Tension Exercises

[Ruff_Dog]

I prefer picking in hand, I don't own a vice. I use my left hand for holding the lock and tensioning. I hold the lock in my left hand, with my thumb on the lower left part of it (it's a deadbolt) index finger on top (it's slightly to the right as the thing that protrudes from the back prohibits my finger from getting directly on top), and my ring and pinky fingers supporting the lower right corner. My left middle finger applies very light tension. And my tension is bottom of the keyway. I've also done top this way as well. It works, just the placement of the middle finger changes.

Out of curiosity, what brand of deadbolt are you picking? I've had trouble picking deadbolts clockwise with bottom tension, since it seems to take up more room in the keyway.

I have a Kwikset and a Kwikset knock-off I got on Ebay. Do you want pictures of how I pick in hand?

[xylac]

I prefer picking in hand, I don't own a vice. I use my left hand for holding the lock and tensioning. I hold the lock in my left hand, with my thumb on the lower left part of it (it's a deadbolt) index finger on top (it's slightly to the right as the thing that protrudes from the back prohibits my finger from getting directly on top), and my ring and pinky fingers supporting the lower right corner. My left middle finger applies very light tension. And my tension is bottom of the keyway. I've also done top this way as well. It works, just the placement of the middle finger changes.

Out of curiosity, what brand of deadbolt are you picking? I've had trouble picking deadbolts clockwise with bottom tension, since it seems to take up more room in the keyway.

I have a Kwikset and a Kwikset knock-off I got on Ebay. Do you want pictures of how I pick in hand?

That's alright, your post explained it well. I'm going to have to try that method with the Kwikset keyway. If I'm imagining it right, the middle finger wouldn't be physically able to exert a large amount of tension on the wrench (versus how much could be applied if the lock were in a vise).

To others following the thread, I've had a lot of luck with moving my finger up the tension wrench to be closer to the lock. It feels like I'm able to set pins more reliably, and adjust tension just enough to see if I'm on the binding pin. This is a great method for anyone worried about oversetting due to too much tension.

[Luissen]

tension is fun. I find that padlocks and to a degree cylinders in hand need a certain threshold before they even start binding and give crappy feedback, whereas a cylinder in a vice is a little sharper. Its hard to hold one hand steady while picking when I'm holding the lock.

[bjornnrojb]

I wonder if it would be helpful to get a really delicate torque wrench with a needle or digital readout to display the torque being exacted on the keyway. You could have quantitative feedback on your lockpicking. It would be especially useful for stuff like torquing a lock you are picking that features serrated pins, where too much and not enough torque leaves a much smaller window than just picking a normal door lock cylinder with no special pins.

[mechanical_nightmare]

Digital Blue's single pin picking exercises are pretty good in assessing the bare minimum amount of torque you will need to pick the lock. Another source that I read says that a good way to determine how much tension to use is to insert the key into the lock, put the shaft of the tension wrench through the hole on the key, and rotate the plug using the key and tension wrench. The tension that is necessary should be just about this much. Get a feel for how much force is required to rotate the key and plug, and try to use the same torque when picking.

This will change up a little bit when picking spool or mushroom pins because you will need to alternate the torque depending on the false sets you encounter. With serrated pins I can not say much as I have no experience.

Also, I think door locks should be picked on a vise, or a door/mock-up door, and padlocks should be picked while held in the hands. That is how the locks will be oriented in actual use, so for the sake of realism that is what I do.

[dr_duke]

I say that what works for a person is the correct procedure for him. This holds true for just about everything from a golf swing to picking locks.

The only thing that is a Universal Rule in the correct tension for picking a lock is “The less tension is the best, as long as there is some tension.”

I do things a little differently than most people, but it works for me, so it is the correct procedure for me. It may not work for anyone else, but it works for me.

First, I never pick a lock in a vice,
Second, I never pick only the cylinder of a lock; I use the entire lock,
Third, I only use single pin picking with a Long Hook pick, and
Forth, I only use short twisted torsion wrenches.

I carry a small flap over snap closing case with a variety of torsion wrenches. I have different width wrenches and different thicknesses of the metal. I also have both spring steel and stainless steel wrenches. I prefer the spring still wrenches of thickness .0022”; they are very springy. I put my finger on the wrench about 1-1/2” from the top that goes into the lock. As I am picking the lock, I am constantly bouncing my finger on the wrench with just enough pressure to make it move a little.

I practice every day without exception. I start with a #3 Master Padlock with a 9 security rating. I hold it upside down in my left hand (I am right handed). I put my left thumb on the torsion wrench and pick it with my right hand. As mentioned above, I constantly move my thumb on the torsion wrench to increase and degrease the tension. Never is there much weight on the wrench. I occasionally lift my thumb up too much and release the pins and have to start all over again.

To illustrate the small amount of torque needed to pick a lock, a British Gentleman has a video on the Internet where he glued an American half-dollar to a twisted torsion wrench and picks several locks with the wrench sitting in the locks by themselves while picking.

To sum it up - all you need is enough torsion to put a tiny bind on the cylinder. If you do not get the lock picked in 5 minutes, you probably have too much torque.

[GWiens2001]

Would love to see that video! Any links?

Gordon