plug spinner trick

[whiteknight38]

Hey Jimmysmith,
Thanks for the heads up. I’m going to try this first chance I get.

Everybody else,
Relax guys.

The guys raking technique is kind of strange, and he’s burning a lot of hardware, but:

A. He got the lock open for the purposes of the demonstration of his subject, and a 5 pin SC KIK can be a challenge for many. Believe me, when I walk up to locked door, and I see an F series Schlage, I always think, "Oh, no...." They sometimes open easy, but they sometimes open hard. And for some perverse reason, (mainly because the keyway warding encourages a counter-clockwise direction of turn with a below the keyway wrench technique,) they all open easiest when picked backwards, or counter-clockwise.
For all you hobby guys out there, remember, picking locks in actual doors, is different from sitting in a chair with a lock in your hands that picks in either direction.

B. As far as we know, they’re his own picks, and he’s free to do whatever he wants with them. (Furthermore, if that isn’t just a homemade tension wrench made out of a windshield washer blade, worth about 2 cents, then I’ll eat my falafel.)

C. Most importantly, the guy seems to have come up with a plug-spin technique which could potentially be useful for professionals out on the road. If I ever have to pick an F series Schlage with only the cut down picks that I keep in my wallet, and no plug-spinner to bail me out if by chance it only wants to pick the wrong way, then this trick may be one of the ten most useful things I’ve learned off this forum, and so help me, if it works, I’ll hunt the guy down and buy him a beer.

Regarding his technique. The guy needs a few tips, but check out his other video, US Lock Deadbolt picked with a homemade pick. The pick he uses looks to me like a computer pick, and his crazy picking technique with what looks like a Falle rake in the Plug spin video, looks kind of like the technique appropriate for such a computer rake. It kind of looks like some kind of combination of raking and computer rake rocking.

Okay, its wrong, and chances are, he’s been self taught from books, but he’s going to get better because he’s obviously an enthusiast. He’s enjoying himself, and he’s out there innovating, and he may just have added to the resevoire of knowledge.

Again, if this trick of his works consistently, and he’s the guy who actually innovated it, then my hat’s off to him.

[Shrub]

I’ll hunt the guy down and buy him a beer.

You can teach him how to pick as well

[unjust]

so as another newbie to the sport, i've gotta say that i was a bit surprised byt he video.

personally, i could see way too much tension and a bunch of shoving things around rather than an attempt to understand and finess the gizmo.

not to say that destructive or potentially destructive bypass/entry doesn't have a place in the working lockies and emergency responders tool boxes, but from a sport stand point it was sort of like watching a mens college rugby player scrimaging against a girls elementary team.

on the meat of the video though all that's really being done is using a tiny bit of mas to turn the plug. while this might work in a pinch, i'd be more inclined to use the wrench as a lever arm and bind a string/rubber band to it, strech it across the lock in the direction i want to spin, and tug hard. by applying force that way you're increasing the mechanism and speed of your tug the most right up to the point at which the pins cross, where as in that method you're loosing speed from almost immediately after the release, and you're applying much uglier force to the lock. i'll give this a try this evening.

[Sesame]

Whoa.

I think I've just seen a lock get mugged.

I am thankful for the information and I will certainly try the plug spinning technique but, for cryin' out loud, it was like watching a mugging under a full moon. I wanted to help but I couldn't move my feet.

[unjust]

so i tried a few things last night.

i can't get this to work at all.

on the video's technique, i tried a variety of wiper blade tension wrenches, which at various times when flying across the living room, varying tension from barely springing the wrenches to actually deforming the wrench i applied so much pressure, and starting from a variety of angles by applying a clamp to the face of the lock and using it rather than the catch mechanism blocking as force. i used 2 simple locks with no fancy pins, one a ~new kwik knockoff and the other an OLD abused one of unknown brand with springs at a variety of tensions (the old one had springs so loose when i started that any key w/in 4 cuts on all pins would work as the play in the core was enough. i streched them abotu half way through the expirements to be mroe functional again.)

also however my idea abotu a rubberband on teh wrench to pull it over *does* produce more speed (or at least force as the wrench would go flying a lot farther when i lost my grip) however a few prefunctory attempts resulted in only some upset for the guinea pigs from wrenches clatterign to the floor near their cages.

anyone else tried this and gotten it to work?

[Shrub]

Ive been gogin on about the elastic band trick since i came to site on this user name i think, yes it works just like youve found,

Im not watching the video again as my eyes are only just getting rid of the images burned on them last time but im sure hes holding the plug with a finger then dont forget to bend the wrench back as far as you can,

Its unlikely to work much as there is no mass on the end of the wrench, if you put some blu-tack on the end of the wrench it would work with a lot less force and be a lot more reliable i assume,

We dont know just how bad that lock is damaged though, the plug may spin very easily it may also only have had 2 pins in it,

[UWSDWF]

those videos makes babies cry.....

[ObiWonShinobi]

I tried that with my wrench... it stayed bent... hahaha
cheap materials.

[hbk101274]

Hey guys, I just wanted to thank the few who had kind words about my video. As for the bashers and insulters, this lock is very difficult for ME to pick in a quick manner. As i've learned videos on youtube are the best using the "short and sweet concept", nobody wants to see a long drawn out video. With this in mind, I tried getting this lock picked open as fast as i could, using any method i could, with what i had that provided the quickest results. I like making videos and LOVE picking locks, and in the end all that matters to ME is that it worked.

[UWSDWF]

i really LIKE capital LETTERS

[zeke79]

Ok everyone, let's try to be nice. We all started somewhere, and I too attempted to saw locks in half while raking when I first started the hobby. Let's try to welcome the new member and play nice.

[unjust]

heya hbk101274, and welcome.

i've been unable to duplicate the method at all, have you tried it on other locks?

how are the springs on the lock?

does the key still work in the lock?

how loose is the lock in general?

[faquecharlie]

if you don't have/make a plug spinner, try stuffing the keyway with string.

[ToolyMcgee]

if you don't have/make a plug spinner, try stuffing the keyway with string.

You brought this thread back to life for the string stuffer? I don't think I'll be trying that out anytime soon.

So wierd...

[dougfarre]

Does that actually work? What if you stuffed it with time-hardening string?