A couple thoughts on picking for new pickers

[ridinplugspinnaz]

So I had posted in a thread the other day that after getting into this hobby for a few months now, I had just a couple days ago picked my first lock with spool pins. While that really was a great feeling and brought a sense of accomplishment with it, I've since realized a few things about my approach to the hobby and how maybe I could've made things easier on myself. I figured I'd share them here with LP101, especially for more novice pickers that haven't gotten too far yet, since I think it could be useful for some of you guys.

Looking back, I think the biggest misstep I've made that hindered my progress in picking was actually not trying a lock with security pins sooner. That might sound counterintuitive since these locks are supposed to be harder to open, but in reality, my little brass Brinks padlock with a few spools in it has probably taught me more about "feeling" what the lock is doing than any of the dozen Master #3s or Kwiksets that I've gone through, and that extra feedback has been invaluable. In fact, sticking with "looser" locks like the Masters probably slowed my progression, because their poor tolerances mean there's only so much you can feel your picks and the tension wrench doing when you're opening it.

All the reading I've done on LP101 had me thinking that locks with security pins were too far out of reach for someone at my skill level. Now I think that's very much the wrong mindset to have. In fact, after opening the Brinks, I was able to go back and open a pair of really stubborn older Masters (a #1 and a #5) that I hadn't been able to open in months, in no small part due to what I learned from picking open a lock with such greatly improved feedback. It's difficult to describe, but picking a lock with spools really teaches you to pick up on movements in the tension wrench that will probably go unnoticed by newer pickers working on cheaper / lower-quality locks. The nice thing is, the skills you pick up from a lock with spools lends itself to all kinds of locks. They say half the art of picking is in the tension wrench, and it's something I didn't understand until I worked on this lock.

Remember not to get discouraged if you can't open the lock quickly. When I first got my padlock with spools, it was easy to get frustrated because I kept false setting the lock, but couldn't get it to turn fully. I ended up putting it down out of frustration for a couple weeks and went back to some easier locks. When I came back to it, after having read on LP101 about how to pick spools, not only did I have the lock opened within 5 minutes, but I actually understood exactly what my pick was doing to the pins as I opened it. That little padlock has since become my favorite of my small collection for all those reasons.

So the moral of the story, especially if you've been picking for awhile but don't feel like you're improving, is to give a try to a lock that you might think is above your skill level. I'm pretty sure that if I had made the leap to a lock with security pins earlier, I wouldn't have languished as long as I did... I had actually put picking aside for awhile cause I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere, but this lock kinda turned things around, which was a great feeling. I can't guarantee that anyone else will have quite the same experience, but picking spools was kind of a turning point for me, and I think that's true for a lot of other members here too. So give it a try, you might just surprise yourself!

[ridinplugspinnaz]

Whoops, all that typing and I totally forgot to link to the post that helped me master spool pins. All credit due to ie.nutzman for his excellent advice in this thread. Seriously, I had the lock open within five minutes of reading that post.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=43207

[raimundo]

When you pick a lock that was difficult, snap it shut right away and do it again, it should not take long the second time when you have just done it, because something ineffable has happened in the fingers and they can repeat it better if its repeated right away. That my experience.

[prag]

What I find helpful is when I can't pick a lock my stress levels go up. I'll stop like Rai suggested and just gather my thoughts or take a deep breath and visualise the lock opening.

Works for me.

[cppdungeon]

Thanks for the post! i wholeheartedly agree! The real trick is to find a lock with spools that you can pick. i remember my first, a brinks, i totally thought was impossible, and still haven't picked, because it has a tricky bitting. It really threw me off my game. after that though, i got a ML751 (i think) and i picked it no-problem, which really helped confidence-wise. So when you pick spools, make sure you get an easy one.

--Cpp

[MacGnG1]

i think the thing that helped me the most was finding a padlock with spools that i COULD pick. i got my master 140, and after a few days i picked it. i saw a youtube video about picking spool pins and that really helped too. however, my first lock with spools was a brinks shrouded.. which was over my skill level at the time, but i MIGHT be able to pick it now... although i havent tried yet.. so we shall see

great post... and i agree with your comments about trying spool pins earlier.