newb question

[Jon1987]

hey, i am new to lock picking and i have read all the online recommended reading material...I can't find an answer to this anywhere but i know it has an obvious answer...

In every lock I try to pick I try to push down a pin but it pops right back up...it won't stay up..whats the problem?
thx

[mcm757207]

i have read all the online recommended reading material...I can't find an answer to this anywhere

You clearly have not read all of the online reading material. Start with the MIT guide to lock picking.

[hzatorsk]

The pins have a spring behind them that pushes them back down.

Pushing a pin up to the correct height is only half the process. You also need to put a turning tension on the plug so that the pin does not fall back down.

This tension is done with a "tension wrench". ...a small "L" shaped piece of metal that is put in the keyway and held so as to apply turning pressure against the lock.

The practice then becomes lifting the pins to their correct height, not lifting them too high, applying enough tension to hold the pins up, but not too much tension that prevents you from lifting other pins.

Do a search for the "MIT lockpicking guide" and get familar with that document. Most of the beginning questions you'll have are addressed in that document.

We... of course... will assume you've at least read that.

...By the way... Welcome to the forums.

hzatorsk

[Elijah]

Hey Jon,

I'll go ahead and answer your question, but I must suggest that you re-read some of the current guides to lockpicking out there (MIT Guide, Crypto Guide, or Howstuffworks.com). The answer has to do with the very basics of pin-tumbler lock function, and when you fully understand how the lock works this will become very obvious to you.

Each pin column in a basic pin tumbler lock contains three pieces: A spring at the very top, a top pin, and a bottom pin. If you push the pins up without applying tension, the spring will push them back down. If you apply the correct amount of tension and push the pins up, the top pin will likely set at the sheer line. At this point, there is no spring pressure pushing on the bottom pin since the force of the spring ends where the top pin pushes against the cylinder of the lock. The bottom pin falls back down simply as a result of gravity. Once all the top pins in the lock clear the sheer line, all the bottom pins fall back down into the cylinder. Since there is now nothing obstructing the movement of the cylinder, the lock opens.

If this sounds confusing, just read the guides another time or try to get your hands on a cutaway lock or regular padlock/simple pin tumbler lock so that you can explore it yourself. Understanding how the lock works is your first major step towards becoming successful in picking. Good luck!

[Jon1987]

i read it over again...and i tried it on my padlock...but i am having difficulty keeping a circular tension on it i have tried putting different amounts of force while trying to push down the pin but no luck...I will keep trying.
ps. i am using a screw driver (tension) and a paper clip for the pick.

[master in training]

a screw driver may not be the best thing to use for tension, but then again, use what you have. you'd be best off buying a real pick set, but in the mean time, it sounds like you havent read the MIT guide since you're asking one of the most basic questions it answers.

are you trying to pick the pins front to back by any chance?

if not, you are obviously not keep the tension on the lock, in which case, get a real tension wrench, or at least something better. there are so many posts out there about home made picks, search for them.

[Elijah]

Paper clips and screwdrivers are tools that would make it difficult for a beginner to successfully pick a lock. I always find that paperclips are not rigid enough to lift the pins to the required height, especially in some types of padlocks that require more force to lift the pins to the sheer line.

The screwdriver yields problems of its own. If you are picking a padlock, it would be tremendously difficult to hold the lock in your hand and maintain a constant tension force with a screwdriver - your hand is simply not large enough.

If you are serious about getting into lockpicking as a hobby, it is more than helpful to invest in a cheap set of lockpicks. SouthOrd basic sets are fantastic for beginners and provide you with enough tension wrenches and picks to break a few now and then. Whatever you choose, I seriously hope you enjoy it! Also, good luck with whatever you do!

-Elijah

[NKT]

If were in your position, I would simply pop your screwdriver in a vice and bend the end 5mm 90 degrees with a hammer or grips. Wear goggles.

Failing that, a small Allen key will do at a push.

Easy to make one out of a wiper blade or any other bit of springy thin steel.

Padlocks can require silly amounts of force in the torque department, and some are very, very hard to open - more so than normal cylinder locks. I have one that will not open without serious torque, as it drives the shackle with the same spring that centers the plug, and two others that I can't even seem to get enough torque on to set even the first pin!

Good luck.

[jamo]

Hey jon although i am not the best person to advise because i have only just started picking can i suggest you replace your paper clip with a Jewelers screwdriver at least. This is a prescision screwdriver and what you need to do is go to your local DIY/Hardware shop and buy the most minute precision screwdriver there. (this is if you cannot get ure hands on a real pick set,)

[master in training]

an easy step up from a paper clip is a ladies hair grip (brown thing, straight one side, wiggly the other, sometimes known as bobby pins), just straighten it out and use the wiggly end to try and rake the lock, or bend the end of the straight edge up 90degrees about 4mm from the end to give yourself a sort of litte hook (i might go and make this now for my wallet...).

alternatively you could just hunt the house and local cheap shops for something thin long and strong to make a pick from.

as for a tension wrench, a real one is basically an L shaped piece of flat metal, so you're looing for something to replace this, you can cut off the wiggley bit of one of those hair grips, leaving a little bit to bend to 90degrees giving you an L shape, or you could use the metal clip bit from a Parker pen, this is sort of arrow shaped and silver metal, take it out of the pen and the metal pit that holds it to the peh lid gives you an L shape.

the best things to make picks from are street sweeper bristles and the metal parts in a wiper blade, they are thin, ong and strong, but most importantly, they are free, then you just need some pliers, files, maybe a drill/dremel type thing to make some picks and tension tools. the tension tools are easiest to make, you just cut a bit off and bend to an L shape.

[barnzy]

I used to use a paper clip and screw driver mate, the screw driver did not give me the right amount of tension needed. I advise exactly what one of the people above did. Wack your screw driver in a clamp, bend it 90 degrees, and you got yourself a tension wrench, as for the paper clip, i had no problem.

[SFGOON]

Yeah! Yeah! You tension's wrong!

[sublime progie]

check out page 20 and the surroounding pages of the MIT and look at where it talks about misalignment of the pins. i think this may be your problem. you may need to try setting other pins first.

[barnzy]

Yeah, i would go along with sublimes idea, you could try either starting at the front of the lock or pick a pin directly in the middle (3rd pin in), I know its not really the correct way of doing it but then you can see if you can do it that way, every picker has his own style.

[robert-e]

I read that you are trying to pick a padlock with "other than professional" tools. My question to you is, are you trying to pick a Master brand padlock? If you are, I would suggest that you begin with a differant lock. Master has very close tolerances and are not easy even with proper tools sometimes. I have no problems with people trying to improvise their tools, in fact, I think it is admireable however, you might try making your own if you can not buy them anywhere. I'm a firm believer in "if you can do it the HARD way, you're GOOD". Even so, if you cannot do it the easy way, the hard way will bring you to your knees.