New to the forums

[Earned Entry]

Hey guys, just wanted to say hello and introduce myself a bit. I've been lurking the site for about 3-4 weeks already, reading and searching as much as I can for what I can, and finally decided to make an accound and start posting.

I'm 20 yrs old and currently live in central Wisconsin. Anything electronic grabs my interest. I have a multitude of "useless" talents, as my girlfriend and others would call it, not limited to but including juggling, some basic card manipulation (cutting a deck of card with one hand mainly), and some poker chip tricks. I'm told I excell in most things I attempt, and it seems to be the case.

I'm interested in lockpicking mainly as a hobby for now, but aspire to owning a bussiness at some point waaay down the road. I've done the reading under the locksmith bussiness question topic, and understand that it's not something you can just make a go at because you can pop your $2 no-name padlock consistantly.

To date I've made 3 tools. My original idea with the pick set was to make a series of interchangable tips that would fit nicely into the handles of Exacto knives, but that didn't exactly work. I then made a tention wrench, and a hook pick that I think has too exagerated of a hook. Tommorow I'm planning on buying the MPXS-11 set from lockpickshop and the matching leather case so I'm not trying to learn with caveman tools (even though I think mine are decent hehe).

To date I've picked 2 locks. One of the locks are on a series of drawers at work that are all keyed the same. I can bend a paper clip we have at work in a half-diamond-ish form and (from what I understand so far) just rake the lock open. I'll never have to worry about not getting into those drawers again (gotten those open several times) hehe. The other was the kwikset that's on my bedroom door that I got open once, but I believe I just got lucky on it. The feeling of getting that quickset to turn was great. Had it not been for the fact that I picked it at 2 in the morning, I'd have shouted my elation hehe.

As far as teaching materials I've gathered, aside from coming to lp101 here, I have pyro's pick making video, and two of the h2k videos, of which I've been watching and taking mental notes on.

The reason I'm posting this under the Locksports Local forum is because, I've noticed through my lurking that there are quite a few members that are either from the Minnesota area, and I and my girlfriend are currently looking for work in the Twin Cities area so we can move to the area. With the (seemly) larger number of people in the area, is there an established lockpick sport club in the MN/Twin Cities area? I'd be very interested in joining such club if there was one there. If there wasn't one established, I'd be willing to help try to get one going.

On an unrelated note, does anyone have any advice on how to make a homebrew practice cylinder (a cutaway where you can see the pins as they set), or an inexpensive traning aid that would achieve similar results? I don't have a ton of money to throw at the hobby right now. The plan is to start accruing more and more supplies over time. My first plan, as I said above, is to get a professionally made pick set. Then to get a kwikset that I can just mount to a board or the like to pratice on along with a few masterlock padlocks to play with while watching TV or otherwise doing nothing.

One of my main concerns about buying a pick set is that it, in a small way, leaves me open for harrassment from non pickers and police enforcement alike, mainly due to my age and their nieveness. I know there has to be proof of intent and such, but I still plan on hitting up the local library both here in Wisconsin for now, and MN later if I do move, and keeping a printout of the laws inside the pick case, just incase I DO get bothered by someone with authority.

In any event, I think I've gone on long enough for now. I look forward to more reading here, it seems like most of the members are nice and helpful to each other. Feel free to shoot any and all feed back about my post at me, I'm always open to opinions

-EE

[cL4y]

welcome!
I have no idea how you make your own practice lock,but i think you should buy a re-pinnable one anyway.

And you introduced yourself in the wrong place,look at the top of the forums page.

[p1ckf1sh]

On an unrelated note, does anyone have any advice on how to make a homebrew practice cylinder (a cutaway where you can see the pins as they set), or an inexpensive traning aid that would achieve similar results?

Cutaway and practice locks are two different things in my eyes. In a cutaway thats completely exposing the shearline you change the behaviour of the lock in as much as it is not a lot practice anymore. The binding is just different, and if the cuts are not really smooth pins might stick solid to grates in the material. Cutaways are nice for showing how a lock works.

I think it is a good idea to get a Kwikset and rip it apart to see the interior of the lock firsthand, get a feeling of the minute distances involved and feel up springs etc.

For a training lock, one that actually has a good training effect I would suggest sourcing a eurocylinder. Drill a hole to open the pin chamber from below carefully, tap that hole and use a small grub screw to secure the hole. Now you have a training lock, one that can be repinned to easy or hard with no special tools and in just a few seconds per pinstack. And it has no destroyed shearline.

