Beginner's Lockpicking Exercise - by digital_blue

[Mollywirebandit]

It's a shame that no noob will ever find the thread by themselves. They'll have to ask "What's the bext way to learn to pick? (Or should it be "wots tha best wey to lern to pik?") and then we'll have to direct them here anyway.

Crispy -so cynical were you not young and foolish and a bad spelr once? Have faith in your fellow hobbists - they managed to turn on the computer didn't they? (or at least have the communication skills to ask someone to do it for them...)

J.Bargs, I have a number of pick sets and have made picks myself, but I always find myself coming back to the same old favourites -small diamond, W pick, rake pick and lift or hook pick. have a look at some of the other forums as regards security pins - its normally technique rather than pick type which changes for tougher locks.

Saying this though, specific locks can be significantly easier when using specific picks. F'instance Tubular or wafer locks.

Hope this helps
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[Sesame]

Thanks for taking the time to write up this excellent tutorial. As a brand newbie I am very appreciative of all the advice of all the advanced pickers out there.

I took apart a cheap door knobset marketed as "TrueGuard" to get to the actual lock inside. (A semi-destructive process.) The lock in this set has a crimp-on cover to the pin holes making it really easy to change the pin combinations in the ways outlined in this tutorial. I'm sure I'll get to shims and all eventually but this was an easy way to follow the progression and get the feel of setting pins one at a time.

[digital_blue]

Glad it helped. Happy picking.

db

[bob_the_d]

just signed onto this forum and found this forum entirely roughly 15 minutes ago, and this was one of the first things i read.

so do not fret, there are some who are new to the site as well as the trade in itself who still find their way here and appreciate the hour or so you put in for this as well.

[digital_blue]

Woot!

[Brother of Dismay]

i think i can call myself a noob considering i just joined today and i have never succesfully picked a lock. But this gave me sumwere to begin db

[Brother of Dismay]

im trying to pick a mossberg gun lock (not attached to a gun). It seems to be beyond me and i would like a little info on it if anyone knows any.

[Locksmoker]

thnx for the info and I will do my best on the exercise. keep up the good work

[USMAN]

WOhoo!! That was Wonderful piece of information, although i do it daily to get my touch better n better Thanks db, without your Community it will be Very difficult to Learn this skill.

Thanks

[digital_blue]

I'm glad you're all finding this useful.

USMAN: Correction. It's YOUR community. I'm just here to keep the peace and lay the smack down on those that don't play along.

db

[USMAN]

Welldone m8, keep up the good work.

[laughingatyou]

i am very new to lockpicking and this has helped a lot. i have been working with this excercise for a few days now, and i am almost getting 3 pins efficeiently. i am a slow learner, and this has helped a lot. thanks.

[digital_blue]

Good to hear, and glad to help. I've got a friend running though the exercise right now, and he's been on 3 pins for a couple days. He's opting to not move on to 4 pins until he's gotten EVERYTHING he can from the exercise. That's a good decision on his part, and he'll be a better lock picker as a result of it. So, keep it up, and it will pay off.

Cheers!

db

[laughingatyou]

thats what i have been doing. i have been doing it for a few days also, and i am a million times better and faster than a few days ago. thanks.

[undeadspacehippie]

I am working through the picking exercise with a schlage lock that someone gave me. I dumped all the pins out except the first two, only to discover that the lock can actually be opened with just the tension wrench and a bit of vibration on it - It seems the first two pins of this lock only need to be raised a fraction to allow for the shear line to mesh - otherwise the pins are raised too much and actually work counter to what I am doing.

I'm up to 3 pins on this lock now (three different sized pins, leaving the first long pin in so that I can work around it).

Thanks for the exercise, I am working more on pin by pin method now versus the shake and rake.