Brand Newbie..

[nativeofsandiego]

Well after reading about picking locks for about 5 hours last night and resulting in my late departure to bed I am officially hooked on this hobby.

I grabbed two bobby pins from my girlfriend and went to work on my back porch door today, about 15 minutes later its open. It was a KwikSet dead bolt which I hear are extremely easy to open...

After that I had a Brinks door knob on my bedroom so I started to go to work on that and got stumped. It seems no matter how far I torque the cylinder either way I cannot get the pins to stay "up" in the chamber. Again I may be using completely wrong terminology. But I am not sure if it is due to my lack of tools or just my over lack of knowledge in this. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Oh, I know you guys generally have advised NOT to practice on anything you actually want to work. I generally have a lack of care for these door knobs. So thats not a problem. Thanks again.

-Austin

[cppdungeon]

dont pick locks that are in use, unless you want to have to call a real locksmith...

other than that, good work one the qwikset. Im just guessing the brinks has security pins, because all my brinks locks (all one of them) have security pins. security pins make it not impossible, but difficult to pick a lock.

My advice to you will be the same as anyone else here. first, dont pick locks in use. keep posting that and you might find your thread locked, it happened to some dude a couple days ago. second, go to your local hardware-mart and get a quikset and practice single pin picking it. third, get some nicer tools. i started with paper clips but they really, really failed when you get some nicer stuff, you will realize this. go get some hacksaw blade or windsheild wiper inserts, and poke around here to find more info on how to to make nice, shiny tools.

good luck and welcome.

[TheSnakey]

dont pick locks that are in use, unless you want to have to call a real locksmith...

best piece of advice any hobby lockpicker can every hope to get

[nativeofsandiego]

Well I replaced the door lock on my door with a different one. So the brinks is now not necessary equipment for the functioning of that door.



Any tips? Or an article on how to to pick these pins?

[Olson Burry]

Practise. Although decent tools dont make a good picker, you could probably do better than a bobby pin.

The MIT locking picking guide would be a good thing to read if you haven't already.

Seeing as it is unattached now, the slightest amount of tension should be applied to avoid an overlift and somehow you need to develop a real feeing for where your tools are and what effect they are causing inside the lock. Try to really feel each and every pin and how it is catching, or not against the sheer line.

That is about as good as it gets I'm afraid.

For that lock I would use a small half diamond and clockwise bottom tension, although with top tension you might get away with a small hook.

(your lock is upside down in the picture by the way, at least in EU terms).

[nativeofsandiego]

Ha, yah I just threw it on the desk real quick to take a picture.

It seems that when I attempt to turn the cylinder to the left, I can't get the pins to catch on anything. They have a constant spring feel to them even if I crank it as hard as I can.

Too the right however I can get a few of them to catch, but I don't want to turn it too the right, seeing as that is the way to lock it.

[Olson Burry]

There will always be one that catches, that is the nature of the beast and why lockpicking works. If you get in a situation where you seriously can't find a binding pin then it is probable that you've already achieved an overlift.

If you take a look at the bitting of the key it might make it easier to have an idea about how far those pins need to move. On occasion they only need to be pushed 1/2mm or even less so it is almost imperceptible to the untrained hand.

[nativeofsandiego]

Well thanks for the replys guys. I went and ripped off one of my back wiper blades and it that long thin metal piece was too big. But I am pretty sure if I get some tools this will be alot easier. I am noticing that finding a good torque wrench is quite difficult.