There are almost certainly people here who can help answer those questions for you (both in terms of spares and good technique). Unfortunately, while it's ultimately a call for the moderators, I think you'll find that this isn't the appropriate forum for the discussion you're looking for: this site is primarily a hobby lockpicking site... and the discussion of bypass techniques that could be abused for other purposes (like letterbox kits) is reserved for the non-public, non-Google-indexed "advanced" forums.
Having said all that, welcome to the site! Lockpicking offers a wide array of interesting challenges... and you've found a fantastic community here to learn from.
