How To Begin?

[Ruff_Dog]

Hey everyone. So I've lurked for...about a week. And I ordered a few picks from SouthOrd after reading threads about them on here and it really was a toss up between Raimundo's Bogota's and about the $8 (Including shipping) I spent at SouthOrd. Since I'm new to this, I went with SouthOrd, although Raimundo's will probably be bought if I enjoy locksport. Anyway, I bought a tension wrench, a diamond, a short hook, and a c-rake. Is there anything else I should've bought? What about the ball pick? And what do the differences in rakes do? And this sort of leads into the title of the thread, is there a certain way to start lock picking once you have your tools? Is there a lock most people start off with, eg, a padlock, a wafer lock, etc? I know most people get locks and take out most of the pins, except the last one, but do most people buy standalone practice locks? Or what? Sorry for all the questions and thanks!

[GWiens2001]

Best advice I can give on picking itself, is to read Solomon's guide, found here:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jacqueline.goff/sollybook/Lockpicking%20Detail%20Overkill.pdf

He is a member here! His guide is very well written, very informative, and perhaps a little colorful on the language. However, as he says in the guide, if you don't use that language a little now, you will if you take up this hobby!

Password is evva3ks

Gordon

[Ruff_Dog]

Best advice I can give on picking itself, is to read Solomon's guide, found here:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jacqueline.goff/sollybook/Lockpicking%20Detail%20Overkill.pdf

He is a member here! His guide is very well written, very informative, and perhaps a little colorful on the language. However, as he says in the guide, if you don't use that language a little now, you will if you take up this hobby!

Password is evva3ks

Gordon

I actually have that downloaded. I forgot about it, but thanks! I'll read in thoroughly for sure. Thanks for the quick reply, as well. My picks should come Friday or Saturday.

[daniel22747]

Put a very short bend on the other end of your tension wrench so it looks like a "Z". But make sure it is very short like no more than a few mm. You can use this short end for top of the key way tension. Top of the key way often helps one avoid the perils of over setting pins. However you should also learn bottom of the key way tension methods too.

[spoonzor]

Another good start is the videos made by SchuylerTowne. I'm pretty sure he is a member here and his passion about locks just drips off those videos. Love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVSL0lii ... 3FBFDA27DE

And I advise you to take some locks apart and put them back together. After watching all those video's it's a must to see with your own eyes how it works. Having this understanding makes it that much easier to pick that lock. If you still don't succeed, take out some of the pins or reorder them with the longest pins in the back of the lock. You can then make it harder for yourself when you are ready.

[MrAnybody]

As well as Solomon's guide recommended by Gordon, I highly recommend 'Practical Lock Picking, Second Edition: A Physical Penetration Tester's Training Guide' by Deviant Ollam, if you wanna buy a book. That certainly covers all the bases in well explained chapters with no shortage of diagrams and pics, as well as great progressive exercises to help you build your skill set.

Make sure you get the 2012 edition and not the 2010 edition.

[GWiens2001]

+1 on that recommendation, MrAnybody.

If somebody wants a quick guide, Soloman's guide will tell what they need for pin tumbler locks. (He also has other guides for other lock types).

But for a book, either as a paperback book or as an e-book, PLP is out of this world. It explains how many types of locks work, with numerous pictures and computer drawings to add to the descriptions and instructions.

The second edition is a remake of the first edition, with color drawings and more information. The second edition is a better idea.

PLP also has an excellent section on how the Kwikset SmartKey system works.

Deviant Ollam's newest book, Keys to the Kingdom, is an excellent way of learning more advanced techniques of key based attacks.

Gordon

[Ruff_Dog]

Another good start is the videos made by SchuylerTowne. I'm pretty sure he is a member here and his passion about locks just drips off those videos. Love it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVSL0lii ... 3FBFDA27DE

And I advise you to take some locks apart and put them back together. After watching all those video's it's a must to see with your own eyes how it works. Having this understanding makes it that much easier to pick that lock. If you still don't succeed, take out some of the pins or reorder them with the longest pins in the back of the lock. You can then make it harder for yourself when you are ready.

Okay, thanks for the link! I'll watch 'em. And secondly, is there a certain type of lock you can take apart? Like, could you take apart a Master Lock padlock kind of thing? If not, what locks can you take apart and where can you get them?

