Got my Southord set today ....

[wifiuk]

These are the only two locks i have to play with,

the orange one is a cheap padlock, no names on it or the key, i raked it once and it opened.

the one on the left, i had to use the hook to get it open, took a while.

i noticed that once i managed to get it unlocked i turned it 190 degress and got it stuck upside down and had to lift all the pins again to get it back round, i couldnt rake it once it was reset, had to hook it again.


any tips? any idea who the orange one is made by, feel like there is just one pin that i need to lift, like the others a fake or something? i might be totally wrong as today is my first try.

[unlisted]

But I can and will, once you upload a smaller photo..

[wifiuk]

ok, here you go

LOCKS.jpg

[Olson Burry]

There is a preview button to check out things will look that is quite useful.
If you use a site like photobucket you can upload them there and have it
resize them for you, then link them to your post with the IMG tags.

Anyhow, good getting them open. The reason the lock on the left sticks at 180degrees is because there's
a space at the bottom of the cylinder that would usually be filled with the key, where the driver pins just
enter and stop the rotation. All you need to do is put a pick in the wrong way up and push them all up at
the time time to continue turning.

The padlock might just have a really easy key bitting or just be a bit sloppy and cheap with high tolerances.

Abus do some fun padlocks to pick that are quite cheap in the UK.

[wifiuk]

I'm going to try get some more locks and keep trying

[wifiuk]

oh yeah whats the ball pick used for?

[Olson Burry]

I would generally think of the ball as a rake for wafer locks.

The full ball pick can be used either way up so on double sided wafer locks, and with the right tension tool, you can rake the top and bottom without having to take the pick out and turn it over.

[wifiuk]

i thought it was to rake with, just wanted to check.


cheers

[wifiuk]

just paid £2 for a abus 85C/30 on ebay.

says it has mushroom pins, any tips?

can find much about the lock itself.

[freakparade3]

The lock on the left is a Yale keyway. Good locks to practice with. The padlock looks to be just another generic M1 keyway. One thing to watch for picking that lock is the rivets that stick out of the bottom. Many times you will have it picked and the tension wrench is hung up on one of those so it won't turn.

[unlocke]

What set did you get from southord? I have the 14 piece set and that's more then enough picks for me (for now). I started with even simpler locks. Once I learned how I took apart a basic pin tumbler lock and made it a 1 pin then 2 and then 3. Digital_blue has the best guide to learning. Beginner's Lockpicking Exercise - by digital_blue

[wifiuk]

... Many times you will have it picked and the tension wrench is hung up on one of those so it won't turn.

i have noticed that once or twice, that ive done what i did before and it still would open untill i moved the tension wrench by accident.

What set did you get from southord?

ive got only a 4 pick and 1 tension tool. Southord c 500. when i get better maybe buy another set, these will do for a while tho.

[wifiuk]

I've done a video if anyones interested, maybe can give me some pointers based on my performance. Remember ive had the picks since yesterday, so tell me your thoughts....

http://s206.photobucket.com/albums/bb92/christophernroberts/?action=view&current=lock1.flv

Any help is appreciated

[TheSkyer]

Looking good You may want to try putting your locks in a bench vise to make it a little more difficult / realistic.

[wifiuk]

yeah i havnt got one, gunna try find something to hold it for me tho.