ARCHIVE 2003-2013 Introduce yourself HERE if you are new. :)

[proscanone]

hi I just joined some I'm introducing myself like it says to. I'm not a locksmith but i find picking locks a lot of fun. Have been doing it for a couple months.

[streetphantom]

Im Andy, i have quite an amount of spare time in the week and i am interested in learning lock picking with the idea of starting a business, 24 call out for people who have lost keys and also assisting bailiffs.
I drive a taxi weekends, the amount of drunk people who have lost their keys is quite amusing and opportune.

[josh0094]

welcome all!

[delocking]

Greetings, I work in traditional hardware so cutting keys and selling locks is my bread and butter of daily life. I started picking about three months ago, getting my first lock pick set (15 pc C1510) from lockpickshop.com after reading about them here. As others here have found, their service is excellent and I was amazed to receive them within a week.

After reading various posts here my successes so far have been with the Abus 60/30, 60/40, 60/50, 85/40, 24/50 and occasional success with the Abus No. 41. I also enjoy picking the Sterling 5 and 6 pin nightlatch cylinders. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the knowledge on this site (so thank you everyone) and certainly wouldn't have started with Abus padlocks had it not been for the fact I have easy access to getting the locks at staff discount

[jeremy2]

Hi,
I've just always found locks interesting but never really pursued it, thought this hobby might be a good idea.

[RedPhnx]

Hi all, my name is Jason, just ordered my first set of picks from your sponsor, lockpickstore.com.

I got interested in locks after I took apart a few desk drawer locks at work when I had some time to kill. Look forward to trying to contribute useful material.

Jason I.

[Menzi]

yo everyone, my interest in locks started very innocently. When i was bored in school, i started to "play" with a lock in school that is near my table. (it was opened lock so nothing to worry ) Then i imagined that it may be a good hobby so i ordered my first lock pick set, it is supposed to arrive here tommorow

[buffaloninja]

I have desided to pursue a new hobby, and this site seems like it will be pretty helpful in getting me started.

[BadMongoMan]

hi I´m totaly new here. but it looks like I can get all the info I need here.. Thanks in advance... looking forward to check out more..

[Diphoration]

Hello LP101!

I'm new to the Art of Lock Picking and I've got interested in it just recently. I've found some video and tutorial, grabbed a old padlock and opened it with some paper clips after about 15 mins of practice. I've read alot of tutorials on this site and found most of them really interesting!

After reading alot, I've realised that the more I read the more I was interested in lock picking. I decided to order a lock pick set in a near future (perhaps next week). After looking through many sites I've found something that could be rather interesting for a starter like me...

"Make your own package" with individual pick from lockpickshop. I'd like some information about what would be a decent set, I know they're selling some pre-made set but I've read at some places that alot of tools are least used or least popular, I'd like to know what would be a good preset of about 4-5~ picks with perhaps 2 tension wrench. and should I go for slim cut or standards? perhaps a little of both? I'd like a little "Package" that I could make myself on lockpickshop (It will be cheaper then their pre-made package since I won't order their leather case).

I was also planing to change my house front-door's lock. Instead of throwing away the old one, I'll follow db's begginer guide and I'll repin the door-lock =).

-recap: I want some advices for a nice begginer's kit (don't want to pay too much and don't want too much extra tools)
-any other advices about buying somdthing really useful for a begginer would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for reading (...and sorry for the big post!)

[Lockmaster25]

Hey everyone... i'm new

im from austrailia

thanks for all this great info

[Aponi]

296 pages. That's a lot.

Hello...

I like it here. It's nice. I can't believe there are so many people... It's a big place.

I don't exactly pick. I mean, I'm trying, but I'm relatively unsuccessful. I read an article on HowStuffWorks.com, and tried it. And it's not exactly working. I feel like a total idiot. The concept is so simple, and yet I'd never imagine it to be so difficult. My problem is that I can't exactly tell where the pins are... I can't find the pins. I know approximately where they are, because I can see one of them. But I'll think that they're all picked, and the plug won't move. I'll slowly release the tension, hearing the pins click back into the unpicked position, and I'll count all but one. WHAT ONE DID I POSSIBLY MISS?!?!?! None, I must have gotten them all. There are only 4 little places on the key, where the pins must line up. *shrug* I can't seem to get it just yet.

I will get it, though. Eventually. *determined glare at lock.* Maybe by the end of the night.

I'm not entirely sure why I'm interested in this. Contrary to what I wrote in my Job Description, I'm not a spy. I'm not a lock smith, nor do I intend to become one. I don't care about this skill because I'm a criminal or because I want to know the secrets hidden behind safes or something. I don't want the security of knowing that I can go anywhere or do anything, though it might be plausible to wonder... WHY do I care?

I haven't a clue. There's something intriguing in it, though. When I accomplish the opening of this lock, I'll let you know the answer. Do we have a thread for that question? Why we want to know how to pick?

Well, uh... XD Thank you for being here. You all astound me.
~Beff

[otit1262]

hi to everyone in the craft not very good with pc but will try to use any way

[stanchfi]

Hello, not new to the site, but this is my first post. I have been interested in locks for a long time, I own a pick set, but have not had much time to practice with it.

I have a couple questions I'm hoping somebody can answer.

1. what keeps bottom pins from falling out? (at least to the bottom of the keyway) Are they tapered?

2. Why don't locks generally fail? It seems to me like the bottom pins and to a lesser degree the key would wear quite a bit, meaning that the pins would no longer be lifted to the shear line. Now I have seen old well used locks that you need to pull the key out slightly to get to work, which I assume lifts the pins more, because they are on the slant vs. the bottom of the valley. But I have also seen old (cheap) locks that could be opened with a "butter knife"

3. Those of you who are professionals and have work vans, do you increase the security of you vans in any way? It seems silly to me for a professional locksmith to trust the safety of thousands of dollars of tools to a standard automotive lock.

Thanks
-James

[Nizer10]

I'm new and i know just about nothing and so i really need some help gettin started if anybody has a good idea on what to start with and stuff i can use at home to start picking easy locks please let me know. great site