LockPicking Journal

[FiapFiak]

After a few weeks of tinkering around and learning the ropes by myself, i decided to post up my progress, findings and what i learned. This is my way of giving back to you all for teaching me. I'll do this by posting up journal entries. This is so that anyone else starting up can perhaps learn a trick or two, or follow my path of learning, as most of the info is already gathered here: What you need, how to make and how to use, and extra info i discovered. Feel free to ask me questions about what i did and i'll answer. This is also posted up for people more experienced than me can give advice, critique or encouragement.

PS: Mods, these entries belong in no particular forum as it can go in all of them. I figured it best belonged in the questions category as it will answer alot of those, and questions come from all angles, as does this journal.

So, without further delay:

[FiapFiak]

Entry #1: Getting Started

Reasearch and Preparation
This is the biggest step. First you got to learn everything there is about locks. The MIT guide is a great way to start. Skim through it, get the idea. You can learn specifics on the way. The big key here is to use search, google etc to figure out everything. Dont make a new post asking questions unless you searched around for at least a day and found nothing. I have yet to post a question and i've gone far.

One big thing to do before getting started on anything is to gather all the information at once, follow along the instructions as if you were doing it, and if any questions pop up as you visualize it, search up the information. Rushing in to do something without researching will only result in frustration and tools that do not work.

As well, I am a minimalist. My goal is to do all this with the bare minimum equipment possible, so here is my list:

BARE MINIMUM:
1) Job Mate 6 File set: I only use 3: triangle, circular, and flat. $12
2) Street Bristle (look in the gutters of a major street) $Free
4) Practice lock: CHEAP padlocks that come in pairs, with 4 keys, which u can get at a grocery store. $4
5) Wrench/Pliers $1 at a dollar store. I'd get two, but u can get away with one.
6) Victor Brand mouse trap. $2
7) HelloKitty Ruler $.50
8) Permanent Marker $.50

Total cost: $20.00

That is all.

Extra stuff that is not necessary but cool to have around:
1) Wiper Insert: i bought a new wiper... stupid me, dont do that, just ask for one from some body shop. $5 for me, should be free for you. Or get a coathanger.
2) 2nd wrench/pliers
3) lighter

Lesson Learned: How to research, how locks work, Patience, Minimal tools needed.

[FiapFiak]

Entry #2: Bump Keys!

Ok guys, i know your opinion on bump keys, dont flame me for starting with this. I'm jumping on bandwagon and start with this because this is how most people start lockpicking, or rekindle their interest in it again. As well, even for people starting anew, there is alot to learn from this.

Materials:
-1 of the spare keys from your padlock.
-The lock
-Triangular file
-Permanent Marker
-Your shoe.

To make a bump key, you basically make the valleys of your keys to the lowest depth normally cut. Then go a tiny bit below that. (basically the 9.5 position: this allows you to bump locks that have a pin in the lowest position)

I found the best way to do this, is to use the already existing valleys as guides, mark down your key on the sides so that as you're filing, you dont lose your position, and then file down with your triangular file. Remember, files are to be used on the PUSH movement only... (i wish i knew that earlier...)

Next, you have to make the slopes of the teeth angled, or the key will go in, but not out. You need the slopes to allow the teeth to over the key smoothly.

Next, there are two ways of bump keying. The pullback method and the minimal movement method.

To make your key minimal movement viable, take about 1mm of metal off the tip and shoulder of the bumpkey. (the pullback method does not require this)

Now, your key should be able to do both the pullback method and the minimal movement method.

The pullback method involves putting the key all the way in, and then pulling it back 1 pin, then applying enough pressure on the side of the key as if to turn it, but no more pressure than that. Then, take your shoe, and using your elbow and wrist for power, give it a brisk, firm, but not too hard tap. This will take practice. Vary the amount of pressure on the turn of the key, and as well as the amount of force you use for hitting the key. This will take practice.

The minimal movement method is similar, although you put the key all the way in, leave it like that, apply the side pressure, and hit it all the same. The key moving that 1mm you shaved off will do the work.

I will not go into detail on the physics of this, a google/search will tell you all you need to know.

In my experience, the minimal movement method works better on locks in general, but the pullback method is easier to learn.

There is debate out there as to whether have angled V shaped valleys or circular half-pipe like valleys. However, all of these debates never specified which bump method they use. I tried both. In my experience, the circular valleys do not have the angle to transmit enough force to knock the pins up with the minimal movement method. However, it works smoothly with the pullback method.
I personally prefer the V shaped valleys. Maybe someone else with more experience can give me some input?

*Note, if you're new, and using this as a guide, and didnt understand a term, look it up - wikipedia/google, it will help you out alot.

By the way, once you learn the amount of tension needed for a bump key, you've learned the approximate amount of force needed to use a tension wrench.

Lesson Learned: Amount of force to apply to tension wrench, Experimenting with rumors

[charlied]

Thanks,

Good reading to me.

Anything to help clarify things a little more.

[FiapFiak]

Entry #3: Snapper Pick & Tension Wrench

To be honest, this is entry #4, I made a bogota set before this, however it didnt work at the time (blame me at the time, not the bogotas, they were perfect). So i went onto make something as skill-less as a bumpkey. I went to make a snapper pick.

Materials: (this is for a minimalist, so bare minimum stuff)

-1 wiper insert
-1 floor (if you find get this, umm... go to a psychiatrist)
-1 pliers (i still STRONGLY recommend 2, that way you dont need the floor)
-1 thing that is round like your chair leg, or table leg.
-a drawer or something similar like a door

Since i am a bare minimalist, here's why for the objects above. To make a bend, i grasped the wiper blade in the pliers and bent it against the floor.
To twist the wipers, i closed the drawer in the kitchen trapping my wiper insert in it, then i twisted with my pliers while holding the drawer closed. EXTEREMELY inefficient, i recommend just using 2 pliers.

