Aids for the disabled ....

[Magic1]

Does anyone know of a blind lock picker ?. I would also be interested in any lock picker who only has one arm. This is a serious question.

[edit- fixed title for ADA compliance-unlisted]

[geardog32]

I cant say that i know any one armed pickers but, there are plenty of videos around of people picking locks one handed like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emv8BLtlOss

I cant see any reason why a blind person couldn't pick locks. its all about feel. a lot of times when i'm watching t.v. picking locks i never look at the lock.

[Squelchtone]

Does anyone know of a blind lock picker ?. I would also be interested in any lock picker who only has one arm. This is a serious question.

Yes. There is a blind man who comes to TOOOL Boston meetings at the Sprout/Dino hacker space on a regular basis. We have taught him to pick locks, but I think he is still learning conceptual thinking and teaching him self to visualize the relationship from plug to shell, from key pin to driver pin, and how all the parts work together, and how picks work to manipulate the parts in order to open the lock. I believe we use strips of tape on the locks to tell him how many pins each cylinder has.

Schuyler knows his name, it may be Jeff. He is the gentlemen in the white button down shirt at the bottom right of this photo: http://highsecurityconsulting.com/TOOOL/Meetings/toool-boston-jan23-2010-2.jpg

We welcome his presence,
Squelchtone

[raimundo]

Whos the guy in the other white shirt

[amlwchlocksmiths]

is that a school ?

[Squelchtone]

is that a school ?

it ain't no school fool, it's TOOOL.


That was a TOOOL (The Open Organization Of Lockpickers) Boston Chapter meeting held at the Sprout/Dino hacker space (a multi use workshop, where makers, tinkerers, hackers, artists, hackers, pickers, can get together and share ideas, lend each other equipment, give talks, etc)

Feel free to look at a few other pics from that meeting: [url]http://highsecurityconsulting.com/TOOOL/Meetings/[url]

Squelchtone

[amlwchlocksmiths]

looks a very intresting place to be,im sorry to say you dont get anything like that where i am.

[Squelchtone]

looks a very intresting place to be,im sorry to say you dont get anything like that where i am.

Are you sure? Hacker Spaces and Lock Sport meetings happen all the time all over the place. If they're not happening where you are now, it's a good time to start one of your own. I remember when TOOOL meetings were at a guys apartment with 3 people at the meeting trying to pick locks while drinking beer. It all starts somewhere.

Your profile doesn't say where you are from. are you in the US? Which state?

thanks for showing an interest,
Squelchtone,

[Squelchtone]

looks a very intresting place to be,im sorry to say you dont get anything like that where i am.

Enjoy, and if they dont currently host hobby lockpickers, I bet they would like to get involved. A lot of hacker spaces deal with soldering electronics, two way radio, robots, LED's, etc.. but we all share the same hacker spirit, so lock picking meetings are sure to appeal to which ever group you approach about starting one.

http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/United_Kingdom

Squelchtone

[Phatphish]

[Hijack]

Enjoy, and if they dont currently host hobby lockpickers, I bet they would like to get involved. A lot of hacker spaces deal with soldering electronics, two way radio, robots, LED's, etc.. but we all share the same hacker spirit, so lock picking meetings are sure to appeal to which ever group you approach about starting one.

http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/United_Kingdom

Squelchtone

Thanks for that link Squelch. I have found a hackerspace near me, hopefully I'll be able to convert them into new locksport enthusiasts.

[/Hijack]

To the original OP, I am blind in one eye and am considered partially sighted. I don't know if this helps me visualising or not as I always had good visualisation skills before the accident.
I have also picked locks one handed,One of the first "true" one handed Youtube links. although I prefer to use two.

[amlwchlocksmiths]

looks a very intresting place to be,im sorry to say you dont get anything like that where i am.

Enjoy, and if they dont currently host hobby lockpickers, I bet they would like to get involved. A lot of hacker spaces deal with soldering electronics, two way radio, robots, LED's, etc.. but we all share the same hacker spirit, so lock picking meetings are sure to appeal to which ever group you approach about starting one.

http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/United_Kingdom

Squelchtone

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=a ... CAgQ8gEwAA

i would only be able to make the one in manchester,witch is 120 miles from my house.two and a half hour drive.im really gutted really

[Squelchtone]

i would only be able to make the one in manchester,witch is 120 miles from my house.two and a half hour drive.im really gutted really

I can understand that.. my meeting in Boston is 1.5 hours from my house, and that's a pain in the arse. I only go once a month so it's not that terrible.

Cheers,
Squelchtone

[amlwchlocksmiths]

its just to far for me to travel really.i sould make the effort.
the only other thing i can do is make my own up im sure they must be someone around here or some poeple that would come.

[Rickthepick]

id imagine a blind picker would be very good due to the extra sensitive hands.

Have you ever tried reading braille? i cant tell one set of bumps from another.

[Schuyler]

Our blind picker is progressing very slowly & yes, his name is Jeff. He's a great guy & actually was teaching the newbies at our meeting 2 months ago. He got there early & I was still setting up when a bunch of people wandered in, he had people opening locks in no time. Great guy.

My cousin Mark only has use of one of his arms. Barry Wels, when I mentioned this, gave me a set of lockpicks attached to a tension wrench with an adjustable weight on it so that he could just set it in the lock, set the weight to his desired tension, then pick with his good hand.