picking with only a tension wrench

[findingemo]

It's been a while since my last post. In these last few weeks my picking skill has gotten a lot better, I bought a couple of schlage, kwiksets etc and can pick them with mostly any pick (single pick or the feeler or any rake(s) being the favourite.)

The last day, I bought a couple of those dollar store pin tumblers, all from different manufacturers. I found that you can actually pick them with just a torsion wrench. It's probably just because the tolerances are just big because it's a pretty shoddy lock. They're not hard to pick but then you need a really small torsion wrench and almost all of the time, you need to apply top torsion just to fit the pick. Before I try to pick them, I always rake it first (without torsion), just to loosen the pins, which are normally stuck.

Well that wasn't much, just an interesting tidbit I found out. Just a question, I'm buying a medeco core from a friend and I wanted to know how you would know where to aline the pins to the side bar. I know how to but I don't know where I should align them. I'm not really troubled with anything but that, I can deal with security pins pretty easily (I bought a spare Corbin-Russwin from my university lockshop, which had a serrated and a mushie pin inside, I found that just really light tension could circumvent them; if all else fails, rake it!)

[5thcorps]

Some cheapy locks are so loose you can almost just breathe on them to get them open.

[Dooms_day]

i had a simliar idea about this, kinda you have the tension built into the pick, you attach it to the handle, and turn the pick while SPP-ing at the same time, i have yet to make this tool, but when i get the time ill make a topic

[locfoc]

http://www.athco-locks.co.nz/hpctension.html
HPC makes that tool and I have heard good things about it. It's the third tool down on that list.

[TheSkyer]

Isn't aplying the right amount a presure on your tention wrench "part of the game"?

[awol70]

Isn't aplying the right amount a presure on your tention wrench "part of the game"?

tension is key...equally important,and the more difficult of the two to learn,(pick/tension tool)
is IMHO the tension tool....
beginners always seem to use way too much tension.

[akgreg]

I once had a lock like that. It was a generic lock that only said CHINA on it really big. Go figure.

[beeler]

wow thats a cheap lock!

[Scott_93]

I have done this on cheappy Chinese padlocks, using the"jiggler" technique.

Scott.

[ctark]

I have picked a really crappy lock with only a piece of paper, it was quite funny, who needs a lock that you can get open with paper? (there were only 3 pins, and you just needed to raise them above the shear line)

[Madhatta3]

My opinion in this matter is alot of the time, just there being a lock there will deter alot of people attempting anything with it. Im in the military and alot of times alot of people jump to getting the bolt cutters. This process takes sometimes 30 minutes to an hour just to find the right person to sign them out as opposed to a few minutes of defeating the lock with smaller tools. =) So i suppose to general public that have never read anything on LP or locks its the perfect illusion to keep most people at bay.

[Cuervogrisss]

I bought a chinese padlock that opens without picking,only needs put tension wrench or other thing that can turn it,and is open.

[Lauren]

When I was in 9th grade (I'm 40 yrs old now), my first picking tool invention worked great on those cheap Chineese/ Master laminated copycat padlocks. It was a pick and tension wrench all in one. I called it my scissor pick, and I still use it today. Somewhere, I posted a picture of the pick in this forum. I make them from large bobby pins, placing close, half round groves with a round file on both sides. I twist the metal like some tension wrenches, and bend the instrument outward to give it scissor spingy-ness (is that a word?).