
Use items like these to hone your skills. I know we all want to get good at all kinds of locks, but these are good locks for learning and the prices on them are very doable for most folks. I'd look for locks like the two I mentioned here (and a few others) along the way to help you get started on a tight budget. Other than that, become a solid part of the community, contribute what you can, and you'll find that a lot of resources open up for you down the road.
Wed Mar 28, 2012 9:26 am 
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