What am I doing wrong?

[jasiek]

Hi!

I am new to the topic of lock picking. I'va made myself 2 picks for now.

I bought the cheapest lock in hardware store and it is VERY easy to open it with my tools. I also have some old lock that were taken from old doors in my house and... I just cannot open them!! :[ Why? What am I doing wrong? Or maybe I just need more practise?
I am picking my locks with the technique of racking... Can I open every lock with this technique?

Thanks for every feedback ;]

[Solomon]

Not every lock will rake open, and those that do won't always rake easily. It probably is just a matter of practice, but it could be something specific. Maybe it contains security pins. If you're single pin picking, it could be that your pick doesn't have enough reach to set a particular pin or pins. What brand of lock is it, and do you have a key?

If you practice like a mofo and get the feel for the different pin states you can make an educated guess as to why it isn't opening. Since you're just starting out though, if you're really struggling, put it down until you've popped a few other locks then come back to it.

Have you got any pics of the tools you made? Always cool to see the stuff people make

[jasiek]

The brand of the lock is LOB (Polish manufacturer) I have a key but how can it help me?

I have to practise single pin picking... but I think I do not get it... I have to research this forum to comprehend this technique. Any advice?

I will try to make pictures of my tools today but I cannot promise anything as I will be lock picking in the evening

[jasiek]

I have another question...

Do I need some special tools for European locks? If yes where can I find templates as I found it very easy to make my tools with them.

[Solomon]

Not familiar with that brand. The cuts on the key will help determine how much reach you need, if there's very little difference in size from one cut to the next then you can use a short hook or half diamond and if there is a dramatic change in size then you will probably need something with more reach. You can actually pick locks with difficult bittings with a short hook by oversetting pins on purpose and dropping them back to shear but whether you can do this or not depends on the binding order. You don't need the key to tell what kind of reach you need but as a beginner it'll help seeing as you won't have developed the right feel for which pins are set correctly and which aren't just yet.

I wrote up a very detailed guide on single pin picking which you can read here (the password to open the file is: evva3ks). You should find everything you need to know there.

[Solomon]

I have another question...

Do I need some special tools for European locks? If yes where can I find templates as I found it very easy to make my tools with them.

Not really. You can pick most european profiles with standard sized picks, you'll need slimmer picks for some but not many. EVVA, asec, corbin and winkhaus are some examples of tighter keyways. Slimline picks aren't necessary for most stuff, as a matter of fact even for those kind of keyways you still only really need them if the bittings are tricky.

[MortimerDuke]

Excellent guide, Solomon. Thank you for making it available.

[Solomon]

No problem. That'll be 50 of your finest internets.

[jasiek]

Hi!

I have made pictures of my tools.



For now this is the first version so they are not properly cleaned. I need to make myself a longer pick and a better wrench as this one is sliding really easily.

Yesterday I made myself a lock with only 1 pin and I am practising SPP on it... hope it helps to develop my skills. Is it good to add 1 pin to this lock and practise on 2 then 3 etc pins?

What is your feedback on my tools?

[raimundo]

you will want to grind off the teeth on that hook, and the pick shafts could use some sanding starting with 220 grit then 320 and 400 grits,

with the 220 rough sanding you are shaping the pick so Wrap a piece of this around a stick of suitable size and round off the sharp edges of the pickshaft,
320 grit is a step forward making the 220 marks finer, and 320 is still capable of shaping the metal so watch out not to go too far with it
400 grit will makey the 320 scratches go away and if you use just a small square of the 400 grit sandpaper, it will become worn to a finer grit as you use it and will make a nice very shiny pick when you use the worn 400 grit paper. 400 grit is unlikey to shape the metal much so you don't have to watch for that.
when these are sanded they will give much better feedback to your feel. you dont want to feel it snagging on the warding so rounded and sanded smooth is a big step forward. and it will make them work much better

I don't understand why you say you need to make the pickshaft longer, unless you are talking about the handle, what I see the photo looks like a very good pair that only needs sanding.

[jasiek]

I noticed that pickshaft is sometimes hard to use and the top of it could a little longer to reach every pin easily.

Is sanding the picks really important for a better feeling of the lock?

I will make new picks as these ones are just to start. I wanted to know if I like it. I do... so I will make some new ones during the weekend. I will also sand them off... but I think I will use some abrasive compound to make it even better.

Now I am practising SPP, hope that by the end of the month my trainig will be over and I will be able to pick lock with these method.

[MortimerDuke]

Sanding makes a big difference. You will notice the difference immediately.

[catsoup]

If you are able to continue adding pins to your one-pin lock, that will be excellent practice, just work your way up to the full five or six.

In addition to the sanding (which should help a lot) You may want to try to make a few more tension tools, especially with single pin picking, if the tension wrench is too long, it can interfere with your ability to manipulate the pins carefully. The tool in your picture looks as though it sticks pretty far into the keyway.

[jasiek]

As I am new and not from English speaking country I would like to ask you for some vocabulary or help in finding something.

What I need to find is some vocabulary or literature on how to recognize an "open pin", how to find out that the pin is "blocked" in "sth". When it is blocked I can pick next pin etc. How to say "open pin" in "your language"

As you see I lack some vacabulary and need some help ;]

[MrWizard]

jasiek

Your tension wrench is definitely too long on the part the enters the keyway and the twist should be closer to the bend. Part the enters the lock should only be long enough to enter the keyway and not touch the first pin when placed in the top. Closer the bend is to the front of the keyway will help it from wanting to slip out. Try to make bend close as you can to 90% this will also help you from it falling out. Also it shouldn't be too wide if you are placing in the bottom on the keyway as it interferes with the space you need for long pins to not be raised to high when pick short one in the back. Best to learn to always place it in the top this gives you full range of the picking space to allow for getting around long pins in front of short ones. I use a rigid type one in the top without a twist at all and pick individual pins. I know when you first start picking locks raking or scrubbing with tension in the bottom gives you results faster in some easy locks but using a hook pick with a short rigid tension wrench in the top will be more successful as you learn picking individual pins.

Richard