2 days of lockpicking!

[satan2004]

Well its been 2 days now since i first got my starter kit of picks and i have been able to pick 7 padlocks of different models(vovo, lemen, man systems, MIBA and 1 abus lock, But it still feels like im unlocking it by pure luck instead of skill. I have severe problems of feeling wat pin i am at or if im even on a pin or on the roof of the lock. and after all this picking my thumb and pointing finger that jiggles the pick are hurting like a matha F***a, i guess my girly computer hands arent used to working the shaft!

And today i also broke my first pick, after opening all these padlocks of mine i wanted something more ehm interesting so i gave it a shot on my home door lock and my god was it hard. could barely fit in the pick cause of all the jagged edges going on in the lock and the pins were alot tougher to lift or even get the pick all the way insideto the 6th pin, i reached about the third pin when the pick broke and i kinda freak out sice i was gonna be locked out of my home if i couldnt get the stump out! xD but lucky me i was able to get it out using the tension wrench and the broken pick.


So! Thats my day! what have you been up too!

[slumnickel]

Particularly when you are starting out; I wouldn't advise picking a lock you rely on (though I can understand the temptation

It sounds like you might be using too much tension and pick force. It is surprising how little force is required on the tension wrench when picking for most locks.

If you are able to purchase a knob or deadbolt style lock you can try disassembling it to remove all but one pin. This allows you to experiment very quickly with different amounts of tension to see what is required. You can work back up to a fully pinned lock which will assist you in locating the individual pins.

[satan2004]

in a youtube video i was told to tension it until the cylinder turns and stops and hold it there but then it seems like when i pick that some pins are stuck as rocks and if i loosen the tension a bit the other pins i managed to lock fall down.

:/

kinda frustrating, Im really lacking a rake. the onlt thing i got now is a thing thats like a half diamond but a littler smaller that i rake with but its not as good

[Violaetor]

There is a good reason that 'DO NOT pick a lock that is in use' is one of the main rules of hobby picking.

[unjust]

if a) your hands hurt, or b) you're breaking tools, you're using WAY too much force.

to understand the level of force you're looking at, insert a key into a lock (the right key, and a lock that's not in use, or sticky) and slide your tension tool through it's keyring hole. now using your finger on the tool about how far down you would normally press on it to pick it, see how much force you need to turn the lock. you shouldn't need much more force than that to pick the lock.

likewise, set a quarter halfway off a table and lift the edge up with a pick. depending on spring strength, you're not looking at much more force than that to move the bound pin, if you are, you're using too much tension.

i'll get cramps in a hand on occasion, but it's because i'm holding a lock in some awkward position, or i'm trying a new grip out on a new tool or the like. that's a big difference from your hands being sore from picking.