Residential Doors

[bmc1284]

Ok, this probably could pass for a Noobie post, but I thought I'd try here.

I can pick locks all day in hand...spools, serrated, hi/lo configs. Actually getting quite proficient. I practice 30-45 minutes a day!

Put a lock on a residential door, and I'm trouble. I just can't seem to "feel" the pins the same way. Now I know some of the common excuses:

-Owner breathing down my neck (Not today!)
-Poor lighting (Nope, was good today!)
-Not sitting in my easy chair with a beer. (Kneeling with keyway at eye level today)

Today I had a run of the mill Schlage, and fought with it for 45 minutes. I tried my custom made and , my Peterson lifter and and both a and with no luck. I tried raking, SPP, jiggling and cussing...no dice.

I know sometimes its just "one of those days", and I know that getting down on myself or my skills won't get the lock open any quicker. I even understand that the perfectionist in me might have to suffer, but I'm hoping to make a career of this Locksmith thing and don't want to reach for the drill or EPG too soon.

Thoughts? Advice? Funny jokes??

[Presumedsublime]

Try putting the locks you're practicing on in a vice so you get used to the feel without holding the lock.

[Oldfast]

Try putting the locks you're practicing on in a vice so you get used to the feel without holding the lock.

+1 I really think this would help you Bill. This will dampen the feedback a bit, making it a little more realistic.
But I suspect your biggest obsticle is actually applying tension without being able to hang your hand over the lock.
But you're right... don't get down on yourself. Keep at it. You'll adapt at a surprising pace. Don't worry.

....I practice 30-45 minutes a day!

And put more time in!! LOL
8-10 hours a day if you can afford it.

[GringoLocksmith]

I third what sublime said, but I also think there should be no shame in busting out the drill. I've never done it because the customers where I live simply wouldn't have it, but I don't hesitate to attempt every other available method, including credit cards and bump keys. Though lockpicking is fun, and for many of us it's a source of pride, we can't forget that we're at a customer's door to provide a service, and they don't care how well we can manipulate serrated pins.

As for customers breathing down our necks, I've been thinking about putting together a customer care kit, including one of those fold-up chairs for watching fireworks and maybe a lap-sized TV or DVD player. It would be a polite way of saying to the customer from the outset, "Okay, now you sit there and don't bother me while I do my job."

[Neilau]

Hi.

I have a small table on casters set up for reloading so that I don't have to disappear into my room for hours.

I put a small vice on it and wheel it out into the lounge room while my wife watches TV or Videos.

As I don’t watch much TV --What’s there to watch???? – I can practice and still be sociable.

Sitting around “playing with locks” is viewed by “some” as a waste of time when there is “so much to be done around here...”

As I mostly pick padlocks, so I remove the cores (where this is possible), vice them up and practice on that. There is a definite difference in feel.

Just my two cents on how to get in some extra practice.

Cheers.

[bmc1284]

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I'm going to go back to the basics and load my practice lock up with 2 pins, then 3, 4, etc. and practice in the vise. I'll post my progress here!

[rzr800]

Need to practice with locks on doors. Picking schlages installed upside down. Picking schlage levers installed with 2 3/8" backset with oversized trim in the way. These are the locks that still to this day give me a hard time and I hate it when home owners install there locks upside down.

[MrWizard]

It is always harder to pick a lock installed on a door as you are in an uncomfortable position, the frame gets in the way sometimes and I too hate when you get there and the lock is upside down!

Many other factors come into play. The lock may be dirty, have old gummy oil reside compounded with graphite added. The tailpiece can be in a bind putting pressure on the cylinder that doesn't allow you to easily slack off tension and let lifted pins drop back down. Take all that and add the customer asking you every 45 secs hows it coming....how long it this going to take....they do it in seconds on TV....how long have you been doing this....maybe you should try a different door...here I can hold that flashlight for you.