[spoonzor]

You can take any lock apart with the right tools, putting them back together is another story...

Just get a cheap deadbolt from the local hardware store, one of the videos (number 5) in the playlist from Schuyler Towne will explain how to take them apart. - the type of lock you put in a door, not a padlock.

If you are interested in the history behind locks and such I advice you to check all his videos on his channel.

[Ruff_Dog]

You can take any lock apart with the right tools, putting them back together is another story...

Just get a cheap deadbolt from the local hardware store, one of the videos (number 5) in the playlist from Schuyler Towne will explain how to take them apart. - the type of lock you put in a door, not a padlock.

If you are interested in the history behind locks and such I advice you to check all his videos on his channel.

Alright, thanks! Any place online that's a reputable dealer? Would like..Home Depot or Lowe's work?

[GWiens2001]

You can pick up a cheap deadbolt at Home Depot or Lowes - just be sure you do not get a SmartKey lock. You can recognize them by the extra rectangular hole next to the keyway. Those are not pin tumbler locks.

Gordon

[YouLuckyFox]

What about the ball pick?

Ball picks are good for wafer locks.

And what do the differences in rakes do?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GQbCjo0Zdg

And this sort of leads into the title of the thread, is there a certain way to start lock picking once you have your tools?

Just my admittedly rookie opinion from my own experience:
Give yourself success as soon as possible (take out all pins but one or two, pick it and add pins.)
1/2in tubing or a rolled up paper works good for a follower. Oh and try to learn Top of the Keyway tension as early on as possible.
Once you start to get confident, begin a steady learning curve. Challenge yourself and don't get cocky. I didn't really get into lock picking as a beloved hobby until I got my first security pins. The feedback, back and forth of getting a Bump Halt pin to finally set in a high-tolerance lock, the negotiation of counter-rotating to set a security pin are the joys that come with Locksport that are left undiscovered without challenging yourself. Just don't get anything way too hard for you!

And this sort of leads into the title of the thread, is there a certain way to start lock picking once you have your tools? Is there a lock most people start off with, eg, a padlock, a wafer lock, etc? I know most people get locks and take out most of the pins, except the last one, but do most people buy standalone practice locks?

As far as a good beginner lock goes, I favor just about any kwikset, they're almost competitively cheap and easy to pick and they have very easy warding. When I teach someone to pick a lock that has lots of warding, they often end up jamming whatever pick I let them use in the warding and leverage my pick to think it will free it up or that the pins are tight. This can result in a bent pick. I've never had someone do this with a Kwikset, though, as they are so easy to navigate a pick around in. Also, Kwiksets have a spring cap that can be easily removed if you don't want to bother with adding/removing pins using the follower method.

These answers are just my opinions and may change as I gain more experience, best of luck, and please post in this Forum Thread what course you end up taking and what works for you!

[Ruff_Dog]

And this sort of leads into the title of the thread, is there a certain way to start lock picking once you have your tools? Is there a lock most people start off with, eg, a padlock, a wafer lock, etc? I know most people get locks and take out most of the pins, except the last one, but do most people buy standalone practice locks?

As far as a good beginner lock goes, I favor just about any kwikset, they're almost competitively cheap and easy to pick and they have very easy warding. When I teach someone to pick a lock that has lots of warding, they often end up jamming whatever pick I let them use in the warding and leverage my pick to think it will free it up or that the pins are tight. This can result in a bent pick. I've never had someone do this with a Kwikset, though, as they are so easy to navigate a pick around in. Also, Kwiksets have a spring cap that can be easily removed if you don't want to bother with adding/removing pins using the follower method.

These answers are just my opinions and may change as I gain more experience, best of luck, and please post in this Forum Thread what course you end up taking and what works for you!

Thank you for the long reply! I, obviously, cut it down so it wasn't a massive wall of text. That answered a lot. I was posting a link from Lowe's but then I realized it was the wrong one. And now their site is down for maintenance.

[Ruff_Dog]

Would this work?
http://www.lowes.com/pd_61318-350-660+3+CP_4294654462__?productId=4718333&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1

[YouLuckyFox]

That would work fine. Keep us updated!