Massive tip

[mako]

Im not shure about anyone else but when I started picking I was putting a decent amount of pressure on the wrench and pushing the pins quite far up.

At the time I thought it was the correct way to pick but the other night while I was messing around I imagined to myself the scale the I was working on.

And so I tried to put less tension on my wrench and only slightly lifted the pins.

Within a couple picks I had unlocked a lock that would usually take me 10mins to pick.

This is usually overlooked in lockpicking tutorials as it is hard to describe to someone the amount of force to use when picking a lock.

So my advice is to visualise the scale that you are working on - pins are only a couple mm long.

Use feather like tension and lift pins with feather like power.

[assweasel]

Thats the ticket. And almost always true but then again along comes a lock that if I could get a crowbar for a tension wrench and a pick big enough with a fulcrum i can jump onm The thing might move the pins.

But good on ya. Now that your taking it easy on the locks you will actually start to feel the subtelties of pin movements. Pay attention to those differences and your well on your way to getting good at this.

Again gratz.

[p1ckf1sh]

At the time I thought it was the correct way to pick but the other night while I was messing around I imagined to myself the scale the I was working on.

That's why I believe that is advantageous for any beginner to "butcher" a spare lock for an inside view. Just tear it down with no mercy, hacksaw, dremel, vise grip pliers, whatever it takes to get the parts separated.

A first hand look on the pins the chamber, being able to squeeze the springs by hand, all that is giving one good idea of what one is actually dealing with. No guide can teach this.

[mako]

Thats a very good point and should be added as a tip on one of the begginer stickies.
Alot of the time a begginers would not want to spend alot of money on lockpicking. A couple hacksaw blades and your set.

Im pretty shure if you put a cheapo padlock in a vice and hacksaw the lock in a horizontal cross section; you can get a good idea of a lock.