Penny wrote:I would never EVER do anything illegal, LOL, I'm a tax paying, church going upstanding citizen, LOL. I apologize if i seem like i'm desperate to get in a certain particular lock.
I have a box of locks sitting by my chair, there's nine of them, and i just try to open them while i listen to the tv. Just seems like a fun hobby, that could actually come in handy if the skill was developed. I will keep trying with the pick and reading more. Thanks to all.
Hi Penny,
You have been given a lot of really good advice here. I think it's safe to say that all of us were in the same situation you're in when we started. In fact, I'm not much further along than you are. What I can tell you, however, is that like anything else that requires any amount of skill, your lock picking skills will get better with more practice. Much like you, I will work on my skills while watching tv and this has been the best thing for me in terms of improving my skills. After getting frustrated that I was unable to SPP a lock I decided to slow down with my approach and I took the time to get familiar with the feel of lock picking. By that I mean that instead of trying to SPP a lock, I would sit on my couch with a lock and short hook and just work on getting a feel for the pins moving up and down in the cylinder. Eventually you will be able to feel the hook pushing them up and/or them pushing down on the hook. I did this without even putting the tension wrench in and then after I became more familiar with how it felt with the hook and pins interacting with each other I started using the tension wrench to apply mild pressure to the lock and then I became familiar with how much force was needed to turn the cylinder. You'll find some need more than others and in some cases you'll find that letting up on the pressure (slightly, not completely) will allow you to set another pin. What I've found is that you will know when to let up because you will feel yourself beginning to set a pin while simultaneously feeling the tension wrench pushing back against your finger. However, in some cases it is actually better to let up altogether and start the process over.
There are some great resources out there like books, posts here at the forum, and some really great videos on the youtube, but firsthand experience will be the best way to improve your skills. Just be patient and if you find yourself getting frustrated set your pick and lock down and come back to it later when you've had some time to relax and clear your mind. I've done that more times than I can count. I know you'd like to get better sooner rather than later (wouldn't we all, lol?), but I think if you can find it in yourself to be patient and stick with this then this will be a hobby you thoroughly enjoy. Not only will you enjoy it, but rather than finding it frustrating that you're not making the progress you want to make, you'll find it very relaxing and you'll even find yourself looking for locks that are tougher to pick so you can feel the satisfaction of defeating some of the toughest locks to pick.
Be patient, hang in there, and good luck, Penny!
