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

[hoover1959]

hello pheniox, new guy here. independent contractor seeking as much new info as possible.

[andrex66]

Hello mates,
I'm Andrea from Italy, great site, I'm learning new things every day!
I hope to get as good as you people.
have fun,
Andrea

[F4raday]

Hello. I've re-introduced myself to picking at DEFCON 19 this year. I was impressed (pun?) with the extremely polite and helpful people there (I'm learning now from watching videos that MANY "famous" people were helping us, cool!).

Over 20 years ago, I'd started the Foley-Belsaw course (dont laugh, I was in construction and wanted to be a locksmith, and sell my services to contractors and apartment complexes; back then I would have had lots of work).
It became pretty boring learning on my own, having little else to help me - remember, no internet then, only libraries - and I gave it up after ten lessons or so for several careers, one after the other, swapping for better salaries instead of what I'd really loved.

I'm now an electrician (industrial type, yes, I love this) and enjoy the variety of my job, with PLC programming, motor and transformer and high-voltage work, as well as repair and fixing breakdowns in production machines and controls, and get to design control devices, one an engineer put me in charge of - made it foolproof with minimal parts - and got a small award for from the company (Forbes top 10, I work for)...but lockpicking feels just as rewarding to me!

I'd gotten the picking bug in the Lockpick Village (DEFCON 19) and have quickly become obsessed with it, but holding back in my enthusiasm so I dont get burned out.

I'm glad this site is here, and I'm happy we have a basic code of ethics; it's been the FIRST thing I tell people when I say I've picked up a new hobby (dont pick locks you dont have permission to/dont pick any lock you rely upon). That usually prevents them from thinking it's some "evil" sport. Describing The Gringo Warrior contest helps, too!

I'd like to see a TOOOL chapter in the Milwaukee, WI area (home), and am optimistic I could start one myself, given some time and experience.

I guess I'm still a pick and prod lucker type, but I'm learning to feel locks and imagine what is happening inside. I use padlocks at work for both departmental access (electrical cabinets keyed alike for us, another key for mechanics, another for utility staff, and all have unique lock-out/tag-out locks) as well as breaker panel locks, cabinet locks, desk locks, PLC program-access locks...so I get to THINK about locks all day, too! I have extras we dont use any more, and I pick those on my lunch break :)

Feel free to message me (site blocked at work & no proxies allowed) if anyone lives within an hour or two drive & has the same interests.

See you around!

[Anavaree]

My name is Jesse and I live in Kentucky.
I have recently started sport lockpicking and am looking forward to improving my skills.
I can already tell that LP101 will be invaluable to me.
Looking forward to participating in the forums.
~Jes

[4g63rc]

Hello Fellow Pickers,

Being a banjo picker it has duel meaning to me : ). Anyhow, I have been picking for the last 26 years, picked : ) up the habit while in the Air Force; I was in law enforcement, my motto was "there is no such thing as a secure building" Also later come up with "Locks are just to keep your friends out" Anyhoo, the way I found this site; I was looking for the maker of the DVD “Lockpicking for the New Millennium”, I purchased it at the Indy 1500 Gun & Knife show 2 years ago, paid $ 30 some dollars for it, recently accidently put my banjo case in my car and crushed it. :( It will no longer play. So, I was hoping to contact the makers, (which I do not think are in business now) and possibly be able to send my copy as proof of purchase and get it replaced. If anyone has such information that would be great! Have found much useful info on this site already; hope to maybe share some of my experience sometime. Live in Indiana, 16 years of law Enforcement, and 28 years as a mechanical engineer. Yes 2 jobs.
Thanks
Rich C:

[BenjaminD]

Hi!
My name is Ben and I'm an EE student. A half a year ago, my now-girlfriend handed me a MasterLock No 5 and her pick set and explained what I needed to do. 5 minutes later, I had opened my first lock and was hooked. Picked that lock 100+ times that day. A few days later, she gave me a 5-piece pick-set for my birthday. Since then, I've picked:

MasterLock 380D padlock (4-pin)
MasterLock 8109D Cable Lock (6-pin)
Globe luggage lock (3-pin) (amusingly challenging because my picks have trouble fitting)
Extraordinarily cheap Defiant doorknob lock (6-pin)
Kwikset Deadbolt and knob combo (6-pin each)
and a few others that I can't remember right off hand.

Lately I've been searching for more locks and more information on lock picking, and found this website. It looks really cool, so I registered!

Looking forward to fun pickings!

[Master Gokuâ„¢]

I am new to this site, and relatively new to picking. I found a small pick set I have been adding to since. I have picked about 8-10 different locks, and am currently fixating on a Master Lock No 40. I am working with alot of 4 and 5 pin tumblers trying to work on my "feel" for it. I have only been at this a few months, but have been interested in locks my whole life, guess I like the knowledge more than practicality. I have a rocky background so I am unable to work in any field even remotely close to a locksmith.

I hope to learn alot while I am here, thank you for all the information I have read so far! LP101 is teh bestest!

[HardLuck682]

Hello, sitting in Afghanistan leads to boredom, and an abundance of American 5200's w/o keys or owners laying around. i started looking into locksport and found this site. i have on order, a set of Bogatas fron serepick.com. its just a start, but also a purchase on a whim. we'll see how successful i become at this, but it looks like a fun hobby.
BTW, anyone know if the bogota will open a 5200? and any tips on choosing a general picking set, lets say $50-$100.

