Tranquil wrote:I was at Home Depot picking the locks in their door lock section and i was on a roll until i encountered the Schlage section and found that their locks are very strange and hard to insert a pick into. does anyone have any pointers on a newbie trying to pick them?
yes, I have advice. Before you get thrown out of the store and make all of us look like punk kids, stop picking their Defiant and Kwikset and Schlage and Balwdin lockboards and buy a couple locks to take home with you and pick at home. I'm surprised no one from the store kicked you out for messing around with the displays.
This brings me to the usual speech we give all new users, which includes the following rule you should live by:
Don't pick locks that are not yours, and don't pick locks that are in use by you or anyone. When learning how to pick, there is a good chance that you will turn something the wrong way, or stick a pick in the wrong place and mess up the lock. If it's not your lock amd you break it, someone will be mad, or if it is your house lock on your front door, now you either can't lock your door when you leave or, the lock is broken in the locked position and you can't open it with a key.
Otherwise, I can understand your zeal, I also want to open every lock I walk by, but I learned to resist and instead I buy a new lock or two every week to keep me busy in my workshop at home.
here are some very useful links with forum rules, how to search for stuff, etc etc.
Rules and tips:
http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?t=10528
digital blue's Beginner’s Lockpicking Exercise:
http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?t=10677
btw.. on average you will find that Schlage are tougher than Kwikset and much harder than Defiant, but with enough practice you will open them. what kind of pick are you using to open locks right now?
welcome to the forum,
Squelchtone
TOOOL Boston