First day pickin'

[SlowPicker]

Been at this for about 2 hours on a 5 pin (kwikset) lock.

Actually, I've picked it twice!

Would anyone care to join me and maybe give me some pointers, such things?

I'm live streaming now, no ones chatting though so I been quiet

http://www.blogtv.com/people/SubliminalThoughts

[SlowPicker]

6th time! I think i get it now!

rake, then hook - 3 min last session. ;D

[SlowPicker]

Now I actually have a question...

Suppose you locked your keys inside your house and you need a way to get back in.

Because tension wrenches (for unlocking) need to rotate counter-clockwise, how would you do this? Custom tension wrench that points downwards? Otherwise the tension wrench makes contact with the doorway and cant even fully extend.

Or would it be a better idea to shorten a tension wrench?

[Buggs41]

Suppose you locked your keys inside your house and you need a way to get back in.

I would grab the spare key I keep in my wallet, and enter like nothing ever happened.

Because tension wrenches (for unlocking) need to rotate counter-clockwise, how would you do this? Custom tension wrench that points downwards? Otherwise the tension wrench makes contact with the doorway and cant even fully extend.

They do make tension wrenches in all varieties. If you can't find one, make one yourself.
Or, pick it open in the wrong direction, and spin the plug.

[Bob Jim Bob]

Suppose you locked your keys inside your house and you need a way to get back in.

Wait, I know this one...



Call a locksmith!

[JohnnyWalker]

Because tension wrenches (for unlocking) need to rotate counter-clockwise, how would you do this? Custom tension wrench that points downwards? Otherwise the tension wrench makes contact with the doorway and cant even fully extend.

Or would it be a better idea to shorten a tension wrench?

SlowPicker, from my experience most keys need to be turned clockwise to unlock the lock, but there are locks that work in the counterclockwise direction (like the ones on the doors at my house). In either case, when picking the lock tension needs to be applied to the tension wrench in the same direction the key is turned to unlock the lock (obviously).

As Buggs41 has pointed out, there are tension wrenches made in a variety of different shapes to help you with varying circumstances when picking a lock. However, it is also worth noting that just because the tension wrench is pointing down when placed in the keyway, that does not mean tension cannot be applied in a counterclockwise direction. When I practice on the locks at my house (yes, I am the legal owner of them) that need to be turned counterclockwise to unlock them, I use a short tension wrench with a twist (the portion inserted is 1/2 inch and the handle part 3 inches long). I place the tension wrench in the bottom of the keyway with the handle part pointing to the right and down from the keyway (roughly speaking, the 4:00 to 5:00 position) and then apply pressure to the wrench in the counterclockwise direction and have had no problems picking the locks. That hard part (for me) has been finding the right amount of pressure to apply, but no more than what I've had trying to find the correct amount of pressure to apply to the wrench when applying it in the clockwise direction. I'm certainly not trying to discourage you from making or buying tension wrenches to fit your needs, but I'm just saying that pressure can be applied to tension wrenches in either direction and that in some cases, conventional tension wrenches can be used to pick a lock irrespective of the direction pressure needs to be applied to the wrench to pick the lock. Good luck and happy picking!

JW

[amlwchlocksmiths]

Now I actually have a question...

Suppose you locked your keys inside your house and you need a way to get back in.

Because tension wrenches (for unlocking) need to rotate counter-clockwise, how would you do this? Custom tension wrench that points downwards? Otherwise the tension wrench makes contact with the doorway and cant even fully extend.

Or would it be a better idea to shorten a tension wrench?

just shorten the tension wrench,would be easyist and is what i do

some locks open easyer one way or another that is why you get urself a plug spinner.you would also need a screw driver on some some locked doors to tun after you picked it

[raimundo]

our you could take it out of the keyway and rotate it 180 degrees and then reinsert it with the six inch lever sticking out opposite the door frame.
equally you could bend the lever to fit the situation.

of course all of my tensors are quite short, being usualy the other pick in a pair of bogota picks.

I made a micro pair, and these are very effective simply because they are so thin and small that one naturally does not over tension.
that pair, one of the ones I was making while trying to get the topick of palming to catch on here, well that pair is only about two inches long in total, in fact its about as long as a schlage C fivepin blank. the people who need popsicle handles couldn't use them but for me they are very effective. made of sweeper bristle stock. only about a half inch between the twist and the tensor bend, they palm very securely if you slip them under a finger ring

Wheres all the magicians and escapologists who should be on this forum?

[SlowPicker]

Well it seems like the high quality lock on my front door is giving me some trouble.

As ya'll suggested, I've inserting the tension wrench in the bottom of the keyhole and twisting it to the right with slight tension, and I've also used a reverse tension (upward motion) opposite of the way a tension wrench is typically inserted into a lock. Through my trials it seems the latter of the two methods has been giving me a more successful outcome.

Through what I've learned off the internet; Baldwin has made their locks in such a way that if a pin is set too high or too much torque is placed on the tension wrench and the pins stick above the shear line, the entire set needs to be dropped and its time to start over.

So I'm playing by ear for now, so much are my days of the kwikset lock. ://

(down to 12 seconds avg'ing 30) ;D

<3 thanks for all the advice thus far.

[SlowPicker]

Breaking and Entering video

Woo! 3 days in and I'm already performing home invasions on myself. ;D
http://youtu.be/vwoDtZwctUU

[SlowPicker]

Uh sorry about the double post.

My brother and I made this video earlier today,
but never got actually put it up until just now.

http://youtu.be/n6Mcqe9mURs

[too-picky]

I'm just starting out too. One of my first locks I tried used to nearly fly open by itself (no, it wasn't broken). I finally took it apart to see what was up. The pins were all very close to being the same height. Thus, one rake and a quick feel for the sticking pin, then a push with too much tension, then easing off the pressure until it "clicked" and it was open. I think when my time got down to 2-4 seconds and the fact that I wasn't really making great progress with other nearly identical locks, made me strip it down and see what was up.

I immediately repinned it and it was a much tougher lock to pick. So much so, that I had to take it down to two pins as my practice lock. It was strange finding out that a lock with all the pins and is trivial to pick, can be made much more difficult just by ensuring that the shear line is more random even with far fewer pins (until you think about the extreme of all pins being of equal height, then it should be trivial in the extreme to even me).

But they do make great confidence builders, as long as they don't become egotistical distractions.

[krystal6481]

I too had to strip down and rekey to 2 pins to teach myself NOT to just rake and to feel out the pins.. my goal is to single pick up to 5 stacks then introduce a spool pin in a random stack..

[krystal6481]

forgot to add:

we all need that confidence builder for when we get frustrated and feel that it's no use and too hard.. pick that, then two more.. then take on that sonofa* that tried to defeat us!