ARCHIVE 2003-2013 Introduce yourself HERE if you are new. :)

[iforwms]

Hey guys, just started picking, looks like this site will be a great resource!

[homotechniens]

Hey there. I'm a friend who wishes to learn and participate as well as possible. Thank you for maintaining this resource! :-)

[siscoweb]

My name is John I am a retired Stationary engineer. I worked in the jails and prisons in northern California for about 15 years. I did a lot of lock work along with many other duty's. I never did any formal training for locksmithing other than training on the locks in our facility's. I would like to learn the trade so I can start a part time business. (heating and air is just too much physical work at my age) I am here to learn what are the best schools and what are the best tools. I would welcome any advice from you seasoned pros. I will start reading and see where that leads me

Thanks John Sisco

[stagof7]

Newbie from Philly. Very impressed by the wealth of information and the willingness to share. Any Locksport groups near me?

[AndyPointO]

Hello! I'm Andrew, and I just jumped into the world of lockpicking. I'm a first-year Chemical Engineering student at Penn State, and I have my first set of lockpicks and practice locks waiting for me at home, which I'm making a special trip for this weekend. I've been meaning to get into locksport for awhile now, and Schuyler Towne's enthusiasm towards his Kickstarter project pushed me over the ledge. Hope to spend a lot of time here, and update you all on my progress! If there are any other current Penn Staters around, get in touch!

[RaeFlynne]

Greetings! Name's Rae. Just a youngin' from California, "picking" up a new hobby.

I found a vid about picking a while ago, and felt it was just a solid "Lock"-in for a new hobby. It just seemed to be the "key" thing I was missing in my life.

All puns aside, I just bought a SouthOrd kit for a good deal, and I've been fiddling around the house on the locks we have here and there. I've done pretty okay, though I'm having a bit of trouble with these two masterlock No. 1 padlocks. One of 'em I can get by raking, but the other I've only opened by luck. It is my goal to open BOTH of these padlocks with the one pin pick method SOMEDAY! :D

[thor2002]

Hey Guy's just wanted to say Hi.

-thor

[vov35]

Hi.

I'm here out of interest in complex mechanical devices.
I'm a hobbyist bike mechanic and enjoy experimenting with mechanical devices and making things work, even if they shouldn't.

[na_pravda]

Hi guys, I'm Kevin in Oklahoma. Just started picking a month ago. Took me a while to work past those pesky spool pins but I'm getting the handle of things.

Thanks for having me!

[Murph]

Hey!
I'm not exactly new in the sense of joining, just someone who has been away from the forum a while and now I am able to return.
I joined in July 2006 and I have learned a lot from this forum. My advice to newbies, try using the search tool to seek out the knowledge you are looking for. You know the old saying, "seek and you shall find."
Anyway, it's great being back, and I still pick as a hobby and help folks out when they have a legitimate need for my services. For example, the pastor of my church asked me to open the padlocks on three filing cabinets that were pulled from a burnt out neighboring church. I was happy help out. It was that moment that I realize I have been away from this forum. So it took a while for me to remember my login password, but after a few guesses, I'm back.
So again, it's great being here and I will ease myself back in and start sharing my thoughts, advice, and experiences with everyone.
Murph

[Dingern]

Hello eveybody :)
Nice site!!!

[Ashleyw]

Howdy,

Name is Ashley, which could probably have been guessed by my username. I live in Canberra, Australia, and work as a network admin for a crust.

I have had my interest sparked in lockpicking as a hobby by a co-worker, and have been playing around with some simple padlocks with some home made picks while waiting on some proper tools to arrive from the site sponser, 10% discount FTW! Also helps that the Aussie dollar is currently kicking some serious ass.

I had some fun today with my sentry 3 number fire safe, opened it without the combo (forgotten, and wasn't stupid enough to ask here for advice just yet, fortunately/unfortunately the rest of the internet doesn't have the same morality) and have taken some photos and notes to write up into an article, which will be put up this week depending on how busy work is, whilst its cool to me, it will probably be boring to most of you, but hosted space is cheap.

Anyway, Hopefully with some nicer picks and some proper cylinders I will get fully hooked and get to know most of you better. Although after probably 50 hours of reading I already feel like I know some of the more frequent posters.

Cheers

Ash

[Port8T]

Hello World.

Just dropping in to officially say hey. I've been snooping around for a little while now and enjoy the contributions to this forum that I've read thus far. I'm a hobbyist picker in the south eastern US not too far from Southern Specialties. I really got hooked on the idea of picking after reading about locksport competitions in Europe and hearing the competitors talk about practicing anytime they had to wait or on long trips, etc. I've always enjoyed the sort of puzzles you buy at gift shops and never considered the idea that a lock could provide the same element of fun with varying degrees of challenge.

I look forward to learning more from this forum and appreciate all the work of those who have come before me!

Thanks again,
Port8T

[Draxis]

Ahoy all,

Draxis here. Long time lurker, but now more interested in picking. I taught myself how to pick locks a few years ago, but never really got the hang of things beyond raking though I did get pretty good at that. Now, I'm working on my skills especially for picking one pin at a time rather than raking. That said, I also am looking to learn to deal with dimple locks (got a few mul-t locks hanging around) so I'm here to learn from the experts.

Draxis

[BigDaddyD]

Hello out there. I'm a retired Engineer with a whole lot of experience in cellular communications and other similar stuff, mostly for the government and NASA. While on vacation in Maine this summer, I had a heart attack and now the Doctors won't let me do much of anything until things heal up. Had a neighbor that got locked out of her house and it was frustrating not knowing what to do other than call a locksmith. This led to taking up studying locksmithing and picking for something to do and I found it to be totally fascinating. No idea where this might lead but the whole concept is a valuable skill in my estimation.

Located just north of Orlando, Florida, USA in a small town (Wide spot on the interstate as they say). Would enjoy hearing from anybody, especially if you are a neighbor. Interests include rock collecting, geology, camping - both tent and in a motorhome - and stained glass, as well as destroying locks.

Don