Padlocks are great but...

[TruLuV305]

Well today was the first time i could actually test my skills,
i lost my keys at the gym and i got home and couldnt get in, we have a schlage, so luckily i had my picks and i knew i had and extra deadbolt in the house so i could replace it once opened....

first off it was rusted to hell and i never noticed till i tried a pick in it.. THEY WERE ALL BINDING. hehe, well then i got some wd40 and it loosened up,
ive opened about 10 padlocks from the m3 m5 brinks1014001 and countless cheapy ones, all in all about 300 opens... so i thought i had the basics...

so when real life came knockin, my positioning suxed. i was kneeling, the lock was very hard to read and i didnt even know where to put my elbows... so my first trial was a horrible disaster and i had to rip a door off to get in..

My lesson? screw buying 12 dollar locks every week. im going to get a door with 4 deadbolt spacings and practice on my knees against a wall, then maybe i can consider myself to have any REAL skill...

- disillusioned.

[Wolfe]

make yourself a lock board.
The simple version:
purchase yourself a 2x4 at your local home store. Then for as many locks as you have (remember that you want to make this portable and as non clumbersome as possible) drill out 2 1/8 holes for them. mount your locks without the latch/strike.This is by far one of the cheapest ways to do this.

If by chance you own no tools your local home store will be happy to make the cuts for you and maybe if you ask right will drill the holes.

Heres a crappy pic of what im talking about:



hope this helps
W.

[dosman]

Also, for door knobs and deadbolts check your local hardware store for left-overs that you can get at a discount. It might only be my local store but customers open boxes and mix up the parts which leaves lots of incomplete door lock sets that they keep in tubs. I piece together complete sets from the left-overs and end up getting massive amounts of door locks for pennies on the dollar.

[Knows-Picker]

what store is that dosman? is that a lowes or home depot, or a mom and pop hardware store? Great idea, thanks for the inspiration to go get a bunch of locks for mad cheap and start yet another lock board.

[Eyes_Only]

It would probably have to be an independent hardware store. I doubt big places like Lowes or Home Depot would give out discounts for left over locks unless they put them put for sale as a inventory liquidation.

[87ELC2]

make yourself a lock board.
The simple version:
purchase yourself a 2x4 at your local home store. Then for as many locks as you have (remember that you want to make this portable and as non clumbersome as possible) drill out 2 1/8 holes for them. mount your locks without the latch/strike.This is by far one of the cheapest ways to do this.

If by chance you own no tools your local home store will be happy to make the cuts for you and maybe if you ask right will drill the holes.

Heres a crappy pic of what im talking about:



hope this helps
W.

That's good, but go a step further and build a lock mount with a simulated jamb. In fact build one of each handing LH and RH. In the real world, the jamb is what will interfere with your hand placement and turning tool positioning/movement (unless all you pick are RHR and LHR reverse doors).

[Wolfe]

The point is to make it as uncomplicated as possible so anyone without exp. or tools can make it.

[arris]

but the point of the guys thread is saying that he can pick them sat down nice an comfy an warm, but wants to learn about what its like in the field, so making a proper set up with jamb would be more useful for him..

[dosman]

what store is that dosman? is that a lowes or home depot, or a mom and pop hardware store? Great idea, thanks for the inspiration to go get a bunch of locks for mad cheap and start yet another lock board.

The store is Blacks Lumber. I'm not sure if it's a chain or an independent but they are a mix between a local hardware store and a lumber yard.

[TruLuV305]

i agree with arris.. of course i value everyones input and i am very grateful for anyone who takes the time to give advice, but i do want real world situation practice. so i think making it as real as possible would be better, although i like the setup in the pic and im going to make one of those as well, i was mostly just angry at the time, but im sure ill still be buying padlocks cuze we all have to admit it, it feels nice to pick things

- thank you for all your posts.

[87ELC2]

i agree with arris.. of course i value everyones input and i am very grateful for anyone who takes the time to give advice, but i do want real world situation practice. so i think making it as real as possible would be better, although i like the setup in the pic and im going to make one of those as well, i was mostly just angry at the time, but im sure ill still be buying padlocks cuze we all have to admit it, <censored> it feels nice to pick things

- thank you for all your posts.

You really want to know what it's like in the real world?


