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

[Ghent]

I have this old wardrobe that is locked shut and I need to pick it. The key looks like those simple old keys.

[aczera]

Hi All,

New member from cork, after spectacularly failing with hairpins in my youth now in my 30's (feels bad to write it down ;-) I took the plunge and bought dedicated southord tools, to arrive in a weeks tome hopefully.
Interested in lock opening for the simple inner warming feeling of "I can do that", also as a ship security officer I might need the knowledge one day.

[rakerman]

Joined just now. Looking for a solution to gaining access to my floorboard safes.

[LordRezno]

Hello everybody from Sweden!
I pick locks for fun, plus it's great and very good training for the mind and for hand dexterity. Glad to see that there is so much info and dedicated people who are willing to share their knowledge, i've been at it for a few months so there's everything left to learn!
See you!
L.

[kahula]

Greetings,

I'm an engineer, inventor, metalworking hobbyist (among many other hobbies) and just recently have become interested in locks, locksport, and have become totally obsessed with safes and combination locks. I've acquired a few combination locks, new and old, to play with, and assembled a few pin tumbler locks, too, including a brass padlock marked "Navy" that was my father's with no key.

Looking forward to learning, I've ordered a set of picks and plan on making some tools, including tension levers, shims and plug followers.

I've also 'invented' a couple of things related to safes, in particular, dual-redundant mechanical/electronic arrangements; I put invented in quotes because I'm sure someone has already done these and I haven't searched prior art yet. But, all in fun, anyway.

My current project is beefing up the boltworks and putting a serious lock on a Harbor Freight safe.

[Grizr]

hello errybody. Just looking to get into lock picking as a hobby and this site seems great for that.

[shaheen]

I am Shaheen from London. I have a locksmith company providing service throughout London.
I am extremely pleased to join this forum.
I wish each member of this forum a very interesting and helpful discussion
My website: [SNIP! Please do not post links to your locksmith business, it is against forum rules- Admin]

[ben_chapleski]

Hello Everyone

I've always wanted to try lockpicking and finally started around Christmas. I started with a couple of Master #3 locks and have been working my way up to American, Abus and Yale padlocks. Thanks for these forums and I look forward to chatting with you.

[MaintenanceGuys]

Hi I'm new to the forum looking for some help with electronic locks!

[PinPopper1]

Hello everyone!! After some minor username issues (lol) I am back again. My name is Mike and I am a 31 year old father of three boys. I have been picking for about six months or so now. At this point I have become fairly proficient with regular five and six pin locks. After a couple months straight of strictly working with a short hook I discovered that raking can be really awesome!! It took me a while to get the technique down but I'm pretty comfortable with it now. For the most part, I really only run into issues on locks where there is a very shallow cut hidden behind one or more deep cuts but I believe that is more due to the quality of my pick set (I have a basic SouthOrd PXS-14 and one SouthOrd Max yield short hook). I'm planning on a big upgrade once income tax money arrives lol. Merry Xmas daddy!! Lastly, I just purchased my first Medeco biaxial which I have yet to be able to pick. Mushrooms are in 1 and 6 but rotation is the real issue. So anyway, I hope to meet you all and if anyone has any good advice, please, send it my way. Thanks, Mike.

[Mikeh727]

Hello everyone.

My name is Mike and I'm a hobbyist lockpicker. I bought a set of picks years ago and started to learn, but got sidetracked with other things. Just this past month I've taken the picks out again and have seriously taken up the hobby, investing in some locks and even making my own cutaway lock to explain the hobby to my son. So far I've had good luck with the four pin master locks I practice with but have trouble with 5 or more pins. Yep, I know...practice! I'm sticking with the four pins for now because I am not consistent in getting them open each time. It's a great hobby and I look forward to learning and being part of this community. :)

-Mike

[andrewbisgnar]

Hey guys. I'm Andrew. I'm forward deployed in Japan. And I'm looking forward to being a part of this community. Thanks!

-Andrew

[rhodesn81]

Hello,

I just recently joined. I've been lockpicking for about a year now.

[JrLocksmith]

Joined today, an aspiring locksmith with a love for puzzles and pinning.

[zenpicker]

Hi guys, am a regular joe interested in the art and science of locks and lock picking.

I have just joined after picking my 1st! lock, a drawer wafer lock (Is this the correct term?) I didn't want to register until I've picked at least 1. I used a "KGB-7" tiny lockpick set from Southern Specialties, using the snowball tool (I've been reading and have learned from These forums that snowball works best on them) and a standard tension tool.

The feeling of the lock turning was amazing to say the least; I was surprised at how smoothly and suddenly it turned. I think this might become an addictive and useful hobby.

BTW, the locked drawer was my own, which hasn't been opened since 2009 since I lost the keys. Thanks to this forum it's now once again useable :)

Hope to be able to pick more locks soon, will work on a heavy-duty padlock later and try my luck!

Thanks for having me as part of the forum!