Beginner's Lockpicking Exercise - by digital_blue

[digital_blue]

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

Shake and rake. I like that. I'm gonna use that line. In fact, tomorrow night I will be putting a room full of n00bies through this very exercise in a lock picking workshop I'm conducting. I think I'll add that phrase to my "poke and prod" lecture.

Anyway.. glad it's working for you. Cheers!

db

[undeadspacehippie]

Poke and prod - sounds like my pathology and physiology classes LOL - (ok, sorry had to break from topic).

I've had tons of success with raking and such, but I want to be more adept at pin by pin, this exercise definately helps - thanks.

[Sesame]

So, Digital Blue, once you've got the feel of finding which is the binding pin and can open a lock this way, what do you recommend we work on next? I've been opening as many locks as possible. Some take only a few seconds, others maybe twenty. Am really glad that I followed your advice in the first place, and now...perhaps a bit more?

[digital_blue]

I would say that a suitable "next step" is to repeat the process (this time starting at, say, 3 pins), but start to introduce security pins. Get ahold of a few spool pins and a few serrated driver pins.

If you pin up the lock with 3 pins, put the spool pin in the middle, since this is usually going to be the second pin to bind in this configuration. Since you know where the spool pin is, you will be a lot more aware of the feedback you get when you hit the spool. Get comfortable with setting the spool pin without dropping the other pins. Once you've done this, move up to 4 pins, and make the 4th a spool as well. Repeat for the 5th pin.

After completing that, do the same with serrated pins. You'll find that these "Intermediate" exercises will not take as long to go through as did the Beginner exercise. You can probably get through the spool pins in an evening or two. Same goes for serrated pins.

After you've gotten comfortable with security pins, the world is your oyster. Might I suggest it would be time to move onto some high security locks?

If you don't have any security pins, and don't know where to get them, PM me and I'll send you a link.

And do let me know how you get on with it.

Cheers,

db

[undeadspacehippie]

I've just received (due to the efforts of a gracious member of this board, don't know if the dude wants this known publically, so I will not refer to their handle) a whole mess of cores, I have re-pinned a couple and have been working "the exercise". I am up to 4 pins now - again thanks DB for the exercise. I put the schlage lock I was working on earlier (up to 3 pins, only open it 2 times a night as opposed to the new cores where I open them a couple of times per minute in a picking session).

[Sesame]

DB,

I am going to order some security pins. Thanks for the link. (I had no idea the personal messaging system was even there.)

Do you ever find spool pins and serrated pins in the same lock?

[digital_blue]

Yep, it can happen. I've got a whole bunch of American padlock cylinders that are loaded with spools and serrated pins. Not as common though in the cheaper manufactured locks. Actually, I don't come across a lot of serrated pins in common locks. Spools pop up all the time though.

db

[Sesame]

Besides suspecting it to be a lock of good quality, are there any hints that one might come across that the lock you are trying to pick has security pins? A different feel to how the pins slide maybe or how they hit the shear line?

[digital_blue]

Yes. Mushrooms and spools feel very similar. Serrated pins have a different feel, and can be trickier to detect, but I find them easier to get around. There's actually lots of threads on this site that deal with this question, but if you follow the exercise above, you'll get the feel for it pretty quick.

Cheers!

db

[Garza]

Awesome exersise DB! I'm so disgusted that I wasn't doing this two months ago when I first started my new addictive hobby. I'm excited though at how quickly I'm learning!

[doggy1]

Great exercise Digital Blue. I've opened my 1st padlock, a AMSUA 150/40
I've just finished opening a Bird 5 pin front door lock. I opened both these
locks with my hand made hook pick and tension wrench. I'm now going to
add security pins to the bird lock.

[Shrub]

Dont pick locks you rely on and get that Bird cylinder replaced on your door with a decent cylinder

[VashTSPD]

how did you make your pick?

[doggy1]

I bought the Bird cyclinder from a local DIY shop for a couple of pounds,
after reading some threads on not to pick locks you rely on.
The lock on my door has no makers name on it, and i have no intention to pick it.
The hook pick and tension wrench i made was from a garden leaf rake.
The spring metal on it is 5mm wide and 1 mm thick. From 1 pronge i had a
120mm long piece for making the pick which had a 90 degree turn already in it, and a 90mm long piece for making the wrench.
Where the parts of the pick and wrench enter the locks i filed and sanded down to 0.25mm in thickness so they would enter the locks and not be a
tight fit.
After i had the thickness done. i filed and sanded the shapes of the pick and wrench which you will find there are alot of templates in the forums.
I finished off by using Brasso to polish the pick and wrench. Which makes
using them alot easier when you are picking a lock.

[Shrub]

Ah thats ok, i must have read your post wrong sorry, the birds are very easy try a yale next when you want to progress,