1ST KwikSet PICKED! :D

[v12v12]

HAHA! The addiction has started! Well I've been reading up on guides, lurking for a while. Walking around looking at different locks and visualizing the types of mins, numbers of pins, types of lock etc. It's really starting to become a habit! I'll be walking around looking at bike locks, doors, anything and taking mental notes on what the lock is, the configuration of pins, haha it's great!
Well anyhow, as I was about to leave my place I decide to have some (what I tought) quick fun and made a tension wrench from some folded steel off and umbrella I found, and a pick from a cheapo paper clip. I made a simple half-diamond from the clip, stuck it in my door (Kwikset) then the tension bar... a few min later Twist and CLICK! The dead bolt comes out and I start getting nervous about more security for my place! Haha I couldn't believe how easy it was with this paper clip! I mean I've never used a real lock pick set, I just improvised on some home-made stuff but it came much easier than I thought. I'm hooked!
I think I am going to order the C1510 Euro set and make my own picks from either some bike spokes, these umbrella "spokes" I found or buy some high carbon hacksaw blades and mill them out... Though I'm not sure if I should get the Ero 1510 set or the thicker C1500 USA set. I would like having the versatility of the euro-set since they will fit in more locks, but being more slim, will that hurt my attempts on most American based locks? Anyhow, it was really fun to try even with the most basic of supplies for picks!

[c1187w]

Way to go! Picking a lock with a paper clip can be difficult, especially if it is your first time picking. I would suggest getting a practice lock at a hardware store you can practice on. That way you don't have to worry about accidentally screwing up the pins and really reducing security on your house.

The slimness shouldn't be too much of a problem, unless you have a lock with very resistant pins. It also depends on what type of locks you wil be picking.

[v12v12]

Way to go! Picking a lock with a paper clip can be difficult, especially if it is your first time picking. I would suggest getting a practice lock at a hardware store you can practice on. That way you don't have to worry about accidentally screwing up the pins and really reducing security on your house.

--- Well this is the funny/scary part — I made the pick from the clip and it looks like this
__________
/

But I found inserting it with the "bent" side facing down was much easier and occassionally I would flip it over as to just play around with pushing up each pin. So I inserted the clip bent-side down, Torque bar, pushed up on all the pins, torqued, then let the pick down from the end closest to me while keeping force on the furthest end, added more torque and fiddled up and down and Pop! I also tried making some "rake" like shapes, but that only made clearing the bottom pins even more tedious.

The slimness shouldn't be too much of a problem, unless you have a lock with very resistant pins. It also depends on what type of locks you wil be picking.

--- That is the problem... I plan on doing the standard door locks like Kwik, Schlage etc, and some more advanced pads like Abus, Sargent, Medeco/American... though I would like to avoid using the by-pass tool b/c that's just too easy. And costly! Again, just how fragile are the Slim-line ones, and should I even bother dwelling on them and just getting the standard American set?
Thanks for the post!