by Engineer » 6 Sep 2008 11:25
Jamie,
Perhaps you need a "confidence booster"? That is a lock you can pick so easily, you can keep going back to is and pick it almost instantly, just to reassure you that you haven't lost it!
I use these all the time, as we all get off days when we don't seem able to pick our nose, much less a lock. Perhaps a wafer lock to learn SPP on? Just occasionally you get those that won't pick very esily, so stay away from those meant to be fitted to a drawer, or toolchest. You should try something like a padlock, but not the cheap Chinese ones with odd-shaped keys, get something with a normal-shaped key first.
I know you said your lock was a no-name type, but that mght be your problem. If it's made in China, they can actually be harder to pick than more expensive ones. Sometimes it's security pins, sometimes just machined so badly, the pins are binding where they shouldn't.
If all else fails, keep buying more locks. You could just be unlucky in the ones you have tried. The first one I did, I found in the street with not shackle, as it had been cut off. It was Chinese and it took me three evenings. I thought I was useless at pickng, but it turned out to be poor machining. It would never pick reliably and eventually broke inside as I was putting too much force into it with the pick and tension wrench.
If you keep buying locks, you will eventually find one picks easily and reliably. Once you have got that to go easily and regularly, try those locks you can nearly, but-not-quite pick and build from there.
If you are sure this is something you want to do. buy five cylinder locks that are the same make and model. and make yourself a set of graduated locks that old-time locksmiths used to use to teach picking to apprentices.
If you don't feel confident removing the pins by disassembling the locks, you can drill them out from above. There is usually a mark on the top of each cylinder where the pins are (or you can measure them off from the key by laying it along the top).
Lock 1 - Remove the front 4 pins.
Lock 2 - Remove the middle 3 pins, leaving only the first and last pins.
Lock 3 - Remove pins 2 and 4, so you have first, middle and last pins.
Lock 4 - Remove pin 3, so ONLY the middle pin is missing.
Lock 5 - Don't remove anything.
Start out with lock one and keep working your way up to the fifth one, until you can pick them all fairly easily. Once you can SPP them, you will have a good base for learnig to pick ever more complicated locks.
You should also be aiming to get the tension as low as possible, just enough to turn the cylinder and no more if you can.
Good luck - Keep practising! Watching a lock come open in your hands is a wonderful feeling and worth all the frustration.
