A note on the amount of tension

[fgarci03]

So.... I've seen this pop up inumerous times, and there are many good guides explaining it. But I feel like sharing my personal experience, and hear what you have to say about yours. I hope to help someone who is in trouble!

The question: "How much tension should I use?"
I say: "A LOT!"

Let me explain...
The feedback you get from the lock is directly related to the amount of tension you use. The harder the tension, the crispier will be the click.
As you know, the force needed to overset a pin is slightly bigger than the force needed to set it. And by increasing the tension, you increase that gap, making it harder to overset a pin. It will also be easier to find the binding pin, as it will feel REALLY stiff compared to the others!

All advantages? Not really! You need to be very carefull not to break/bend your picks!
There is a trick. Solomon has already put that very well explained on his book, so I will only talk about the the basics of it, and let you read the book.

1) Find the binding pin
2) Using hard tension (medium/hard, not ungodly tension) slowly start lifting the pin. It won't budge;
3) Find a lifting force balance where you don't bend/break your picks. This is the hard part and will come up with time and practice;
4) Slowly reduce the amount of tension untill he pin starts to lift;
5) Maintain that tension and lifting force untill it sets.

On a cheap lock with sloppy tolerances, it doesn't really matter, as you get great feedback from it (at times, there is SO MUCH feedback, it actually becomes harder!). But on tight tolerances, you may not feel a pin setting, and end up oversetting it. Using hard tension will make the feedback more clear and help you.

A good exercise to understand this is to get a 2 or 3 pinned lock. Try to pick it with light and heavy tension. Now, after setting 1 pin, try to overset it. First with light tension. Easy huh? Now try it with hard tension. Much harder. So it is much easier to control what's happening inside the lock.

But I've always been told to use VERY LIGHT tension when picking security pins!

WRONG!

Well, not wrong. Wrongfully interpreted!
The key isn't to use feather light tension to overcome a spool. Heck, I don't even know how to do it with light tension.

The key is to let your tension decrease WHILE you lift the pin, thus allowing the plug to counter-rotate untill the set.
In fact, I keep the same heavy tension all the way down the counter-rotation, I just let my finger go back a little, but ALWAYS pressing with the same amount of force on the wrench. When it sets, the plug immeadeatly rotates again.

This is kinda hard to put in words. Imagine you are being pushed by something and you are pushing back. And you want to take a step back. Instead of releasing the force you are doing by pushing back to whatever is pushing you, you just take a step back MAINTAINING the same amount of force. This is the same with the wrench, you don't actually need to decrease the tension to allow the plug to counter-rotate. Maintain the exact same force (the force you found that lifts the pin without bend/breaking it) but allow the plug to retract a little by physically lifting your finger from the wrench. I hope to be clear on this one, as it's hard to explain.
This is something that may seem hard on the beggining but will become easier with time.

Hard tension is good too when you want to move your pick inside the lock without disturbing other pins. Sometimes I have to insert the pick and past a previously set very low pin. I tension hard to not disturb it while doing it.

Another thing I like to do is bouncing the tension. This can mean 2 things for me:
1) It's the exact same technique I explained, but done really fast, testing tension amounts while picking;
2) Some pins, even after setting, are misaligned by a hair. I had locks that after bouncing tension they popped as they were already picked and one pin was oversetted by a hair. The bouncing let the keypin drop and rotate the plug. It is also good for pins with a bevel like this one, because sometimes you feel it click, but it has just set on the bevel, not really setting. Bouncing and using hard tension will put it in place.

Bouncing isn't easy too. You really need to find the right amount of it, to switch between very light to hard tension without dropping pins. As any other thing, it comes with practice.


This isn't a magic formula. It doesn't always work. I have locks that I can't get away with hard tension, and only play fair if I lighten things up. You'll have to work that out for yourself.
But bear in mind that me using hard tension actually gave me the feel and touch I need to when I use light tension. Both ways require a steady hand and a refined sense of touch. So don't worry about loosing your touch by doing this. You won't.


Give this method a try. Even if it doesn't work for you, it will teach you something. And you can post those findings in here and teach me something too.
I'm looking forward to it

[GWiens2001]

Good advise on the reasons for heavy tension, fgarci03. But keep in mind that what you consider to be heavy tension now is probably not the same definition you had for heavy tension three months ago. Too much tension, and more than one pin will bind, making it hard to find the correct pin. And some higher quality locks are harder to pick with heavy tension.

