pin feeling and counting with pick on the side of the pin

[pillar]

Altough I got some more tools and pratice than a few months back I still have troubles feeling the pins.

I do not quite know how deep to insert a pick to get on a specific pin number.
The problem is: I somehow now count the mins and depth by inserting the pick lower than the pins, the tip of the pick then touches the side of the pin and then I know there is a pin I want.

Am I right this is a feeling technique having a lot of drawbacks later on in lockpicking?
Should I get rid of that? (I think so)

Is the goal to feel the pins just by touching them on the top with the pick without any tension tool?

[streak]

Hi Pillar,
Nobody seems to have replied so I will try.
I am a newb but this is what I did on my first few practice locks.

They were quite old and used so I first squirted some oil into the keyway. I then ran my pick in and out a few time to make sure the oil got where it was supposed to get!

I then inserted a hook pick all the way to the back of the lock (no tension wrench) and the slowly pulled it towards me until I felt the first pin.
I then pushed the first pin in and then slid the pick back a little more until it butted up against the next pin. Slid down the side of that pin then pushed it in etc. etc.
I did that a few times until I got a feel for how many pins there were and to help me determine which pin was which.

Make sense?

I still have a lot to learn but having fun so far.

[VancouverSpecial71]

Hello pillar,

First off, I assure you that all of this gets much easier with practice

Similar to streak, when tackling a new lock I insert a straight pick (like a half diamond) right to the back of the cylinder and then count the pins as I draw it forward, which establishes what I'm dealing with but also confirms all the pins are moving and not seized. If it's a tight or difficult keyway I will practice pushing each pin a few times up and down. You can start from either the back or front of the lock when practicing, counting pins, and picking - however, when starting out stick to one or the other until it becomes second nature.

There's a neat little aid to picking called the 'pencil trick', which really helped me to locate the individual pins within a lock. You can find it described and illustrated very well in the LSI Lockpicking guide, page 8. Some excelling information in there for new pickers as well:

http://locksport.com/files/5012/6964/4049/liguide.pdf

The only drawback to this technique is that you are using a visual marker on the side of the pick to locate the pins. Once you get the hang of it, start to look to the marks less and less and eventually just remove the pencil marks and go strictly by feel.

You mentioned feeling the sides of the pins to locate them - this may be useful in locks with wider keyways but you won't have much room to maneuver once you start tackling tight and/or paracentric keyways - instead try and find the tips of the pins. I do think the goal should be using your picks by feel - however, not so much as to disregard different techniques for training purposes. This so-called feel will come in time as you develop your skills - don't fret too much about it at the outset.

If you haven't found them already, check out some of Bosnianbill's youtube videos, which can be a very helpful source of information as you progress. Here's a link to his 'beginner lockpicking' playlist of videos:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTSWkYxuSlkXiSBwk3Hvbvx71sg-MH61s

Kind regards,
Sean

[VancouverSpecial71]

I remembered you are located in Europe so here's a link to waddac2's youtube channel, he's out of the UK. I found that he often does a good job walking you through the whole picking process.

https://www.youtube.com/user/waddac2/videos