Well, I have picked my first lock!!! What an awesome feeling!
I'm taking the Foley-Belsaw locksmithing courses, and I got lessons 11-15 today. Lesson 11 is on disc tumbler locks, and they sent me a lock, a feeler pick, a rake, and a tension wrench. They explained how to take the lock apart, and recommended taking out all but two of the five discs, because they don't expect the student at this stage to be able to pick a lock with all five discs. Well, I thought I would just try it first with all five in before I take the lock apart, and I got it unlocked within 5 minutes.
I then dug out an old lock that used to be on the back door of our house (one with pins instead of discs), and thought I would try it. I had it also picked within 5 minutes. Of course, if it wasn't for this forum, I doubt I would have done so good. There are so many tips that I have learned from people here that the F-B lesson didn't cover about how to pick a lock. So thanks everyone!!!
Now all I need to do is to invest in some other locks, and some different types of picks, and practice, practice, practice. This is fun!!!
Matt
