N00b question on pin setting

[Unblessed]

ok this may be really stupid but i cant find this out.

if I am picking say.... a 4 pin tumbler and i flip up the back pin and go for the next if i screw up will the first pin i picke come back down?

[Chrispy]

Have a look for "pin binding". This will explain what the fundamental theory of picking pin tumbler locks is. The pin that 'binds' is the first pin that you should attempt to set. Once this pin is set, the next pin that binds is your next target. In theory, you should do this until all pins are set and the plug turns. If you set one pin, and another pin is disturbed whilst you are picking, it may overset and you may have to start again with a deeper hook (or different pick, depending on what you are using).

Read up on pin binding, it will explain it better than I have.

HTH

[helix]

If you screw up while picking, yes, the other pins will fall.

You do know that the pins need to be set at the
shearline and not just 'flipped up', right?

The order in which pins set is different.

If you push pin four and set it, then push pin
three and it unsets pin four, (assuming that pin four
was the most binding pin to start with),
set pin four again and FEEL pins two and one to
find the next binding pin.

I hope I'm not confusing you.
http://www.lysator.liu.se/mit-guide/mit-guide.html

[Unblessed]

my biggest problem with picking is seeing which pins are binded is there any tool I can use to see this better?

[Chrispy]

Unless you buy (or make) a cutaway lock, no. It's all about feel. Sometimes you can hear the pins set, but not always.

[Mad Mick]

my biggest problem with picking is seeing which pins are binded is there any tool I can use to see this better?

I hope I'm not coming across as being pedantic, but the most effective tool....the brain, will eventually let you see what's happening, when your eyes cannot. Repetative operations, whether successful or not, are stored mentally via a process of trial and error. No-one is born with the instant ability to be able to run...first comes the crawling, then the walking.

What is required in the hobby/sport/profession of lock picking, is the ability to feel (mentally visualise) what is happening inside the lock, through the tools. This can only be achieved through many hours of practice. ATM, you are having difficulty determining bound pins...you need to work on your sense of feel.

When returning home from work, instead of just inserting your key into the lock and opening the door, try to feel the resistance offered by each pin-stack as the key goes in...practice feeling everyday objects you normally take for granted...how much finger/thumb pressure does it actually take to hold the shampoo bottle without dropping it? You've held this shampoo bottle every day for X amount of years...your muscle memory has learnt what is required.....

And so will your lock-picking muscle memory.....with practice.