[ŠΛ☨∀ И]

Hi guy i am glad to join this forum

SATAN

[Xlerb]

Hello,
I'm a noob to lockpicking, though I'm trying not to be clueless.
I fiddled about with it years ago, before the internet made it so easy to find others interested in the hobby. I recently had to get a padlock off our garage (Americal Lock Company), for which we've never had a key. And that reignited the interest. And no, I haven't picked it yet, it's well above my skills for now. I used a grinder to cut the hasp away from the lock. I couldn't bring myself to damage the padlock. I've got it in my box of locks. One day I'll open it.

I've done the typical beginner things such as raking a few Master padlocks including the famous #3, which was quite the boost to my confidence. I've got a good set of picks (thanks to advice from this site) and I'm working on improving my skills. I've got a few Kwikset deadbolt locks that used to be on our house, and just today I received a practice set of Schlage cylinders with 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 pins in them, and also includes a cutaway cylinder. So I'm quite excited to start in on those. It's nice to have some practice locks that are solid enough that I can actually feel the pins set. Now I just need to work at getting better at manipulating the picks, and feeling the pins move.

Looking forward to learning a lot from the folks on this site, and as I learn a bit more, contributing to the site as well.
--
Lee

[LockJuggler]

Hey, 'yall...I'm totally new to this forum, input-wise; I've been checking it out for the past 3-4 months now, but hadn't taken the plunge in signing up 'til now. I have seen that this place is FULL of incredibly talented professionals, dedicated to this most noble profession...I feel privileged to be able to glean from the knowledge/experience/expertise of the members on this site...

I've had a purty diverse career path in life; among other things: 32 yrs in the medical field, then switched to commercial trucking driving (don't laugh--you get TIRED of cleaning-up unruly patients [that's the simplified explanation]--and besides, I have ALWAYS been good with maps & had a good sense of direction...even before the advent of GPS'es...!).

Last November, I inadvertently locked myself out of my tractor in an Arizona truck stop; my company had a locksmith come out from Phoenix to open my rig. With a (hook?) pick & tension wrench, mind you, he opened my driver's door in exactly 6 seconds (counting silently to myself: "one-one-thousand, two..."), and charged my company $85.00 buckeroo's! I chatted with him for a couple of minutes before leaving; locksmith apprentice for 14 yrs/didn't feel the need to go on his own/his boss had all the tools & equipment--why mess up a kewl thing?!? I commented that "this field is something I should check into".......and that's how I got the "(cotton-) Pickin' Bug"...!

Then, this past February, I suffered a work-related injury...so, I'm out on Workers' Comp. disability. When my case settles, I won't be able to go back to trucking (can't pass a D.O.T. physical to retain my Class A license)...SO, I've been living/eating/BREATHING the field of locksmithing!!

I've downloaded several Amazon/Kindle books by Bill Phillips (the MAJORS!) for reference/training; I attend Locksport International/L.A. Branch monthly meetings for info & lock-picking-leisure (lol!), I've checked into ALL of the correspondence courses & L.A.-region "hands-on" schools available (which I can't really deal with, until my W.C. case settles, and I get a vocational work-voucher to cover those costs...), AND, I've gathered together quite an array of locksmith tools & equipment (over $1K so far--on my measily disability checks--I'm STARVIN', dudes & dudettes!!)...mostly pick sets (several SouthOrd's & a BIG HPC set) & guns (BOTH Brockhage guns--BPG-10 & 15)/training aids (cut-away mortise & KIK cylinders, lock-stand-station, etc.)/circular tension wrench/plug spinner/several light scopes.......are the highlights. I've picked almost ALL of the house locks/padlocks/etc., available--with varying degrees of success, time-wise.

Anyhoo, that's pretty much it for now...hope I haven't put too many folks to sleep...! If ANYONE has any advice/questions/comments, please let me know...thanks for reading!

[Mr_Scooter]

Hello!
Lock picking has been something always on my mine since I've been a little kid.
My cousin and I would look up videos on how to grind down picks from hacksaw blades, and how to turn key chain rings into picks lol...

I'm still new to this but I understand the basics on how pin tumbler locks work and how picking works on it.

The most I've ever done is pick the lock on a desk drawer twice in one day (Once because I locked it, and the other to unlock it lol) using paperclips and then just yesterday picking my brothers masterlock (Heh the name is simply that with their cheaper stuff) using a paperclip tension wrench and a paperclip hook pick that I hammered flat (well hit with the blunt side of the pliers I was using to make them) to fit into the lock.

Anyway I have to thank this site for showing me a good deal on a southord 8 piece set, and for showing me why buying the jackknife JPXS-6 that I've been eying for a while now would've been a bad idea this early on.

Anyway TLTR
I've been interested since I was little, and it's about time I picked up a hobby

[Liveone]

Hi everyone. I have been lock picking for about a year and really look forward to getting better through the help from everyone here!

[sentra1996]

Hi everybody, I have been here for around a month, I have been reading a lot of useful information an I must say I am hooked into locksport. I have found that it is very interesting this hobby and I find it very relaxing. It helps me to stop thinking in some other stuff and just focus on what I'm trying to open. So it a pleasure for me to be here, I hope I can make some useful contributions though I believe I will learn more than what I can contribute. Any way, thank you all for the useful information that I have found here.

Best regards,

VH

[gmoray]

Hey, I'm Glen, nice to meet you all. I am new to locks, and lock picks, but a few of my buddies are into it so I figured I would get online and try to catch up.

Feel free to send me in which ever direction will get me started.

Also, I am American and have had a pretty good time online so far trading random American stuff for non-American stuff (such as crappy American Chocolate, for great European Chocolate)- So if you want any random American stuff, let me know.

-Glen