One thing I will suggest everyone get that is thinking of doing this for a living is buy a few cans or a case of LPS Contact Cleaner. It can be expensive depending where you buy it and can be hard to find unless you get it from a lock supply or dealer maybe online someplace. It is the best as it leaves no oily residue it cleans out all the crap plus has good air pressure.

After you have cleaned it out while raking the pins repeatedly while still wet then spray it some more to be sure everything is working smoothly. Get your tools ready by having the tension wrench already in place then flood it good and start picking right away before it can dry. Many times the lock opens in seconds when before it didn't even begin to set. I find this works very well on a hard to get open Schlage. I have tried many contact cleaners and LPS works the best and does not have a carburetor cleaner smell like the horrible CRC brand stuff you get from auto parts store as in Autozone. It takes too long to dry and leaves the lock feeling sometime worse than before you cleaned it. It is cheap and easy to find but I refuse to use it. Radio shack use to have a great alternative cleaner until they made them change the formula because of morons using it to get high on and ruined it.

I use LPS Cleaner all the time to clean out locks I rekey that are dirty and oily then use just graphite to lube it when done.
So with all that being said give it a try you might find you will not go on a lock job without it.

Richard

[youluckyfox]

I've read in a book by Bill Phillips that installing a lock upside down is bad for the springs, why then are so many European locks installed upside down?

[GWiens2001]

I've read in a book by Bill Phillips that installing a lock upside down is bad for the springs, why then are so many European locks installed upside down?

They tend to use stronger springs in euro profile cylinders. And remember, to those in some other countries, the people in the United States mount their locks upside down.

It may be a historical thing. Remember, the warded and lever locks were mounted with the keyway bitting side down. The larger keys were easier to hold for use that way. They merely kept the same orientation when pin tumbler locks started being used in some of those areas.

Gordon

[rai]

Euro locks have longer bibles and stronger springs for the pins down installation. but break a spring in an installed lock and gravity won't help. clearly these locks will fail in difficult environments where sand or other dust will settle to the pin stacks rather than the bottom of the keyway. perhaps the variety of environmental challenges in the US is the reason for the pins up preference, not much desert in europe, outside of extremadura

[gnarus8429]

Speaking of a practice vice I picked one of these up the other day:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/831804-REG/Impact_me_100_Atom_Clamp_with_Ratchet.html

This little guy is awesome and only costs $18 ! Mounts to a 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch standard thread.

[Riff]

I third what sublime said, but I also think there should be no shame in busting out the drill. I've never done it because the customers where I live simply wouldn't have it, but I don't hesitate to attempt every other available method, including credit cards and bump keys. Though lockpicking is fun, and for many of us it's a source of pride, we can't forget that we're at a customer's door to provide a service, and they don't care how well we can manipulate serrated pins.

As for customers breathing down our necks, I've been thinking about putting together a customer care kit, including one of those fold-up chairs for watching fireworks and maybe a lap-sized TV or DVD player. It would be a polite way of saying to the customer from the outset, "Okay, now you sit there and don't bother me while I do my job."

+1 to what Oldfast said. Besides that I know ppl can be irritating. Looking at it from their point of view though. I'm sure it's a very curious skill to them. Almost mystical to the ppl out of the loop. I can understand their curiosity. I mean that's the same curiosity that has brought all of the hobbyists here. Just sayin'.

[GringoLocksmith]

That's a good point, Riff. What to me seems like impatience or doubt may well be simple curiosity. Also, I think we suffer from something that was recently discussed in another thread -- that television shows like "Dexter" depict lock picks as these magical tools that can open a door faster than you could use a key. That makes for better television, but very unrealistic expectations.

[Riff]

That's a good point, Riff. What to me seems like impatience or doubt may well be simple curiosity. Also, I think we suffer from something that was recently discussed in another thread -- that television shows like "Dexter" depict lock picks as these magical tools that can open a door faster than you could use a key. That makes for better television, but very unrealistic expectations.

Yep. Couldn't agree more.