Tension on the Wrench

[Boombaye]

I have been picking for a couple months now and have been refining my technique. I have two practice padlocks(picked too many times to count) and have picked each of my house locks only once so none or minimal damage has ben done.

After reading a lot here on the forums, most of the beginner tips posts said its all about tension. I never believed this until now. WOW!! Tension is everything. So for all you beginners like me, use very little tension.

I know most of you will say "Duh stupid!" But I just felt like sharing.

Thanks,

Boombaye

[femurat]

You're right! You have to use very little tension... You also need to focus on the pins, not in opening the lock. Opening the lock is the last step of the process, setting every pin in the right order are the previous steps.
If I'm not concentrated, I can try to pick a lock for many minutes, then I give up. If I start in the right manner I can feel the pins setting, first, second, third... and the lock pop open in a minute!
For a beginner like me is very important to understand this, so I agree with you on sharing this "big discovery".

Cheers

[Satan130]

the big problem i had was how impossible it was to discribe how hard to push ont he wrench through writing. That's where having a real life mentor is helpful.(i would imagine anyway)

but yah, very important

[sipple]

the big problem i had was how impossible it was to discribe how hard to push ont he wrench through writing. That's where having a real life mentor is helpful.(i would imagine anyway)

but yah, very important

i had someone show me how much tension to put on the wrench for the first time and it really helped me out

[le.nutzman]

You guys know that if you use the search function on this website, you're going to find TONS of postings about tension alone, including one or two submitted by me pretty much explaining tension and the varying amounts and how to tell how much you're using. But, since you didn't, allow me to break it down now for you.

Ultra Light Tension = finger is BARELY resting on the tension wrench, the weight and angle and placement are what's holding it in place, NOT the weight of your finger.

Light Tension = Your finger on the tension wrench and the plug has turned as far as it will go with finger weight alone, no more

Medium Tension = your finger on the tension wrench with twice the amount of finger weight

Heavy Tension = noticable bend in the tension wrench.

Hope this helps

[raimundo]

What LE means by noticable bend is a slight flexing, if you actually bend the wrench, you might as well be using a screwdriver.

[Satan130]

And that is why using words to describe tension is a pain. As clichéd as it is: Experience is the best teacher

[Verhasst]

...and even the slight flex is with a twisted tension wrench, mainly.

[akgreg]

I can only speak for myself but I would say most of the time I fail at picking is when I get frustrated and apply too much pressure.

[cjs]

As an amateur (I basically only pick locks when I actually need to get in somewhere that I don't have a key for), this single thread made all the difference. I bought a locked electronic safe (with backup key access) from eBay a couple weeks ago and tried picking it on and off since I got it.

Within minutes of reading this thread, I modified the tension I was using and popped the safe open (a Stack-On PDS-500...ok, it's a locked container, not a safe). Unfortunately, the keys they promised were locked inside were nowhere to be found, but at least I could reset the electronics!

So, thanks for the contributions to this thread!

[mr lockpick]

I dont know if it will help everyone, but I learnt the tension I needed with a homemade tension tool with a small notch I cut at the finger end.

I then got a piece of fishing line (3lb mono I think it was) and tied it into the notch and then made a finger loop on the other end.

Basically then I just gently applied pressure on the fishing line.

It taught me how much tension was needed (not much )

It helped me because I can be a bit heavy handed seeing that I used to play rugby and am built like the proverbial outhouse.

[mr_chris79]

Also another tip depending on your keyboard is the amount of pressure needed to press a key down might help too...

[bluefish6900]

One thing that i've noticed is that i'll have all the pin stacks picked but the lock will not turn, it's only when i let up in the tension a little that it'll open. I'm not sure if i'm over setting the pins or just using to much tension. It's not on all locks but a good percentage of them. I know i do this so it has become part of my regular practice.
Is this common?

Bluefish

[h3lladvocate]

Most likely that is from oversetting the pins. If when you release the tension a bit, you hear a clicking noise, I'd say that's the problem, although I am still an amateur, so I may be wrong. But like's been stated many times before, while getting your form in SPP or Raking, which ever you prefer, is important, eventually, I've learned that it's really the tension that matters. At first, I used pretty hard tension, and for the cheap masterlock and kiwi locks i had, this worked, but once I started on larger locks, not sure what it was, had like 7 pins, 2 i think were security pins, the big factor in opening it was proper tension. In my opinion, this is the hardest skill to learn. You can't really describe it, its all about experiencing it.

[miami_nuke]

I just picked my first lock, for the first time (after being frustrated all day) after, and whilst reading this thread. Playing around with the tension was a big help... even after reading a dozen times that the beginner tends to apply too much tension, turns out I was... applying a bit too much tension. So thanks!

-click-