Newbie having problems....

[Francey532]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to lock picking and I love the idea of it, however I'm becoming frustrated trying to pick my first lock, I have done several exercises from tutorials etc and tried to pick the lock below, I cannot seem to be able to fit my pick and tension wrench in the lock and feel about for the pins properly at the same time. I'm about to give up completely. Any advice? Here are pics of the lock and the hook tool I'm using.

Thanks michael

[billdeserthills]

If you put the tension wrench at the top of the keyway you will make a lot more room for your picks. I prefer my tension wrench turned straight up & down, like the HPC TR-4 wrench, but even with one of those I would file part of it down, to give me even more room inside the keyway.
There are a lot of other tips I can give, but this should at least get your pick inside the keyhole.

[GWiens2001]

Also, if you are using top of keyway tension (TOK), you will need a tension wrench that does not stick nearly as far into the keyway. You don't want the tension wrench to be contacting the first pin stack. With a tension wrench that is too long, it is also much harder to keep it in the keyway.

Gordon

[KPick]

Give up completely? Really? I wouldn't. Just give yourself time to learn with the good tips that are above this comment and you should do fine. It took me a very long time before I SPP'd my first lock open. Before that, I raked them open just to give me confidence. So you shouldn't feel so bad because all of us "good" lock pickers went through it and after that, it gets a bit easier.

[GWiens2001]

also, some of those have spool pins. Get a Master No. 3 or 5.

Gordon

[critmass235]

does the key have a high macs ( deep and shallow cuts next to each other) look at the key to tell. it could be why its hard. even if its a cheap lock higher macs can make it alot harder (especially for a beginner)

[Francey532]

What is a mac? Sorry I'm new

[Francey532]

Sorry I just realised what you wrote, I'll have a look and see thanks everyone.

[Francey532]

How can I tell if this lock has actually got spool pins, also do they sell master 3 and 5 at screw fix?

[Divinorum]

How can I tell if this lock has actually got spool pins, also do they sell master 3 and 5 at screw fix?

As mentioned top of the key way tension will leave a lot more room for your picks. As far as figuring out if your lock has spools.....it's a matter of reading the feedback you get from the lock. Or if you have the key and the lock has a removable core (the lock you have usually doesn't) you can take it apart and look at the pins.

These videos are great for learning how to detect and pick spool pins.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3H2rK-3FaQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQVsI4qyl3g

If you are just starting out this lock is going to be difficult and really frustrating. +1 for getting a master #3 or #5. They have 4 standard pins guaranteed. Even better would be to pickup a lock you can re-key this way you can take out pins and start with 1 or 2 pins and get a feel for how to set pins. Then as you progress add more pins back into the lock.

[critmass235]

high macs is when the lock is keyed with tall pins next to short pins. it makes it harder to not overset when your trying to pick the short pin behind the tall pin. look at the key to tell. get a lock that doesn't got a large difference in pins ( but some) that way its easier to rake and ssp. macs = Maximum adjacent cut specification. because the key has to be able to ramp the pins when putting it in or out pins next to each other have a maximum macs.

[KPick]

Yeah. It's, in general, the high and lows on the key.

[Mikeh727]

I have always found the hook more difficult to use than a half-diamond. It's really personal preference as there are many on here who feel just the opposite, but if you are having problems with the hook, maybe try a half-diamond and see how that goes.

-M

[knowspicker537]

That pick I've used before is to big for many locks including some know locks and most padlocks try the Southold slimline hook.

[thetrh51]

To me, that looks like some sort of cheap chinese noname padlock. The first padlock I bought was one and it consistently took 40 minutes to open. I eventually got it down to 5 minutes. Next I picked up a master no. 3 and I opened it in 30 seconds flat the first time. Sometimes cheaper locks are quite hard to pick due to low quality manufacturing