Picking Problems, Day One

[cyberstryder]

All day yesterday I watched hours of video on diff techniques of picking. So this morning I headed to town and going back and forth, store to store, I found the Black and Decker scissors. No diamond bit so I putty epoxied a ground down hacksaw blade as the needle, let it set. When it was solid I put light pressure on my wrench and let it bounce on the pins. 10 min., nothing. Got my second master pad off my work trailer, same deal. I took a steak knife and ground it down to make a snake rake. Both locks, nothing.
This has been going on for hours and I did exactly as the videos showed. Zero success. I've tried everything but bumpkeys. One step forward, two steps back. Can anyone tell me what to do now?

[Squelchtone]

Can anyone tell me what to do now?

Buy actual lock picks; you're starting off on the wrong foot. Learn on real picks that you can buy for less than $20 online and then after you master that, you can do the home brew MacGuyver stuff.

Also, if you are starting out, learn how a lock actually works, its amazing how many people think just jamming something in a lock and or lifting all the pins up all the way is going to open it. (Not saying this is what you think, but a lot of new pickers think this way)

Another thing beginners do is too much pressure/rotational force on the plug. if you're bending your tension wrench, or if your fingers are turning white holding the wrench, then you are applying too much torque. Even if you think you're using light tension, try even less. Use the same tension/torque you would to turn a real key in the locks you are trying on.

keep trying, you'll get there!

Squelchtone

[chaos4zap]

I would have to agree. I just got into locksport a few short months ago and you can not believe how much of a difference it makes learning the lock and how to pick manually. Since you watch all of those videos, I would assume that your interested in the sport and the challenge, not just simply opening the lock. I got a pick gun early on and had one heck of a time getting it to open anything. After time and practice with manual lockpicks, I can open most locks with the pick gun (although I rarely do, because there is not much of a challenge to that). Like most rewarding hobbies, there are no short-cuts. You have to put the time in to be good at it (which I'm nowhere near yet). If you have 80-90$ I would highly recommend the "you tube" practice kit from lockpickersmall.com. You get a set of picks, 6 practice locks (two of them cut-away) and a stand. That is just about all you need to get you on your way. If you don't have the cash, get a cheap set of lockpicks and pick up some cheap padlocks somewhere. You can also practice on the locks in your house (I would suggest starting on interior doors you may have with locks, as these tend to be easier than the ones to your front and back door, which are usually designed for security and harder to pick) Enough rambling now, I just thought I would throw in my 2 cents, as someone that was where you are not too long ago.

[cyberstryder]

for the feed back. The kit sounds interesting. I will def. check into that. The cutaways sounds nice. I can't spare the cash right now so I'll look into a pick set for the time being.

[Unsightly Picks]

Alternatively, use a printout like http://media.photobucket.com/image/lockpick%20templates/Romstar/lockpicks/ProgressiveTemplate.png on hacksaw blades. Technique is much much more important that tools, but i agree, early on good tools are vital, with those templates and some work you can have good tools.

[raimundo]

two things hold back a beginner, one is too much force on pick and tensor.

the other is over intellectualizing the process, don't try to make the world fit your personal physics concept, let it teach you how it works. Preconcieved notions of what is happening are not going to help, like the one squechtone mentions that you are simply trying to make the pins 'stay up'. You can make pins stay up with a lot of force but it won't open the lock.

locks do not respond well to force, oh perhaps there are a few that will but that will send you off in the wrong direction.
its sensitivity that you need. its more like persuasion .
DROP YOUR TENSION AND START OVER EVERY TWO MINUTES AND TRY LIGHT TENSION AND LIGHT PICKING, WITH SENSITIVITY. MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PIN, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SEQUENCE THEY WILL HANG ON THE SHEAR AND INSISTING ON MAKING A PIN "STAY UP" IS NOT GOING TO HELP

DROP YOUR TENSION, RAP THE LOCK ON THE TABLE TO RESET THE PINS IF NECESSARY AND RESTART EVERY TWO MINUTES.

When you do have your first success, relock that lock right away and do it again, it will probably come along very quickly.

It is impossible to explain in words what we do, there is a muscle memory involved in the learning process that there are no words for.

[cyberstryder]

Thanks a bunch for the templates. I understand now about what you are saying about finesse. I had made a makeshift half diamond pick from a steak knife, just to have something, and a torsion from tweezers. I was at the comp just now playing Eve, raking idly, I had the lightest pull and barely any tension and it popped? Sweet mother of god! I looked at that lock in my lap like it was The Pulp Fiction briefcase. A golden light glowed from the lock to my face. Rake rake rake, nothing yet. It was when I wasn't forcing it with brawn or brain that it let go. After a break I'm going to try it again.
Also I did find some cut aways online at a fair price. I think it would help if I can see what I'm doing then work my way up to doing it in the blind. Now I'm antsy waiting for it to come. More study time I guess.
Thanks for being helpful everyone. It's hard to find people who are helpful and patient with beginners in any area of sport/work/life.

[apaplayer]

Don't want to appear silly, but did you use a tension wrench?

[pinfox]

Don't want to appear silly, but did you use a tension wrench?

Best comment ever

[Shaun1987]

Its already been said, but light tension is the key, you want the minimum possible. As a recent newby I can say that was my biggest first hiccup.

You want the tension to be just holding the lock mechanism against the pins, no harder and no lighter. The hard part is diffrent locks require different tension, but experimentation is the key!

[weilawei]

I agree with the light tension. I found that it's easier to open locks if you barely touch the tension wrench (try *not* to touch it practically) and massage (very lightly) each pin into place. If more than one is binding, try getting even lighter on your tension. It seems to be the number one thing that's skimmed over in tutorials is just *how* light you need to go.

I've seen a decent recommendation of 0.25oz as super light to 1oz as the absolute maximum, with 0.5oz as the usual tension. For padlocks, you can apply a bit more to turn the plug after the pins set.

[UEDan]

Just a thought:
B&D scissors: - About $20
Gas to get the thing: $3 to go 30miles if you can go 30MPG or $1.25 for the bus.
A grind down steak knife - A dollar.
Total: about $22.50, give or take.

Going to Southord.com and buying actual set of picks picks(individually): Less than $20

I'm not just posting just to be an ass towards you. Really. But for future reference to anyone wanting to try out lock picking.

[af_newbie]

Remember locks are very sensitive to lifting pins and tension.

One thing I've learned, that it pays to just play with your pick. Feel around the key hole. Feel the pins by moving them up the down very slowly. After a while you will be able to recognize each pin from the feedback it gives through your pick and wrench. Some move easily, some give you that "scratchy" feeling, some will bind, some will be blocked.

Don't worry about actually opening the lock, concentrate on the pins, how they bind, how to set, re-set pins. The slower you work and the lighter force you use the better.

When you apply too much pressure to your wrench or pick, all that feedback is lost (or transferred to the plug).

Have fun actually lifting pins and setting them. Don't rush to "open" the lock. The speed will come with years of practice (I'm told). SPP is the way to go. Racking works on simple locks, on locks with many security pins it actually slows you down, I think. I have never been able open lock with security pins by raking it.

Learn SPP.

Sometimes a slight touch on the pin that is very close or on the shear line opens the lock.