ARCHIVE 2003-2013 Introduce yourself HERE if you are new. :)

[David Swearingen]

Hello! I just joined this site in order to share my knowledge and to learn from the rest of you. I started fiddling with locks when I was 2 or 3 years old and haven't stopped yet.

I opened a locksmith shop in a flea market booth while enrolled in college (degree in psychology; prestigious but not so useful as locksmithing) and left in the middle of graduate school to become Best Lock Corporation's Assistant Representative for the state of Florida.

After 8 years with Best I became Chief Locksmith for Southern Bell Telephone and after 8 years with Bell, I opened my own shop full time. My specialty is masterkeying - I love to design huge, complex systems for government and industry. Locksmithing is a great job, but the work is too sporadic - always feast or famine - so I opened other businesses on the side (video games, vending machines, and coin telephones - all of which use very interesting locks and keys).

I'm also a history buff, so I've spent a lot of time traveling around the country, visiting various lock factories, learning their history and their secrets. Also I love to teach, and have taught on the national level at ALOA.

[ericm115]

David, you aren't related to John E Swearingen from Standard Oil are you?

[Shrub]

Welcome to te site everyone,

Take a look at the rules and then read all the stickies before you start posting, almost all your questions will be answered already in those and if not do a search to find your answers first,

Vending machines or vehicle locks are not however spoken about in the public sections along with safes and high securtiy locks,

David Swearingen, you right about the feast or famine part, its so very true unfortunatley, hope you can teach us all a thing or two.

[stealthkey]

just joined ... thought about for a while then i just decided to join and tell u all a little about me i started picking a few years ago taught myself make my own tool if u have ne helpfull hint let me know

[newtoallthis]

Hi.... im new to lockpicking and this site... guess its kinda obvious that im new to the site, or i wouldnt even be posting in here right? well anyway.... just got into the whole thought of picking locks about 2 days ago... but.. seems to be something i can catch on quick too... ive allways had a sensitive touch and can easily picture whats going on inside something while im messing around with it..... and from what ive read so far seems to be a good starter.... oddly enough lockpicking seems so interesting to me that ive decide that at some point in time.... im going to start a lockpicking bussiness even if its only a side thing.... im sure thats pretty far in the future though... but hey if you dont have some kind of goal to meet your just slower then the next guys that does right?.... long story short ill be asking you all for alot of advice and hopefully at some point ill be able to offer my own....

oh an alittle about me im from New Jersey im 24.... an i live half way between the sticks and the beach.... east coast....

end rant............................

[mccammog]

new, 14 years old, wanna learn the ropes.

[snowboarder3282]

Brand new here, I'm pretty young for picking but i can make padlock shims out of an old can with my pocket knife then shim the lock within seconds. I'm hoping to learn how to actually pick a lock, something that actually involves skill

[semvarin]

I'm new here, and this is definetly outside my realm of experience. I've always wondered how locks actually do work and what makes a lock good or bad, but I never really did anything to further my knowledge. I'm here now, and on the path of learning!

[Scytale]

Hi, I'm a longtime browser of these forums; just registered an account and am posting for the first time. I'm 28 years old, a physics researcher in New York who got interested in locks and bypass as a hobby a few years back. I've learned quite a bit so far, but I can't say my skill at pure picking is all that hot. I'm hoping to learn more here and get involved in some interesting conversations.

[sufipirate]

I recently (today) began trying to learn the art of lock picking. I made two picks today (a loop (I believe) and a rake.)

I was browsing trying to find some information and came across this website.

[SFGOON]

You've got to explain your screen name now. I've never met a muslim mystic who moonlighted as a pirate.

[rmd]

i thought this over a bit but thought i should say hi. im from europe and eager to beat everything that the usual crowd feels is secured

[Bud Wiser]

Hi every one, I've been reading this forum for 3 days now and can't stop!

I started searching for affiliate programs for some of my niche sites and stumbled on this forum, glad I did.

I picked my first lock when I was 14 (I'm 50 now). I used a cheap coat hanger, cutted down to size and filed the end and bent it a little to pick locks on bicycles. Was surprised how easy it was. In all fairness we are talking cheap lockes too! But it was still a thrill. A thrill that eventually landed me probabtion for 2 years

Haven't picked any locks since then, but after reading some of the posts in this forum and watching the great videos I'm now planning on doing it as a hobby.

I just want to compliment all the contributers for their hard work and for sharing thier insight. I'm sure I'll be posting again soon!

[hono]

Hello im pretty new to lockpicking but i maniged to pick all the locks that i have...and destroyed 3 of them trying to make a cutaway owell im gona pick something

[DiamondHead.exe]

hey , im from texas , and im sick and tired of locking myself out of stuff!!
the name is a mix of two different ways to gain entrance
lock hacking
and firewall/compy hacking
cuas im interested in both
i thot it was witty at least?