Never picked in my life

[DJLeys]

Well, I was looking through the defense devices website and came accross the Jacknife pick set(JPS-6F) and thought it looked cool(as well as cheap) so I got it. Now I have never picked a lock in my life and don't know the first thing about it, any good website out there? Also, is it possible to pick a deadbolt lock with on of these(probably not?) , any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[illusion]

you've already found a good website which will answer all you want - search for knowledge, and you'll find loads.

the jacknife pickset WILL open a lock, but it aint magic, and you'll have to put in a lot of effort to achieve this. it's a skill which only gets better as you practce - so start practicing

practice, practice, practice, search if you don't understand something on this site, practice again and so on... ask qiuestions, but make sure you make an effort to find the answers yourself on this website

[DJLeys]

Well, I have been messing around with it all day and still haven't managed any luck. The biggest problem is finding the pins, I can get the first pin(as its visible) but like the last one(fifh i think) is really hard for me, I can never tell where it is or if im even getting close to it.

[illusion]

you won't find it easier at first, and sometimes you'll wonder if it's possible, but after you get the basics down it will all make sense. put the pick into the lock and push it in as far as the key would go now draw the pick back and it will run over all the pins giving you an indication as to where the pins are in the lock, if you listen for the clicks you will be able to tell how many pins it has.

Tip: read as much as you can in the FAQ section, because it has stuff which will help your picking come on leaps and bounds

what brand lock you picking anyway?

[DJLeys]

Well, its a deadbolt lock with the word "BEST" on it, but I can't find anything about that brand through google yet.

[DJLeys]

also, I was looking at the method of "Raking", is this usually effective? Or should I just ignore it for now?

[illusion]

http://www.bestlock.com/index.asp

maybe this will help

[illusion]

raking allows you to open the lock relatively quickly, but it takes some skill to get it right.

stick to pin-by-pin picking for now, it will give you a good feel for the lock, and how they work.

[DJLeys]

well, I was looking at the key for the lock and its like:

/\_/\_/\_/----------
---------------------

roughly, so does that mean there would only be 3 pins?

[illusion]

odd.. it would seem that it has 3 pins, but I haven't heard of a deadlock with only 3 pins

[digital_blue]

There is more than likely 4 pins. Look a little closer and try and figure out where that last pin might rest. You can also insert something with a flat edge, such as the back edge of a small half-diamond into the lock and lift all the pins, and draw it out slowly counting the pins as they drop.

If you just can't figure out where the pins are relative to the key, an fun little experiment is to wrap some aluminum foil tape (found in the heating section of your local Home Depot) around the bitting of the key. Then slide the key in and jiggle it. When you draw out the key you should see the markings where the pins were resting. This isn't really necessary for learning to pick the lock, but it will teach you a couple things. I use a similar technique when I get a new dimple lock to figure out where the actual pins are and which of the multitude of dimple holes on the key are actually active in order to make a functional bump key.

Good luck, and happy picking!

db

[Kigga]

If you havent alrdy take a look a greg millers lock picking guide, its one of the best out there.

[DJLeys]

I tried doing the thing with the small half-diamond pick and letting them drop, and im almost positive I felt/heard 5 pins, but looking at my key, I don't see how there could be that many.(unless im totally lost on how a lock works)

[illusion]

a photo would be the best option here.

could there be 2 pins which are small enough to not need any biting on the key (minimum depth cut)?
that would mean it is either VERY coincidental, but possible I suppose.

[DJLeys]

no camera Guess I will just continue working at it and see what happens.