1. Build a mount with a jamb and the lock mounted at the proper height.
2. Turn off all your lights.
3. Make sure there's no ventilation.
4. Soak a piece of carpet with water, then place it below your mounted lock to kneel on.
5. Attempt to identify your picks in the low light.
6. Sweat profusely because of the lack of ventilation.
7. Curse the water leak behind the door that soaked the carpet that's now soaking your pants and shoes.
8. Have someone stand immediately behind you, breathing down your neck while offering helpful comments like "Can't you go any faster?", "That's not how they do it in the movies...", or "Hurry, the plumber's on his way!!!"

That's what it's like when the manager of a rat-hole building calls you to open an apartment with a suspected water leak.

[HeadHunterCEO]

i agree with arris.. of course i value everyones input and i am very grateful for anyone who takes the time to give advice, but i do want real world situation practice. so i think making it as real as possible would be better, although i like the setup in the pic and im going to make one of those as well, i was mostly just angry at the time, but im sure ill still be buying padlocks cuze we all have to admit it, <censored> it feels nice to pick things

- thank you for all your posts.

You really want to know what it's like in the real world?


1. Build a mount with a jamb and the lock mounted at the proper height.
2. Turn off all your lights.
3. Make sure there's no ventilation.
4. Soak a piece of carpet with water, then place it below your mounted lock to kneel on.
5. Attempt to identify your picks in the low light.
6. Sweat profusely because of the lack of ventilation.
7. Curse the water leak behind the door that soaked the carpet that's now soaking your pants and shoes.
8. Have someone stand immediately behind you, breathing down your neck while offering helpful comments like "Can't you go any faster?", "That's not how they do it in the movies...", or "Hurry, the plumber's on his way!!!"

That's what it's like when the manager of a rat-hole building calls you to open an apartment with a suspected water leak.

don't forget that its raining on your head
theres a LHR screen door mounted to RH door so you have no room and are picking with your weak hand.

[Chucklz]

theres a LHR screen door mounted to RH door so you have no room and are picking with your weak hand.

One of the doors at my parents' house has a RH outswing screen door, and a LH inswing door behind it. My mother had this done, because she said it would be easier to carry things in the door or some such. The one lock is a 5 pin Schlage lever handle (keyway horizontal). The cylinder itself is rather trivial to pick... when its not installed. BuIt would be t on the door...I'm glad I have a key.

[raimundo]

87L suggests doing it in dark and wet, but at regular lock height, which is usually just above or below the door knob. while you may not be used to picking at this position, its not so hard, try putting the lock high on the door, above your shoulders, this could be even more difficult, and as to the jamb interfering, thats why you should try some short length tensors.

I once was called to instal a lock in this wharehouse building that had been broken into lofts and rented to bands, there were a lot of different groups and all their friends and partyers comeing and going all night and day. then the building got a bunch of breakins from some door kicker, I suppose you know that to kick a door off, requires a solid plant of the foot just on top of the lock, so I installed the new lock, Adams rite inch and a half swing bolt, high on the door, a difficult position to kick at, and kicking at the lower part of the door just allows the door to flex a bit and spring back, so you would wear out the kicker. the next breakin in the building, not at the place where I worked, was a kick through of the cheap sheetrock walls that were put up when the building was renovated for rent to musicians.

[87ELC2]

87L suggests doing it in dark and wet, but at regular lock height, which is usually just above or below the door knob. while you may not be used to picking at this position, its not so hard, try putting the lock high on the door, above your shoulders, this could be even more difficult, and as to the jamb interfering, thats why you should try some short length tensors.

I once was called to instal a lock in this wharehouse building that had been broken into lofts and rented to bands, there were a lot of different groups and all their friends and partyers comeing and going all night and day. then the building got a bunch of breakins from some door kicker, I suppose you know that to kick a door off, requires a solid plant of the foot just on top of the lock, so I installed the new lock, Adams rite inch and a half swing bolt, high on the door, a difficult position to kick at, and kicking at the lower part of the door just allows the door to flex a bit and spring back, so you would wear out the kicker. the next breakin in the building, not at the place where I worked, was a kick through of the cheap sheetrock walls that were put up when the building was renovated for rent to musicians.

My other "favorite" is the opposite of yours - the glass storefront door with a bottom rail lock. You pretty much have to lie on the floor to work it...