Tue May 21, 2013 1:14 am
A practice plan for picking pin tumbler locks
First an apology. I have not read everything on this site (yet) and if I go over some old ground, sorry.
So, you have just popped your first lock or two and have experienced that “Oh what a Feeling…” moment, Chances are that it was a cheap Chinese or Master lock (some would say “the same thing”) and you want to develop your skills.
This study/practice plan is designed to speed up the process.
First, I am only talking about pin tumbler locks – pad locks and door locks mainly.
You will probably want to go out and get every book you can find. If you do that you will soon find that they are all basically the same, so just get one good one. I would recommend “Practical Lock Picking” by Deviant Ollam and if you have plenty of money “Locks Safes and Security” by Marc Tobias.
Next, picks.
Don’t go out and buy the biggest fanciest set out there. Good pickers (of pin tumbler locks) generally only use three types of picks.
A half diamond, a hook and a snake.
The first lock you picked was probably done using a half diamond or a snake. Am I right?
As this is a study plan and not a how to, I will assume that you have done some reading and know how these locks work and the principles of picking.
Lets get started.
Get as many locks as you can. Buy cheap padlocks. This has the advantage in that you can “cheat” by looking at the biting on the key and lets face it, early success will give you the enthusiasm to continue. This is why you want to START with cheap locks. There is nothing more discouraging than constant failure.
Don’t give up on a lock you can’t open. Put it away and come back to it at a later date when your skills have improved.
Remember, there are some locks that you will never be able to pick, though they may be opened by other means like shimming, pick gun etc.
If you have one of these locks that defies all attempts to open – get out the old Dremel tool, open it up and see what makes it tick. Don’t do this to antique locks. They are beautiful things in their own right.
Go to the local tip and see if you can find locks without keys. Junk shops will have old door locks. Second hand building suppliers etc.
Start off with cheap locks. Be aware that there are some cheap locks that will defeat even the best pickers, though not many. Conversely, some expensive locks will be extremely easy to pick. A surprising number actually.
You will probably open them by random scrubbing or racking.
Remember to start off with a light tension on the tension tool. You want to develop a feel of the pins setting.
Once you can open a lock regularly, try to pick it more quickly. Vary the tension, gently bounce the tension tool, hold the pick differently. Try holding it very lightly, juggle it around in the lock.
Use a different pick and repeat the above.
While watching TV have your small pile of locks on one side, open one, move it over to the other side. When you have popped them all start again.
All the time you are trying to develop the “Feel”.
Now that you have a good collection of locks and have driven your wife/girlfriend mad with the constant clicking while she is watching Idol. It’s time to move on a bit.
Pull out all your locks again and this time use only one pick - the hook of lifter. Use one of two sizes of hook, a small one and the next size up. These are the only really useful hooks.
What you are now going to develop is the skill to pick a lock by setting individual pins one at a time. It looks easy on YouTube but believe me it is not that easy and takes a LOT of practice.
Those locks that just pooped open with the rake will now be a bit more difficult to open but because they were so easy to rake you will get a better (almost exaggerated) feel for setting pins.
You can do this in front of the TV but not while watching it as you will need to concentrate (hard) on what is happening in the lock. Use the knowledge that you got out of your books. Picture what is happening inside the lock and try to translate what your fingers are feeling to what is happening in the lock.
Get a feel for spool and mushroom pins and practice overcoming them. There is a wealth of advice on this out there.
One thing that I found to be of great help is to modify your hook pick slightly. On the tip grind in a small dimple with the tip of a diamond cone grinder on a Dremel tool. I find that this helps in feeling the individual pins.
I recently purchased a few Master 140s. These are very interesting to pick as they have spool pins and each one has its own “character”. One opens just by picking one pin, the last one(?), another by lifting three pins and the third by holding the pick VERY lightly, wriggling it in the keyway while applying VERY light tension to the tensioning tool.
Go figure.
Another tip is to make your own tools. Even ones that don’t come out quite right may open that lock that has been eluding you. It’s also fun.
You can use a cheap set of Chinese feeler gauges. They only cost a few dollars. The gauges from 0.24 to 0.34 will be suitable.
Another source that I have found that make excellent and very strong picks are the head band on cheap PC headphone/mic. sets. They are made from stainless spring steel and are very strong. The bands are quite narrow (in width), just over a quarter inch. You will probably need to put a handle on it. I use electrical tape to build up then some electrical heat shrink tubing.
My picks look a bit rough in the pic. but they are really quite smooth and do an admirable job. With every pick you make you will get a bit better.
I once made a snake that opened just about every lock that I used it on. Unfortunately it broke and I have never been able to replicate it. So whenever you make a new pick, test it out on all your locks, you never know you might reproduce my magic snake
Remember, picking isn’t the only way to bypass a lock. Learn everything you can.
Use the resources of this site. There is always help available.
Practice, practice, practice. There is no substitute for it.
I hope that you will pick up a few tips from the above. I have been practicing for quite a few years and still have a long way to go.
I have learnt a lot about locks and security, helped out a few friends that have been locked out of their houses and had a lot of fun.
