Starting out - how to move the lockpick?

[Deathbed_Companion]

Hey folks,

I know the title sounds a little silly, but when you're new you have to build the muscle memory for this stuff. I have a few locks to practice on (including a repinnable lock) and on one of the clear ones the first pin is super low in the keyway and is also the first to bind. Because it binds first, it almost doesn't move, and since it sits so low I can't get my pick under it to start lifting it. I can sometimes get it if I insert the pick off to the side in the keyway (I'm using bottom of the keyway tension but I tried top too and it's not really any better). Every once in a while if I really struggle against it I can start to lift it and then get past it, but by the feel of it pin 3 binds next and it also sits fairly low and at that point I really can't get past it to feel around to any other pins or get it out of the way. I assume this is beginner growing pains but any advice on how to manipulate pins when you have very little room would be appreciated, especially for those pins halfway down the keyway where you can't see them to know visually that the problem is that they are bound and low (I have no muscle memory yet of where each pin really sits so sometimes I'm not even sure I'm pushing against a pin and not the warding around it or something else).

Cheers!

[GrowleyMonster]

Just in case you are still watching this thread for replies.

Most of the time you really only need a couple of picks and an ordinary tension wrench. But sometimes you are facing an oddball lock and need something a bit different. A very deep hook, for instance. A curved rather than flat pick, maybe. I have encountered quite a few locks like you describe and sometimes they can be frustrating. Plain vanilla lock, plain vanilla pins, nothing fancy except the lock stymies you for an hour, two hours, more.

One more trick that sometimes works with such locks is to pick it backwards. Put tension opposite the opening direction, get it picked, and use a plug spinner to flip it over past the bible and then it is free to be turned to open. This may change the order in which the pins set. Another trick with old worn locks is to stick a shim in alongside the plug. You may only get it in a tiny bit but that can be enough. Try shimming one way, and after a few minutes try shimming the other way. If you can get those back pins to set first, then the intervening long pins aren't such an issue because at least they aren't restricting access to the back pins.

You might also be able to push the problem pins all the way up into the bible. I have done that, using two picks, one to raise it high enough that I could get the taller one in under the pin for the final lift. Sort of like using a comb pick but just one pin. This doesn't work often but when it does it does.

Getting the tension wrench completely out of the picture can help, too. You could try making a wishbone wrench with small-ish piano wire to engage the plug, and you will hardly even notice it is there, as you manipulate your pick.

Take your time and really try to figure out where each pin is. A Lishi is really great for that. I have one that comes in handy for KW1 keyways and I am expecting one for M1/M2 this evening or tomorrow morning. If you look on AliExpress you will see that there are a lot of different keyways now that have their own Lishi tools for. With the tool, you know exactly where your pick is, when you set a pin. This can be of immediate help and also is a good training aid.