cb picks

[0161 locksmiths]

hi.ive had my cb picks now for six months and to be honest i think they are ace but somedays i really struggle to use them and somedays im ok.pinky has already told me im a heavy handed *astard and hes right ive contacted chriss and im thinking of having a weekend with him on using his picks.im sure it will be money well spent has anyone else had any training with him or anyone advice to give.ive heard that you can buy various plastic covers for mortice locks so i can see the levers inside the lock whilst trying to pick them does anyone know where i can buy these covers.many thanks xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[illusion]

I hear SKS will have the plastic covers in stock next week.

[nhughz]

Do you struggle on any particular locks or is it that you struggle either right or left handed ? Which wire do you use ?
Some more details might prompt good advise from the experienced guys on here.

[0161 locksmiths]

hi thanks for the replies ive used the max wire the most and it seems to suit me better because of been heavy handed most eras i can open and legges but some days i cant open anything i seem to struggle the most on the low levers im always going into antipicks im sure im putting on to much tension

[pinky]

hi Mr heavy handed

the covers are sold by sks.

its practice mate, and getting used to a lighter touch, your strike rate will only inprove when the touch gets lighter.
max wire is ok, but struggles more than standard on low lifts.

cure the heavy hand and your away mate

[nhughz]

I've struggled picking right handed on some locks, to help the feel become a bit more natural and aid with picking i've started taking a plastercine impression on chubb 3u114, union and yale to id the high and low lifts. You don't seem to be able to just overlift the high lifts first like you can on the ERA's so hopefully it's going to help improve my technique on the right hand side. It also means i no longer use the Max Wire and the standard wire gives much more feedback for me.

[EvoRed]

I bought the Max wire, tried it once and back in the toolbox it's remained since. Much prefer the original.

Gary, it's all about practise practise practise mate and I would really recommend getting a set of those see through plates, an excellent aid for practising.

[andy6r]

shame there is no see through doors!
you have to decode the levers
decode,work out the order and you are away
as heavy as you like
if you don't decode you will just prod and poke for ever

[pinky]

and being heavy handed will keep you out or break your pick.
the decode is as important as the pick, and both are easier with a light touch.

[Wallaby]

as heavy as you like ? this will get you no where with the majority of BS locks ...

[srv]

I find the Union B.S usually requires heavy tension

[Wallaby]

if only it was the majority then .....

[pinky]

the union bs actually requires very little tension in order to pick open, in fact i find jumping anti picks far easier with a light tension, though this does depend which pick you use on it, most solid picks such as safe ventures , rb picks do require a slightly heavier tension on union locks.
.
its no secret that i favour the cb pick as the tool these days im most comfortable with, and if decoded through, its rare to get court up in an anti pick at all.

the only lock i need to use a heavier tension on is the chubb 3G110 lock, which requires heavier tension to begin setting detainers, though i find a mix of heavier and light tension during the pick better for these locks,

the legge and era are far harder to pick with anything more than light tension.

for anyone with a heavy hand, a solid pick such as the safe ventures , and rb tools, will yield the best results all round, as the cb pick is not designed or constructed for or to suit a heavy hand. so matching the right pick to the right hand is as important factor as any, as well of course as personal preferences.

[illusion]

the only lock i need to use a heavier tension on is the chubb 3G110 lock, which requires heavier tension to begin setting detainers, though i find a mix of heavier and light tension during the pick better for these locks,

I guess this is what makes the 110 so hard?

Must get one to play about with some time.

[pinky]

even once you succeed to hand pick 110 locks, you cannot guarantee to pick them all. though a 101 member mbell holds the record for the quickest opening of one, 3 minutes on the door under pressure on a warrant, to prove this no fluke, he was sent back to the same property on a second warrant weeks later and repeated the feat in a respectable 7 minutes.

i hope this wont embaress young martin, but it deserves praise , armed with the guidance wizardry and training of alan morgan from the planet zarg , coupled with your undoubted natural talent commitment and enthusiasm, am i glad you have moved up north, as one alien alan in notts is enough to contend with.