I just helped get my grandpa's door open

[ryanhaynie]

today after my grandpa got back from the deli mart it turns out he locked his keys to his house inside and he was going to call a locksmith but told him i knew how to lock pick so i got my homemade pick and tension wrench i made out of hacksaw blade and opened his door it was so funny he thought i used a key or something then i got the keys and showed him i could pick it and he said thanks

[Marco321]

Thats awesome, im still waiting for a time when i can use my skills in real life.

[Jaakko]

Great to see you have had good intentions and that you have succeeded, but I want to remember to not pick locks you or someone else relies on. There is always the risk of breaking the lock or snapping your tools inside the lock while picking it.

Of course if the owner doesn't mind if the lock breaks or you are ready to pay for a new lock and you have to permission to try to pick it, then go ahead

[Legion303]

Is there an echo in here? :)

-steve

[linty]

my first locksmith job was when my sister locked her work keys in her office at work and i biked over to get the door open, real professional-like.

[ryanhaynie]

thanks everybody

[TorontoTonto]

Great to see you have had good intentions and that you have succeeded, but I want to remember to not pick locks you or someone else relies on. There is always the risk of breaking the lock or snapping your tools inside the lock while picking it.

Of course if the owner doesn't mind if the lock breaks or you are ready to pay for a new lock and you have to permission to try to pick it, then go ahead

or he was going to call the lock smith anyhow, im so tired of this " dont pick locks you rely on dealio, chill. its a nice helpful tip, but its not some code you have to live by. and he did have permission and has gone ahead, but im sure he thanks you for your permission.

Thank you sir, may i have another?

[Schuyler]

im so tired of this " dont pick locks you rely on dealio, chill. its a nice helpful tip, but its not some code you have to live by.

...

Thank you sir, may i have another?

Actually, as a hobbiest, it is a code you have to live by as far as most of us are concerned.

And yes, you can have as many as you like.

[Schuyler]

And, that is not to say that the OP shouldn't be congratulated on helping his grampa out. that's awesome.

It's great when you can use your skills for something positive. nicely done! Just make sure the people you're picking for know the risks involved, especially if you don't yet feel comfortable disassembling or replacing a lock.

[digital_blue]

It's great when you can use your skills for something positive. nicely done! Just make sure the people you're picking for know the risks involved, especially if you don't yet feel comfortable disassembling or replacing a lock.

And I think that's really the point. I wouldn't exactly state the "don't pick locks you rely on" mantra as a "code" of the locksport community. I consider that more along the lines of helpful advice for the novice.

I mean, *I* pick locks I rely on any time I want. But if I mess up a lock, I'll fix it. I have the knowledge AND the means (tools, money, etc) to fix whatever I might break, so who should tell me I can't pick my house lock? The beginner hobbyist often lacks that knowledge or the means, so we offer them that wise and considerate suggestion... don't pick locks you rely on.

But I do think sometimes people get a little crazy with that, as though that line has become somewhat of a knee-jerk reaction. Good advice, but not necessarily a hard fast rule. Know what I mean?

db

[Chucklz]

My rule is rather simple. If I or others rely on a lock, and they ask me to pick it (or I get locked out) I will only pick it if I can either replace it or fix it within a few minutes of opening the door. Of course in an emergency (someone ill on the other side of the door, trapped child, whatever) I doubt I would do anything but get that door open regardless of whats on it and regardless if it gets screwed up/destroyed.

[UWSDWF]

I have the knowledge AND the means (tools, money, etc) to fix whatever I might break

you know thats what i thought until I used a friends french knife to hack through a bone in a frozen leg of lamb..... I didn't notice that I had broke the blade until a piece of shrapnel hit me in the face.... I had to pay for that in installments.....