[Shrub]

He/they explained why they posted here but maybe 2 spearate posts would have been better as an after thought,

To make a cut away there is so many options for so many choices of locks but if you want some real sound advice do not bother, they are nice to look at and good to try home made tools on high security locks but as for learnign you will probably find yourself taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back,

I say this because you will get in to the routine of simply looking at what you are doing and if stuck looking at the lock whilst your picking it which is counter productive,

Click the picture on the botom of my post and have a read of the links given there in particular the begineers lock picking exorcise by Digital blue,

A practice lock for a begineer in my opinion should just be a noraml cheap lock like a Kwikset and just stick with it but if your struggleing the best option is to take a look on how to repin a lock and remove 3 of the 5 pins (picking a 1 pin lock is of no use at all) with your lock only having 2 pins you should soon pick up the technique,

Once practiced on that and you can feel the pins setting you should then re-pin it with a 3rd pin, a 3 pin lock will feel harder at first but you will soo get it as youve rememberd how the first 2 pick,

Move up and up in pin numbers until you are regulary picking the 5 pin lock, then re-key the lock and get practising on the full 5 pins from the start,

[Earned Entry]

Thanks for the feedback guys. In retrospect two posts probably would have been better.

I do have the benefit of having a kwikset mounted right to my bedroom door. And after a lot of reading, I think that might be even more of an advantage. Seems like it's one thing to pick a lock, but then another to pick a lock mounted to a door. Although repinning it might be a bit of a pain in the rear. Pull off door. Pull apart. Repin. Put back together. Put back on door. Etc etc hehe.

I've read db's beginner's excercise, but I'll have to go back and reread it. I haven't started because I don't feel I have adequate tools to make the best of the lessons. I still have to place my order to lockpickshop.com.

And the idea for the cutaway was simply to get a feel for just how high the pins need to be lifted. But I can agree that it could be just as counterproductive as anything, as I'd most likely not progress away from that lock.

[!*AMP*!]

I can just hear the posts coming...LOL

Many people are going to tell you, and I have sense learned to agree, that you should never pick locks you rely on, as they are probably going to break down if you do so, or at least wear out faster...I found out the hard way...through denial,

I'll probably be replacing the cylinder on our front door soon, hehe.

Cool that you are into juggling...I am into that as well...wouldn't call it useless...could come in handy some day...never know. I do balls, clubs, rings, occasional knives (yes, no joke), done bowling balls, and even through in a machete a couple of times...juggling is a good hobby as well. Glad to see another fellow juggler is a fellow LP'er.

[VashTSPD]

The reason I'm posting this under the Locksports Local forum is because, I've noticed through my lurking that there are quite a few members that are either from the Minnesota area, and I and my girlfriend are currently looking for work in the Twin Cities area so we can move to the area. With the (seemly) larger number of people in the area, is there an established lockpick sport club in the MN/Twin Cities area? I'd be very interested in joining such club if there was one there. If there wasn't one established, I'd be willing to help try to get one going.
-EE

I live right near the twin cities, but I haven't checked for a lockpick sport club, let me know of your findings I'll probably join if it's close enough.

PS to everyone;

it's my birthday 17.

[Shrub]

Happy birthday

[Earned Entry]

Happy B-Day! One more year untill you're almost an adult

I can just hear the posts coming...LOL

Many people are going to tell you, and I have sense learned to agree, that you should never pick locks you rely on, as they are probably going to break down if you do so, or at least wear out faster...I found out the hard way...through denial,

I'll probably be replacing the cylinder on our front door soon, hehe.

Cool that you are into juggling...I am into that as well...wouldn't call it useless...could come in handy some day...never know. I do balls, clubs, rings, occasional knives (yes, no joke), done bowling balls, and even through in a machete a couple of times...juggling is a good hobby as well. Glad to see another fellow juggler is a fellow LP'er.

Yeah, I don't really care if my kwikey set wears down / breaks / whatever. It's there. It's handy. It's easy (or so it's said hehe). And I DO work so replacement isn't really an issue. And if all else fails, I'll just repin the bugger

Nice to meet another juggler. They're few and far between in my area. In fact, I've only met one other person who I'd consider as "in to" juggling as me, although I'm not that "in to" it hehe. Sounds like you're better at it than I am. I'm really only good at round-ish objects. Receipt paper rolls, balls, bags, produce (yes the fruit and vege kind lol), I've even juggled balled up socks. I'm very good at 3 object (mills mess, the machine, shower, fake shower, and the standard cascade, to name a few), decent at 4 (still working on it). I'd love to get into clubs, knives, torches, other my-weight-is-mainly-at-one-end-so -spin-better-in-the-air objects, just don't really have the means of aquiring that sort of aparatus at the moment.

And the only thing juggling has really taught me is improved eye-hand coordination, and a bit better sense of how something is going to fly once tossed hehe. I kinda forget that sometimes and will just randomly toss things at other non-jugglers. Scissors (closed of course), other sharp objects, dvd cases, books, etc etc. I just forget sometimes (sometimes... just kidding haha).

I also am decent at balisongs (butterfly knives), balancing objects, balancing my own girth (yeah, I'm a big dude hehe), devil sticks, pen spinning (google it, you'd be surprised), billiards, darts, air hockey, bowling. Just about anything I can manipulate with my hands I'm moderately skilled at. Jack of all trades master of none, as I've been told.

Babble babble, there I go again.

Kinda semi-getting back to my first post ~ anyone know of a MN / WI / Upper Midwest lockpick sport club?