where to get locks to practice on?

[Plainkain]

Today I looked in the yellow pages and asked all the locksmith stores if they had any extra locks they didn't need. One nice guy said yeah and gave me 4 locks and a lot of key blanks.

Quite the idea, this is my favorite as it could also lead up to apprenticeship and a ton of free locks if you play your cards right. The worst that could happen is the locksmith has no locks.

[PMKKD]

I been loving the challenge of lockpicking for a fair while now. Have even gone so far as to use my dremel to craft a few lockpicks by my own hand.

But I never seem to comeby locks that I can practice on cheaply, never usually less than £5 from my local locksmith. An expensive hobby I can tell you

Anyhow, surely theres a cheaper resource of locks to simply practice on?

[wgl]

Hey,
first thanks to all the great suggestions

(btw: @PMKKD: aaah, of course, i get your point.. ^^)

As already mentioned, a good idea is to ask some friends and relatives.
Had thought about asking the local locksmiths as well.. Might give it a try afterwards

When picking your door lock, though,
make sure you don't mess it up and only pick on the inside of the door,
as lockpicking always leaves traces, which insurances won't be too happy about..

Greetz wiggle (first post by the way, have already been reading around here for a while great forum. well, anyway, greetz)

[undeadspacehippie]

I was going around on the Univeristy campus I worked on (don't work on the site anymore due to relocation to a new city) and part of my duty was to cut the locks off the lockers, chains off the fences and other university property and the end of each semester. At night rather than acutally cut off the locks and I would cut the chains so the locks were left intact as well as pick some locks off the lockers - never did combo locks though. I had at least 2 dozen locks to play with at the end of the semester.

I have also befriended a locksmith who throws me a few bones here and there. Once while travelling through an alley with a friend of mine (who did not know about my hobby) i came across some contractors who were tossing a bunch of doors out with the locks still intact, I asked if I could remove them - aside from some strange looks I ended up with 2 Schlage locks and 1 Yale.

[jewfish2002]

I really like the practise/ hobby locks that have cutaway or are clear from SPARROW and SEREPICK.they have clear polymer versions as well as casings designed to hold locks to pick in your hand.
But everyone else's previous post are great ideas to get your creative wheels spinning on procuring actual branded locks. Apricated.

[Squelchtone]

I really like the practise/ hobby locks that have cutaway or are clear from SPARROW and SEREPICK.they have clear polymer versions as well as casings designed to hold locks to pick in your hand.
But everyone else's previous post are great ideas to get your creative wheels spinning on procuring actual branded locks. Apricated.

not sure if you noticed but you replied to a post from 17 years ago..

Locking this thread, I think there are a few others already open for this subject, if not, I'm sure a new one will crop up.