Gordon

[fgarci03]

Exatly.

The amount of tension must be controled and rectified by testing for binding pins. 2 or more binding pins at the same time means that too much tension is being applied. Reduce the amount of tension and test again. With time it will be automatic to hit the right amount of tension right away.

Thanks for pointing that out, I completely forgot about it!

[Legion303]

Medium tension works great for higher security locks, but it's way too easy to overset pins on the cheap crap that way, especially when you're just starting out. This is why my advice to newcomers is "as much torque as it takes to turn the key."

-steve

[fgarci03]

The bouncing let the keypin drop and rotate the plug. It is also good for pins with a bevel like this one

There should have been a link I forgot to insert. The bevel on the pins I was talking about is something like this: viewtopic.php?p=413918#p413918

[fgarci03]

Medium tension works great for higher security locks, but it's way too easy to overset pins on the cheap crap that way, especially when you're just starting out. This is why my advice to newcomers is "as much torque as it takes to turn the key."

-steve

Well, yeah...
You need to already have a few practice on picking to properly do this. My bad not to having said that before. I totaly agree with the cheap crap thing.


I'm loving where this is going and realising things I didn't think of before.
Thanks

[MrAnybody]

Medium tension works great for higher security locks, but it's way too easy to overset pins on the cheap crap that way, especially when you're just starting out. This is why my advice to newcomers is "as much torque as it takes to turn the key."

-steve

I find myself doing as steve mentions here, even though I very much agreed with your post, Fg. I find flexibility/control in tensioning being the best tool as pressure is applied to the pin with the pick.

If I don't get any binding response I definitely apply more pressure, but other than that, I find I loosen even medium pressure when I find a binding pin beginning to move. In that way, I'm allowing the pin to move, but hopefully preventing it from oversetting ...... sometimes

And that also pretty much agrees with what you're saying, fg.

[ARF-GEF]

Good guide Tables, I found that for low-level pickers like me a lot of tension is helpful to find the binding pin.
I kept reading every big name saying use featherlight tension, I get that it works great if you are already good, but for beginners with simple locks I think too light tension won't yield as much success as heavy-ish tension. At least that is my experience.


Then the better you get the more you are able to use light tension.
Like when you start writing you usually press the pen/pencil/crayon really hard but when you can write well you tend to press the pencil much less.

I guess the right amount of tension is sth you have to learn yourself, maybe what's hard tension for me is only medium for others or so.
Unfortunately noone measured the right tensions with a force meeter (though that would be interesting )

My usual problem is over-setting so I probably use too much tension, I'll be sure to chance our your bouncing.
It's basically reducing the tension dramatically for a moment then pressing back again, right?

[fgarci03]

Check from 2:45m and see what I mean.
At 4:20m I do it harder because of those bevels. Can't really be heard on the movie, but I felt 1 pin properly setting there

I guess the right amount of tension is sth you have to learn yourself, maybe what's hard tension for me is only medium for others or so.

True

My usual problem is over-setting so I probably use too much tension

I tend to overset if I use light tension. But a fine touch is needed because when I distract and reduce tension drastically I overset the pin as I'm lifting it with too much force.

As I said, there is no magic formula, this is the one that works for me, and other work better for other pickers

[Squelchtone]

I don't agree with telling new pickers to use hard tension. Hard is a relative term based on the time you've been picking locks. To a new picker hard tension is going to equal = press on the tension wrench like you're trying to unscrew lug nuts on a car tire. Excessive force is not the idea, we're not going to snap the pins inside the lock and open it with the wrench, but I see a lot of beginners in my workshops who jam on the wrench and make a curve out of it, then they say "the pick wont go into the lock" well.. that's because the pins can't even move because you have too much pressure on the wrench.

I often tell new pickers that you press on the wrench as much as you would press on the real key in order to turn the plug (what Legion303 said), and if the entire tip of your finger that is pressing on the wrench is starting to turn white, you are pressing too hard.

