picking a "master" lock with paper clips

[Chucklz]

Ive had plenty of success with paperclips..... but only because I'm fairly skilled without them.

[clayton1123]

I say you use pliers to bend the tip of a straightened paper clip and theres your pick. Your tension wrench should be a paper clip bent in half then the handle should be twisted providing an alright tension wrench, then read all you can about lockpicking and your set.

[Treeson]

I'd say an equally satisfying and impressive way to pick locks without real picks is by means of a safety pin (one of the large ones) with the tip bent 45 degrees and filled down. Then,, using a tension wrench made out of a the clip on a pen with the last say half inch bent and filled down if needed.

I used to have a semi decent lockpicking set, but 'lost' it (really quite complicated how I lost it) and have been able to open just about every lock in my house with a safety pin multiple times. Its extremely satisfying to use such crappy tools, and I feel that when I get a new pick set, I will be that much better because of my practice with the lesser quality tools. The only problem I ever find with these is when the springs are extremely stiff, but you shouldn't have anything to worry about with a master lock. They are for the most part, exceptionally easy to open.

I would recommend reading the MIT guide, search for it.

I'd say, with a little bit of determination, using these tools and reading the MIT guide, you will be on your way to impressing your friends within one night if you are competent.

Hope this helps.

[paku]

lol if you wanna be ghetto paperclips are great in my opinion~ first lock i have ever picked was a masterlock 40 with a paperclip and a wrench made from the metal part of a wooden ruler~



i have moved on tho and got a set of picks tho~ i will never touch another paperclip i promise... but i have to honor my very first homade pick

[eric343]

I believe the only lock you can actually pick with paper clips is a Display Case lock.

Not around here, you can't.

5 pin lock, 4 are security pins (guessing mushroom). Someone from one of the student groups asked me to open a case in the hallway to which the key had been lost. 2 locks (top and bottom) -- the bottom took about 2 minutes, and I gave up after half an hour at the top one because my arms were sore as hell. (probably 7' off the ground) Really nasty, and tolerances that I'd expect in a decent quality Yale, not a display case!

[jeremy]

I've picked pin and wafer tumbler locks with paper clips, bobby pins, safety pins, street cleaner bristles, a pocket knife, and a pen. When I have to open a lock, I'll find something and make it happen. That's a good thing to be able to do. But on anything but the simplest wafer-tumbler locks, it can take significantly longer than usual.

These days I try to have picks on me all the time, because they certainly work the best. Jacknife pick sets are convenient to carry.

[LockNewbie21]

Well i have had much expierence with master locks mostly threes and 5's which are the easiest. I have seen keys for 50 or so... i hae quite a few and when i lok at them on the racks of stores i check the key cuts. I have yet to see a good high low cut, either the last or first pins in low or high cut every other one are basically identical. So i mean you can just make a snowman pick or double ball pick out of a paper clip... try to make it round and just insert and pul out usually thrre tries will pop any of them on averge.


Andy

[djangalaang]

I use a pair of tweezers for a torque wrench and a thick safety pin to pick with. You can file down the tip of the safety pin, and file the sides of it so that it fits in the keyway better. Beauty of the besides the fact that it just looks nifty to pick locks with an everyday item is that they are easy to shape with a pair of needlenose pliers. I also usually bend the back of the paperclip around and make a handle with it, so that it is more easy to handle. With the handle, a bit of filing to make it smooth, bending the tip correctly, and making sure that you are using a sturdy enough paper clip, this can work just as well as a pick. I'll have to agree with Treeson too: if you can pick it with a paperclip, you shouldn't have any problem when you get a set of "real" tools to work with. In response to happygap69, if you want to learn how to pick a lock with a paperclip, the concepts are exactly the same as if you were using a set of commercial picks. Just read the MIT Guide To Lockpick and PRACTICE, and you will be just fine....

Djangalaang

[Treeson]

That was an excellent first post I must say.

Thanks, Im getting my new set and should be giving up safety pins for a while soon. I will post pictures of how I hold a safety pin later so other people can get an understanding of it.