Newer to lock picking. Having trouble.

[andrewbisgnar]

Hey guys. As you can see, I'm a new member. But I've been creeping around the forums for some time. Just kicking around with the interest and want to learn lock picking. I had taken a crash-course in lock picking in my SERE(Survival/Evasion/Resistance/Escape) military training school. But after a brief couple hours of picking around and getting screamed at, we moved on and I hadn't touched the little set I was given. But After a few months of reading around I finally decided to learn it for real. I have my bogota mini entry toolset from serepick now...and am really having some difficulties. I picked up a master lock #140 and #40.

Pretty much, I feel like I have a pretty positive GENERAL understanding of how lock picking works/why it works and what to do. I've given it quite a bit of time over the last few days and have only managed to get the #140 opened once. To my understanding, it has a spool pin in position 3. So currently all I have is the rake and the small half-diamond. Every time I rake it, I can see that stack in the third position is still up. After adjusting my tension a few times the rest of the pins finally pop up, and I'm back right where I started. The half-diamond so far hasn't had much effect on the #40 or #140. I plan on getting a set of full-size lock picks, but videos/reviews/google have made me feel like if I can't do it with the entry toolset, I will never pick a lock ever. haha. Hopefully that is not the case. I've read most of the beginning guides around here. And still haven't had much luck. I feel like this is a pretty invaluable skill to possess, and I would LOVE to have the basics down by my next deployment. But we'll see. I'm gonna keep at it. But maybe someone could give me some advice? That would be very appreciated. Thanks!

-Andrew

[keysman]

Welcome to the site. Try here:


FAQ: LP101 Frequently Asked Questions

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1744

[andrewbisgnar]

Welcome to the site. Try here:


FAQ: LP101 Frequently Asked Questions

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1744

Thanks! Yeah, I've been through it. Seems like the links don't work too well. I appreciate it.

-Andrew

[andrewbisgnar]

I've got the #140 down, now I guess.

[dll932]

try to relax. take your time and experiment with different tension levels and picking different directions (cw vs ccw). if you pick it the wrong direction, a plug spinner will sort that out.

[Kemical]

hey guys, I'm pretty new to picking, started off with a cheap padlock a hair pin and a paperclip but have recently purchased a southord set and the see through practice lock they sell. I'm been able to rake it open a few times but most of the time it looks like all the pins are set but it wont spin open. this also happens when i try to SSP it. has anyone got any ideas about what's happening here?

[GWiens2001]

Are all the pins set at the shear line? Especially with the see through lock, can you see that the driver pins stay at the shear line, and the key pins fall back down (if you are picking with the pins pointing down)?

Gordon

[Kemical]

yes all of the driver pins look like they are at the shear line and key pins fall back down

[GWiens2001]

Are all of the driver pins level with each other? If not, try lifting the lowest one(s). If they are, try lifting them all, as they may not be high enough. Are they spooled or plain driver pins?

Can you take and post a picture?

Gordon

[Kemical]

yeah they are all level with eachother. tried lifting them up a little bit more but doesn't make a difference. they are just plain driver pins. ill post a pic tomorrow at some stage.

ive successfully picked a few other locks but this one just has me stumped and quickly getting frustrated with it lol. I must be doing something wrong, just cant figure out what

[easy-e]

Have you tried picking your practice lock in the other direction? Did it come with a key? Does the key work?

[Kemical]

yeah have tried picking in different orders, doesn't make much of a difference. it did come with a key and works as normal when using the key. ill post pics later today of the key, lock with no key inside, lock with key inside and one of when I have all pins looking set with tension being applied. hopefully u will be able to get a better idea of what I'm talking about after seeing the pics

[Kemical]

ok so good news, I have sort of figured out what was wrong. it has to do with the tension I'm applying. ive successfully picked it a dozen times now by getting the pins set, and then inserting my pick through the centre of the lock and then twisting it. so for some reason the tension wrench wont spin the plug when it is positioned in the bottom of the lock.

any ideas on why this is the case?

[GWiens2001]

Most lockley (get it???), the problem is that the tension wrench is getting pinched between the plug and the side of the cylinder. The leverage is locking the plug in place.

You can try using a different tension wrench or placing it differently. TOK (Top Of Keyway), where the pins are, tension completely eliminates the risk of the tension wrench itself binding between the plug and cylinder.

Good luck!

Gordon

[Kemical]

yeah gonna file down one of my wrenches and try going TOK. we'll see how that goes. thanks for the advice