That “Oh What a Feeling” when the lock pops never goes away.
Happy picking.
Neilau
So, you have just popped your first lock or two and have experienced that “Oh what a Feeling…” moment, Chances are that it was a cheap Chinese or Master lock (some would say “the same thing”) and you want to develop your skills.
This study/practice plan is designed to speed up the process.
First, I am only talking about pin tumbler locks – pad locks and door locks mainly.
You will probably want to go out and get every book you can find. If you do that you will soon find that they are all basically the same, so just get one good one. I would recommend “Practical Lock Picking” by Deviant Ollam and if you have plenty of money “Locks Safes and Security” by Marc Tobias.
Next, picks.
Don’t go out and buy the biggest fanciest set out there. Good pickers (of pin tumbler locks) generally only use three types of picks.
A half diamond, a hook and a snake.
The first lock you picked was probably done using a half diamond or a snake. Am I right?
As this is a study plan and not a how to, I will assume that you have done some reading and know how these locks work and the principles of picking.
Lets get started.
Get as many locks as you can. Buy cheap padlocks. This has the advantage in that you can “cheat” by looking at the biting on the key and lets face it, early success will give you the enthusiasm to continue. This is why you want to START with cheap locks. There is nothing more discouraging than constant failure.
Don’t give up on a lock you can’t open. Put it away and come back to it at a later date when your skills have improved.
Remember, there are some locks that you will never be able to pick, though they may be opened by other means like shimming, pick gun etc.
If you have one of these locks that defies all attempts to open – get out the old Dremel tool, open it up and see what makes it tick. Don’t do this to antique locks. They are beautiful things in their own right.
Go to the local tip and see if you can find locks without keys. Junk shops will have old door locks. Second hand building suppliers etc.
Start off with cheap locks. Be aware that there are some cheap locks that will defeat even the best pickers, though not many. Conversely, some expensive locks will be extremely easy to pick. A surprising number actually.
You will probably open them by random scrubbing or racking.
Remember to start off with a light tension on the tension tool. You want to develop a feel of the pins setting.
Once you can open a lock regularly, try to pick it more quickly. Vary the tension, gently bounce the tension tool, hold the pick differently. Try holding it very lightly, juggle it around in the lock.
Use a different pick and repeat the above.
While watching TV have your small pile of locks on one side, open one, move it over to the other side. When you have popped them all start again.
All the time you are trying to develop the “Feel”.
Now that you have a good collection of locks and have driven your wife/girlfriend mad with the constant clicking while she is watching Idol. It’s time to move on a bit.
Pull out all your locks again and this time use only one pick - the hook of lifter. Use one of two sizes of hook, a small one and the next size up. These are the only really useful hooks.
What you are now going to develop is the skill to pick a lock by setting individual pins one at a time. It looks easy on YouTube but believe me it is not that easy and takes a LOT of practice.
Those locks that just pooped open with the rake will now be a bit more difficult to open but because they were so easy to rake you will get a better (almost exaggerated) feel for setting pins.
You can do this in front of the TV but not while watching it as you will need to concentrate (hard) on what is happening in the lock. Use the knowledge that you got out of your books. Picture what is happening inside the lock and try to translate what your fingers are feeling to what is happening in the lock.
Get a feel for spool and mushroom pins and practice overcoming them. There is a wealth of advice on this out there.
One thing that I found to be of great help is to modify your hook pick slightly. On the tip grind in a small dimple with the tip of a diamond cone grinder on a Dremel tool. I find that this helps in feeling the individual pins.
I recently purchased a few Master 140s. These are very interesting to pick as they have spool pins and each one has its own “character”. One opens just by picking one pin, the last one(?), another by lifting three pins and the third by holding the pick VERY lightly, wriggling it in the keyway while applying VERY light tension to the tensioning tool.
Go figure.
Another tip is to make your own tools. Even ones that don’t come out quite right may open that lock that has been eluding you. It’s also fun.
You can use a cheap set of Chinese feeler gauges. They only cost a few dollars. The gauges from 0.24 to 0.34 will be suitable.
Another source that I have found that make excellent and very strong picks are the head band on cheap PC headphone/mic. sets. They are made from stainless spring steel and are very strong. The bands are quite narrow (in width), just over a quarter inch. You will probably need to put a handle on it. I use electrical tape to build up then some electrical heat shrink tubing.
My picks look a bit rough in the pic. but they are really quite smooth and do an admirable job. With every pick you make you will get a bit better.
I once made a snake that opened just about every lock that I used it on. Unfortunately it broke and I have never been able to replicate it. So whenever you make a new pick, test it out on all your locks, you never know you might reproduce my magic snake
Remember, picking isn’t the only way to bypass a lock. Learn everything you can.
Use the resources of this site. There is always help available.
Practice, practice, practice. There is no substitute for it.
I hope that you will pick up a few tips from the above. I have been practicing for quite a few years and still have a long way to go.
I have learnt a lot about locks and security, helped out a few friends that have been locked out of their houses and had a lot of fun.
That “Oh What a Feeling” when the lock pops never goes away.
Happy picking.
Neilau
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