My first adventures in security locks

[lajos]

I have started working on a high security lock (LIPS - 8062 I think, 2 stars on the SKG scale (police rating in the Netherlands: unrated, one star, 2 stars or 3 stars)).

The bottom and top pins are spool pins (or serated, they have grooves in them, 2 grooves in drivers and one groove in bottom pin).

I started with only of set of pins, but that was just a bit too easy. Two sets of pins of the same height was also a bit too easy. I could pick them with very little tension and by actually lifting them together with the _back_ of the pick....

Now I still have two sets of pins, but one long and one short pin. And now I am stuck

I have heard about this 'reverse' picking technique where the pins are lifted high up with high tension and tension is slowly released while gently scrubbing the pins.

Can someone tell me which picks are best suite for this (lifter or diamond or snake or doesn't matter)?
And also wether this technique is effective against bottom pins with grooves? If not, then any suggestions?

Cheers,
L.

[poisoned]

I have opened only small 3-pin padlocks with the reverse technique..
I have understand that the technique doesnt work too often..

[Al]

The reverse technique is unlikely to be successful on a lock with grooved pins. Practise traditional picking with two or three pins in a less well made lock and work up.

[WhiteHat]

I've only had it work on all pin stacks simultaneously with any sort of consistancy on cheaper padlocks with security drivers only. I use the pack of whatever pick (usually a hook or diamond) to lift them up - ram on the tension and turn the pick arround.
I'm sure though that with a combination of a whole heap more practice and better control over tension by using falle-style tight fitting wrenches I could do it on other locks - just havn't had much time to practice recently.

you can also do it for individual pins - I find this works more often. by pushing the offending security driver all the way up and gently pulsing the tension while lowering your pick gradually - this works more often than trying to do all of them at once this way. (or so I've found)

also it only works if there are no security bottom pins because while you can push a security driver up, you can't pull a security key pin down so deliberately oversetting the key pin is like shooting yourself in the foot - it's painfull and it doesn't help get you anywhere.

[lajos]

Whitehat, your comments on the security bottom pins is exactly the reason I asked. I had doubts that oversetting the pins and releasing tension would be of any help. The grooves in the bottom pins are at the top of the pin... The only reason they would have been of any use in fighting picking is if the pin was overset, they would stick on the way down. They have no reason to stick on the way up since you reach the shear line before.

I am hoping to get a cutaway lock soon. I will definitely use that with security pins to try and understand them better and get used to small tensions, etc...