to rake or not to rake

[barnzy]

Like that saying "Excersize the brain, not the hand" so true of "hackers" these days

[Frosty555]

I guess I can't really say whether I rake or not. Raking seems to imply that you scrape the pins over and over very quickly while applying a fixed tension. I find that I rake, but in a controlled fashion. A single rake over the pins while feeling the lock, then again, and then i mumble a few pins individually, and then rake again.

I'm not really good enough to be able to pick a lock pin-for-pin. I've tried several times but I just find myself half-raking and cheating until the lock opens.

I guess the answer is that it's easy to rake a lock and open it if the lock happens to be willing. File cabinets and stuff usually are (I think they're referred to as disc tumblers). If the lock ISN'T willing... well then you're in for some trouble. I've usually found that locks where raking doesn't work usually are ones where pins get overset/falsely set ( master padlocks! *shakes fist*)

Here's a tip though, when I'm raking, usually I do a few rakes, then i eeever so slightly release tension on the tension wrench and then reapply tension. This allows falsly set pins to drop into their correctly set position. It doesn't work on the higher-quality locks but occasionally you'll find that you'll rake what should be an easy lock for what seems like an eternity, and the problem is really just that a single pin is overset.

But, of course, i'm quite a newb myself around here, so take everything I say with a grain of salt .

[robert-e]

It's always best to learn anything you can about everything. Then you can choose what you like to use.. Bottom line is,-----do what works best for YOU. In locksmithing, there is no single correct way to do things. You could find a method that I or anyone else has trouble mastering. And I'm not addressing only picking either.

[fixer]

Picking a lock includes raking and manipulation of single pins.

There are times when raking will not work. For example if you have a number 8 pin close to the front of the lock and immediately behind it a number 3. If you try raking such a lock, it is likely that you would disturb the 8 pin while trying to move the 3 pin with your rake.

As has been mentioned in this thread, many people use a combination technique. Tension the plug, rake the pins a few times and then manipulate the pins to set the other pins and open the lock. If that doesn't work then move onto just manipulating the pins individually.

If you are a working locksmith, you make your money by doing the work and getting onto the next job. Spending time worrying about looking good or having 'good technique' is just not profitable.

--
Fixer

[TypicalNuser]

I was on that attitude of picking pin by pin – ONLY. Actually this wasn’t that long ago, in terms months I mean, what changed was mostly listening to all of you in your posts. I didn’t start that long ago but as I got more and more interested in picking, my thoughts were in the “purists” direction.

I remember getting really disgusted with a cheap master padlock so I tried raking it and just quickly pushing the pins up in no order and without feeling – then POP. It was just so... humbling. So I grabbed my ego-booster (a kwickset deadbolt) and tried raking it. Wait-a-minute, I couldn’t do it that’s when I seriously needed a reality check. I thought I was progressing pretty fairly but I think it was too narrowly.

And so when I came upon this thread and read /agreed with what all of you were saying especially toomush2drink’s post:

I love raking as much as pin by pin picking both are skills worth having. Some locks i can open with either method but other locks will only open with one or the other. I have one yale that has defeated me so far with single pin picking so i tried raking out of desperation and popped it in under a minute, its just one of those things. Every lock is different and all respond to different techniques, i personally think raking requires a fair amount of skill in its own way and ive learnt certain brands of locks require light or heavier tension with this technique just as spool pins require different tensions when single pin picking. At the end of the day everyone will have their own opinions on which technique is best etc but who cares ALL techniques are good one way or another especially when the whole point of picking a lock is to open it non destructively by manipulating the pins.

I couldn’t have said it any better.

[Birdflyer]

He, today was my first time for even try rake'ing a lock, a found a very small cheap padlock and tryed it out. And like in 1 minute I could get it open, that was kind of a suprice. But I cant test rakeing other lock coz tryed with my security pin coz my real tools havnt arived yet ^^ Well, it was as I said easier than I thought, for THIS lock at least. Didnt know at all it could work, sorry if this sounds stupied but, well, started for 4 days ago or something so not really into this yet :] But its so funny Ill keep this as a hobby for a long time I guess :]