Hope this is not stupid questions

[charle]

Hi, I started lockpicking 2weeks ago and try to open all the locks of my house. There is two problem that usually happening to me that making me frustrated.

1- It feel like all the pins are set but the lock still won't turn.

2-No matter how hard i push up, the pin won't set and go back down with
that spring force.
Is it because i don't put enough force in the tension winch? or i put too much force?

Sorry for the faults, my English is not perfect but I'm practicing
By the way this forum is awesome.

[Afisch]

Might as well be the first one to point this out, I would advise against picking locks which are in use i.e your house, as the failure of these locks that you need to secure your home may be unhelpful.

It would be better to find some locks which are not connected to anything and practice on those. You will also have the advantage of being able to start on less pins and work up to a better understanding of the lock.

1. If the lock rotates 10degrees then you have encountered security pins which may need further lifting before the lock opens.

2. This will be because you have too much force on the tool, or the pin is already set. Good luck.

[poor paperclip picker]

I agree with Afisch, never pick locks that are in use. That is rule #1. I would start off on a Master Lock #3 or #1. They are simple and will help you get the feeling of set pins.

[LeeNo]

2-No matter how hard i push up, the pin won't set and go back down with that spring force.

Do you mean that the pin won't set and, instead, it goes back down with spring force?

If so, that probably means that the pin you are working on is not the binding pin. Only 1 pin out of all the unset pins can be the next pin to pick.

Try feeling around with tension applied for the pin that feels stuck.

The answer to your tension question is that you are almost never applying too little tension.

Try putting a tiny amount of tension and feeling the pins. One of the pins will be a little "scratchy" feeling and all the rest will smoothly raise and lower as your pick touches them.

The scratchy pin is the only one that will set. A rake hides all this from you. If you rake a few times and then try to SPP the remaining pins it is very possible that some pins have been improperly set and they will need to be released before the lock can open.

And welcome to Lockpicking101!

[charle]

HAAA OK! That mean you cannot set the pins in the order that you want. It has to be each time the pin that offer the most resistance.
I guess that was one thing I didn't understood from the forum manual.
Thanks a lot for the tip, i guess i'll just go and practice right now.

[raimundo]

many noobs think its all about pushing up the pins, look at your key, does it have some deep cuts? if you push pins in these areas up more than a little you are not going to open the lock, yes, generally you do push pins up, but pushing them up too far and using pressure on the tensor to keep them there is counter productive. You are pushing bottom pins up into the top of the cylinder and these will be bound by pressure. You need to rethink some of your assumptions about what it is you think you are doing. Stop picking, and think it through, if you push any pin higher than it needs to go, you are not going to succeed. If you use heavy pressure, you are not going to get it. lighten up. don't try to keep the pins up, let them fall and be happy to start over, if its not opening, you have too much pressure and your trying to hold pins up by too much force.

[Kayvon]

Another possibility, of course, is that your lock may have some security pins in it. This would exhibit the same problem as described in the last past. Security pins, instead of being tiny cylinders, look more like this: ][

Yet another reason to start on some simple padlocks.

[brandonlee79]

If there is security pins in the lock is it easier to rake the lock or SPP the lock?

[cool-arrow]

If there is security pins in the lock is it easier to rake the lock or SPP the lock?

I have never had much luck raking a lock with security pins. I have a 100% higher success rate SPP the false sets, or using a long rake and rocking it in and out. I have raked locks with security pins but the biting is all usually around the same depth. Locks with biting that is varied high and low seem to be much more difficult to rake open.

[Kayvon]

If there is security pins in the lock is it easier to rake the lock or SPP the lock?

It's better to start with an easier lock.

Seriously, security pins are pretty tough. Get good at picking locks without security pins. When it becomes too easy, try adding a single security pins. You'll probably want to SPP it.

[poor paperclip picker]

If there is security pins in the lock is it easier to rake the lock or SPP the lock?

It's better to start with an easier lock.

Seriously, security pins are pretty tough. Get good at picking locks without security pins. When it becomes too easy, try adding a single security pins. You'll probably want to SPP it.

I agree, security pins can cause some problems if you are just starting out, I have a lock with security pins in it that I still can not pick, but I have a Schlage deadbolt, that also has some spool pins it it.

What I did for the deadbolt is, take out all the pins but 1 and once you can pick that put another pin in and so on until all the pins are in. I have only picked all the pins once, but I am still working on getting it down.

Also if you work one pin at a time, you can get the feeling for security pins. So I think I might start with one pin again.

But anyways, start with an easier lock to begin with, then work your way up to security pins. You should get the feeling for setting regular pins first.

Good Luck

[thewizardofal]

security pins are suppossed to make it harder,after awile you get to know the locks and the pin feeling. I hold light tension, pick last pin first,as pin sets, I rock or release very lightly just to hold the last pins, move to the next. I pick single pins with a rake.practice makes you better,and youll find your niche.

[dboeren]

Security pins can definately make it a lot harder, particularly when used in a better-made lock with tighter tolerances. I can easily pick a 5-pin Kwikset deadbolt, but a Schlage with just one normal and one spool pin takes considerably more effort.

Stick to normal pins while you're just starting, then you can start to work your way up.