noobs help noobs

[jestersrobe]

I am studying to be an English teacher, and one of the things we're taught is that someone who has just learned a skill will be better prepared to teach someone who is struggling with that skill. They say that these two are in the same "zone of proximal development," meaning that they are probably coming at the problem from the same approximate state of mind. The person who has just picked up the skill will better understand what the other is struggling with, and better address those specific obstacles.
This being said, I would like to propose a thread where newbies to lockpicking can share their "eurekas" with other newbies. Not that the more experienced members aren't helpful--we definitely need to be paying close attention to what they are saying elsewhere, but I think this could be helpful as a supplement to the rest of the site, not a substitute.
My first lockpicking epiphany came when I'd spent hours trying to pick an American Lock. I felt like I'd found and raised the binding pins appropriately (the plug had moved slightly during the process) but it just wouldn't open. In frustration, I let off the tension, almost quitting. I immediately regretted quitting and quickly reapplied tension on my wrench. BAM! The cyllinder turned and the locking arm of my padlock popped open. I assume that what happened is that I'd pushed a pin or two past the shear line, and when I "pulsed" the tension wrench, it let those pins fall back below the shear line. This pulsing on the tension wrench (very slightly, if you let off too much, the pins all drop back into place) has been invaluable with my lock. I don't know if this method works with all locks, but it has helped me greatly. If this action has a name, I'd be interested to know what it is--I'll call it "pulsing" until then.

[jestersrobe]

Another thing I've learned--the hard way--don't try to pick locks that you don't have a key for. It's very frustrating to pick and pick, only to come to the realization that you don't know if the lock is even functioning anymore. The door to my bedroom has a deadbolt which has no key, and I tried picking it (no key=lock not in use, good for practice, I thought). I finally figured out that what I thought was a four pin lock was a five pin lock, with the final pin not having any spring tension. I have to assume that the driver is jammed.
Lesson learned.

[Jaakko]

Not to be rude or anything the like, but here is the first lesson to all "noobs": Use paragraphs in your text, please

You are quite right in that "a nebie knows what a newbie is struggling with" -thinking. The more you know, the more confused you can get by simple "newbie" questions

[illusion]

The technique of pulsing the wrench is invaluable.

It will take time to get it right, but it's really worth it.

[JackNco]

the problem with that idea is a lot of the time we have newbies offering advice and sending people down the wrong path because they are wrong.

Ive seen things like

"look for the button behind that third pin that opens it in emergencies"

The thing is we are all newbies really. none of use have mastered everything. we are all here to learn. otherwise why would we come back.

Personally i think i can offer better advice than ever before because i know more than ever before. and tomorrow I will know more than ever before. Although on money after a heavy drinking session i will be back to square one

John

[gremner]

It's a good thought. When I first started picking I didn't really have anyone to give me good advice. I just read a lot and practiced a whole lot. I think I learn more from reading advice from experienced people. Even if I didn't really understand what they were saying at the time, it made sense when I confronted a similar problem. The advice helped me understand the lock, and the lock helped me understand the advice.

[Eyes_Only]

Not a bad idea. It may help reduce the beginners who know less about searching than lockpicking from posting too many of the same basic questions over and over again in different places on this site.

And I do agree that it is helpful to hear about the struggles and discoveries of those at the same level at you are. What helps too is to make mistakes in my opinion. I was picking locks for a few years but finally learned about how to apply light pressure on my tension wrench after I broke my favorite hook pick one day. That really opened my eyes and taught me a valuable lesson.

[lockpick1968]

I would like to say, in the statement about the locks WITHOUT keys, just because they was not manipulated open yet, doesn't mean that they are broken or anything. Thats where more practice on them or take it to someone who has some experience and see if they can open it.

I by NO means are testings or stating anything against your skill of picking, its just that I ran into this situation a lady's 14 year old son played with alot of locks that had no keys and because he couldnt get them open assumed they was broken and threw the whole box of locks away that others could have used for pratice.

[jestersrobe]

I have to agree that an unpicked lock is not, necessarily, unpickable. But for those of us who are just starting out, I think it is more helpful to pick a lock that we know works. This way, when the lock doesn't pick, I know it's because of my skill (or lack thereof) rather than the lock.

Also, I took apart my keyless locks, and it looks like someone tried to pick them with a screwdriver--the front pins are mangled, and gouged, and the keyway is pretty beat up. In one lock, there was a mangled spring protruding past the pin, into the keyway! This had wedged both the driver, and pin in place.

Taking apart these locks was instructive, and installing new (keyed) locks also taught me a lot.

[freakparade3]

I think the "noobs help noobs" idea is pretty much how things go here already. The more experienced members here no longer post on the "How do I pick a master #3" threads that show up almost daily. It's the newer members that answer, likely because someone just answered it for them a few weeks ago.

[lockpick1968]

Freak, thats why it's hard to post answers to some on here for the newbies because then when one of us replies then its usually a repeat more than once from somewhere else on the forum, so it just makes it tuff sometimes, thats why I dont make no where near the posts anymore unless see something to take the risk at!

[illusion]

Well Summed up really FreakParade - It gives newbies a chance to up their post count and get access to the advanced forum without having to spam.

The downside is that regular members sometimes get dissapointed with the disproportionate number of n00b threads in comparison to advanced threads with cutting-edge ideas.

Funny how it works out, eh?

[freakparade3]

Funny how it works out, eh?

It is funny. I hardly ever post in the open forum anymore unless it's a joke on someone. It's not that I don't want to help noobs, but when there is already 5 replies to the question I no longer feel the need to add my 2 cents worth of the same unless someone has been given bad advice.

[Afisch]

I rather to pick locks without keys, not knowing a bitting adds a little extra chalenge, i've yet to come into a lock which was broken beyond repair (i'm sure ive posted my rusty tricircle somewhere) and unlocking something for the first time which can be opened no other way is interesting for me.
Its true you may waste time picking a broken lock but I feel that is worth it. The advantage of having a key, especialy when you start out, or begin picking a much harder type of lock, is that you can modify it without having to pick it first and use only two pins.
Without the key you would be forced to pick it before you coulod make it easier.

[lockpick1968]

Afisch, I admire your dedicated interest in the picking, I'm pretty much the same way in some ways.