I start new pickers off with no wrench, just put the pick in and feel it go into the lock just like a key would, and I show them that the pick only goes in and out, it does not rotate, it is not a key. It can go in and out and also go up and down, but it should not be inserted into the lock from an angle and should not be fish tailing left and right, after all a real key would not do that.

Once they get the idea of what it feels like to lift on pins and feel the springs pushing back, then they insert the wrench and are shown where to put the wrench, and how far away from the keyway they should be pressing on it. For some reason a lot of new pickers press the wrench against the face of the lock, and have to be told that is not the way to tension it, that just keeps the wrench inside the lock, but does not help pick it. I usually tell them to press on the wrench approx 2 inches from the keyway, but this also depends on the model and brand of lock. Some of them try to pull on the wrench and I have to let them know that for most people it works best to push on the wrench, not to hook your finger on it and pull down.

At first when they insert the wrench and then the pick and it wont go in, I have to let them know, they may be pressing too hard on the wrench and so there is so much friction between the pins and chambers the pins cannot slide up and down, let go of half your current tension and see if they slide easier, if not, let go some more. I also watch their fingers to see if they are turning white, and to see if the wrench is bending into an arc, which tells me too much pressure is being exerted.

This is a personal thing I do, and I find it useful, but I wobble the wrench from light to medium as I pick, especially on padlocks, because a lot of new pickers will have their lock picked, but not realize it because the cam spring has to be over come in order to pop the shackle. I tell them to test the water by wobbling the wrench from their normal pressure they are using to pick it to a little more pressure every few seconds to see if the lock is picked. (I think you calling this bouncing, but we seem to be doing it for different reasons.)

Hope this helps,
Squelchtone

[ARF-GEF]

To a new picker hard tension is going to equal = press on the tension wrench like you're trying to unscrew lug nuts on a car tire.

Ah yeah well that is probably right. Hard, medium, and light are really subjective terms.
So let me rephrase it: don't be afraid of harder tensions it helped me at least so maybe it will help others too.

[fgarci03]

I tell them to test the water by wobbling the wrench from their normal pressure they are using to pick it to a little more pressure every few seconds to see if the lock is picked. (I think you calling this bouncing, but we seem to be doing it for different reasons.)

YES, haven't thought of that too! Thanks!

I don't agree with telling new pickers to use hard tension.

Ok, I did something wrong here. I haven't properly explained myself, that is a thing I usually do and get misinterpreted many times.
I am sorry for that.

I don't agree with new pickers using more than light tension too. My learning curve only started to get steep(-ish) after I started to use light tension. Before that I wouldn't evolve using hard tension. Couldn't pick a thing.

My point was that there is another method than light tension. May not always work, of course.
It's not just pressing hard on the wrench and hope it picks. It's needed as much or even more hand control to properly use hard tension.
In fact, for any kind of tension, a steady hand is the key IMO. That is why I wrote this. To try to explain the proper technique and hope to learn more of it, as I only know a little tip of the iceberg.

I do agree in focusing that this shouln't be the first option. A very light hand tension is needed before learning this.
And to practice this it's very helpfull to pick locks we already know, and compare the differences between the 2 kinds of tension, and draw our own conclusion.

Again, I'm sorry for not explaining myself correctly on the first time, and thank you for your insights!

[YouLuckyFox]

When I started working as a machinist, they noticed I had "try-hard" syndrome and just tried to put my all into everything. They told me that if I didn't clamp parts down tight enough they could fly out once the machine started and kill someone; so what I did was clamp everything down WAY tight. It actually came to the point where I sheared a bolt off inside of a fixture (a 1/2" hex bolt, at that.) Their solution helped me realize something about my locksmithing experience. They told me to hold it closer to the bolt and not the end of the wrench, that way I knew how to limit myself even though I didn't have the right sensitivity yet. A couple of days ago I reflected on this and realized that it was the same with me when I learned locksmithing. I took a long street sweeper bristle and bent it to be my tension wrench. I learned that holding my pinkie way out at the end of the bristle to exert force bound all the pins and having it too close didn't bind any. I eventually found the right balance by getting the right leverage. I do not recommend this to advanced users, but I have had good success with teaching friends how to start picking this way.

[daniel22747]

The advice on lowering tension, instead of pushing up harder with your pick, is very good. It will keep your short hooks from developing a bend.