Hello, I'm back after a long vacation from picking.

[Kodack]

I haven't posted in forever! I just thought I would drop in and say hello.

I actually did my first bit of lockpicking with a practical application. A friend at work has a fooseball table in his game room that is jammed up and they lost the key to open the table to clear the jam.

There were 2 locks on each side. From the feel of them they were wafer locks instead of pins. I was able to spring each side in about 10 seconds first try. It was worth it to see the look on his face when his "impossible" problem was cleared up in seconds. He unjammed the table and can happily play now.

I let him take a shot at a masterlock #140 with my Southord set and he was able to rake it open with some hands on instruction from me in about a half hour. Now he is interested in the hobby.

It was fun seeing his face light up when he sprung it for the first time and the excitment. Reminded me of mine.

I've not stopped picking. I keep a set and some locks by my couch and pick while watching TV. I can pop a security pinned deadbolt in seconds now pretty consistently.

How have you all been?

[master in training]

hi

looks like you were posting before i joined up, but its good to hear you're back and still picking as well as getting "new blood" into lockpicking


welcome back


~ Master in Training ~

[kodierer]

you post a lot master in training.

[digital_blue]

you post a lot master in training.

A keen observation indeed.

[quicklocks]

someone has got to have super glued him to his pc. how have you got time to pick? over 400 in just a month!!!

[master in training]

i've been really ill these past few months, i keep getting the flu and throat and chest infections, so ive been at home getting bored most of the day.

i live with my mum as well, so if im at home, im usually in my room, sitting at the pc with my picks and my tv and cd player and stuff all near me so i dont have to get out of my chair. its great!

i had wondered what happened to that tube of superglue i left on the chair a while back though

[triman247]

I visit the site almost every week, and try to post as much as possible, but I only have a few posts. I spent most of last month working on the quiz.

[raimundo]

How many of you have let a friend or aquaintaince use your picks and wished you had not. Once, a friend of a friend was supposedly trying to pick a lock as we sat around the friends front room and he started determinedly bending the pick back and forth sideways in a way that could only have been a deliberate attempt to break it. On other occasions I have had pics bent 90 degrees by noobs who were actually just trying to pick but using force inspite of instructions. So many people try to pick then get frustrated and try to force. Personally the only pick I would lend to a noob or to a braggart who may know something about picking but who is really about talking and trying to be mr big would be a pick that has already been half wrecked, Then when he wrecks it, let him replace it.

[Kodack]

I let someone pick under my supervision and they were very delicate on the torque wrench as I instructed, but they made up for it by brutally raking.

After 10 minutes without opening it he handed me the lock and little brass fillings started falling out.

The pick was fine but the lock is catchy now and hard to pick. I think I need to deburr the pins.

[GateTwelve]

I do DSL troubleshooting over the phone, so my work days are pretty boring. I usually have all my picks laying around my cubicle. Quite a few people pass by and start molesting my picks and locks. I guess people just see me picking, and naturally assume it's something that anyone can do. Not an art - oh no. Just one of those hobbies that once you have the tools, there's no challenge, just shove those little shiny metal things in and start spasmodically moving them.

I'm fairly rude in person, so I'm quick to yell at them to stop touching my things and leave before they can do any damage. But there have been occasions where I have been preoccupied by a customer, and they take it upon themselves to use all my tools without asking. So far the only casualties have been a destroyed twist-flex, and ruined half-diamond.

I hate people.

[triman247]

raimundo, I agree. I let my friend use one of my picks, and i swear he almost broke the pick right in two. He proabbly would have if I didn't take the pick away from him.

[Geek142]

My friend broke so i made him pay 2 dollars for it He was picking a lockwood 120/40 and then the poor thing broke

Cya