To make the snapper, i basically made a hybrid of Sam's & Pyro's guide. I used Sam's for the basic instructions or for clarification, while using pyro's materials and for instructions as well. Do a quick search for them for reference.

I will provide what they didnt say in their tutorials: The length of each segment of the snapper pick (i did this by measuring the snapper vs the objects in the background, so these numbers are not my own, but they work really well)

By twist 90, i mean twist it like twizzler. you want it to look like a screw.
By bend 90, i mean bend it like an L

-I used a 17 inch wiper insert
-The segment which strikes the pins, from tip to the coil should measure 3-4 inches (9.5cm)
-Twist 90 degrees just before where you would make a loop.
-The loops should be made around a 3/4 to 1 inch diameter pole, like a table/chair leg. To do this, press and bend with your hands.
-from the loop, go down 1.5-2 inches(4cm) and bend upwards 90 degrees towards the striking arm.
-twist 90 degress right ater after this bend.
-go further down 2.75-3 inches (4.5cm) and square off the striking area.
You're done!

After I made a snapper pick, i turned my back on the bump keys. These babies work better than bumpkeys by far. They work faster, are not specific to any particular keyway, and can be applied to help out your later picking skills.

To use this, you need to make a tension wrench. Just bend another small piece of a wiper insert or a street bristle in an L shape as a quick makeshift one.

To use the snapper pick, refer to sam's or pyro's guide. They make it really clear.

My findings are these: Add the hook pick at the end as refered to by pyro's guide, this is a CRAZY good idea. When you first start snapping, you will knock up most of the pins, except for maybe 1. You can feel the plug shift massively, but something stops it from moving all the way. This is usually that one more pin. You can just snap again, which will usually do the trick, or you can use the pick. For learning purposes, USE THE PICK. Go in and feel for that one un-set pin. Learn how to lift this one pin, and open the lock. Sometimes there will be two pins, this is just as easy. Feel which one is tougher to lift, lift that one. Then lift the 2nd one and it will open.
This sort of bypasses the beginner's exercises of opening a lock and removing pins. Just snap up most of the pins and start learning. (again, a minimalist thing)

Lesson Learned: How to feel for and manipulate a single pin.

[FiapFiak]

Whoa, sorry about no updates in this for a while.. Been busy

Entry #4: Raimundo's Bogota + Diamond

I'd say Raimundo's bogotas and diamond a great set to make when first starting to learn. Or just buy them off him. PM him if you want some.
Why i say this is for many reasons: Most people want to see results right away or they lose interest. So, this is a good compromise. Learn to rake/jiggle first. This weay, you can learn exactly how much pressure to use on a tension wrench. This way, you can be sure, that it's not you're doing the pin lifting correctly, but it doesnt work because of the pressure on the tension wrench. As well, it teaches you not to be heavy handed or... you need to buy/make new picks.
After you have acquired the addiction of opening locks ( because rai's bogotas WILL garantee it WILL open and you WILL be addicted ), now is the time to swap things up. Use the bogota as the tension wrench, and the half diamond as your pick. Now it's time to no longer rake, but to learn single pin picking and pick order.
I'm not going to repeat how to make bogotas here nor repeat how to learn single pin picking. Although i can tell you, that rai's bogota making instructions are stickied in lockpicks-manual and the single pin picking are stickied as Beginner's lock picking exercise by DB.

Lesson Learned: How to feel for pressure and check for many pins being bound... then single pin picking and pick order


I'll post something cooler for ppl tomorrow

[FiapFiak]

Entry #5: Romstar's K/Q design on sweeper bristle

Ok, this is just an experiement I did to see if i could put the K/Q design onto a very narrow street bristle. I'll share with you guys what i did, but these are the ugliest, most crappily done picks of mine... so keep critique down, i know they coulda been done way better, but i was pressed for time with exams - and studying kills your eyes, so my vision was sub-par at the time.
Anyhow, they are done via proportion measurements. I took Romstar's K/Q design, reduced the proportions somewhat, and fit them to rai's bogota's proportions. So, they are like a hybrid.
How well do they work? They dont rake well but it's possible, they sorta jiggle, but they work best on the figure 8 of the normal K/Q or profile type picks. Do they work well? Yes they do. However, i'm still more partial to the bogota picks. When i get more time, I'll compare them to actual K/Q picks when i make those.

Anyhow, Here we go:
1) This is the measurements of the K/Q set on the stanard ~3 mm wide street bristle.
[IMG]http://i16.tinypic.com/357m2v4.jpg[/IMG]

2) This is just crudely marking out the picks.
[IMG]http://i16.tinypic.com/40bk51u.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i13.tinypic.com/2eg477o.jpg[/IMG]

3) Cutting out the waste metal before fine filing
[IMG]http://i11.tinypic.com/4bz8n0x.jpg[/IMG]

4) This is where I finished the profile of the picks... but before i added in the bottom grooves. I did a few tests and sanded a bit at this point and they worked well.
[IMG]http://i16.tinypic.com/3yyw17t.jpg[/IMG]

5) The finished product. Note the differences in height of the peaks.
[IMG]http://i14.tinypic.com/3345js5.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i16.tinypic.com/4gi0dx2.jpg[/IMG]

Over all, this is more like a fancy spadana, but hey, something new, if i find out that it works better any a certain lock, i'll let you all know.

[slipperychicken]

i have tried sweeper bristles and they seem to thin i have put a post on 101 where to find better tension wrench steel cheap i like that word lol viewtopic.php?p=198881&highlight=#198881

that should find it
i have tried road sweeper and windsceen wiper steel and the wiper steel feels to soft try spring steel works mutch better it holds it shape better aswell