duane dibley wrote:Thanks for the tips on the handles guys, but I was asking WHY
the picks were digging in to my thumb, - am I doing it wrong, or do you really have to push hard to pick a lock.
You do not need to push hard when manipulating the pins.
Take a lock, and use your pick to lift individual pins, but without applying any tension. You will find there is very little force needed, as you only need to overcome the force of the spring.
When you are picking, you will only need very slightly more force to lift a binding pin - if you are having to push a lot harder to move the pins, then you are applying WAY too much tension.
If you're not familiar with digital_blues picking exercise, it is the first Sticky in the Pick-Fu forum. This is one of the best aids for learning to pick locks, I would highly recommend doing it.
If you are picking for a long time using picks without handles, then they can become uncomfortable, and dig in a bit, but this is just because you have been holding the picks for a long time, not due to having to push hard to manipulate the pins.