What did you pick today?

[GWiens2001]

A $30 safe from a thrift shop.





Gordon

[mechanical_nightmare]

Gordon, how long did the manipulation take? Do you use any visual aids?

[GWiens2001]

It took almost three hours for a couple reasons - first time playing with this specific type of lock, and because it was quite dirty and 'grabby' when trying to turn the dial. It was worse with each wheel picked up. By the time I had all three wheels turning, it was taking some real effort to turn the dial. Think it was blind luck that I got it open the first time. Once I got it open, took the wheels off and cleaned them.

Combo was 66-32-78

Gordon

[knuckles]

Gordon's post was awesome.

I'm just a beginner still but I got a box from a locksmith with about 25 assorted locks in it. This is the first one I was able to open among them. Each new lock opened still feels like an accomplishment to me. The 2nd lock I ever picked was a brinks 5 pin padlock. At first I was taking several minutes to SPP it. Now I can open it consistently in about 2-3 secs. I'm still having difficulty with some of my locks though so I just need to keep at it.

[HerrMannelig]

A Master Lock 931 (a Pro Series in a different colour). Turns out, I picked it many times...I just was not applying enough tension to turn it.

[confusion]

A 6 pin NELON deadbolt
didn't feel any security pins

attemped to pick a cheap $2 wafer lock, failed
funny thing, i can pick normal pin tumbler locks but always have a problem with wafer locks

[youngpick]

Picked two Master Lock #3's a couple hundred times. (noob)

[GWiens2001]

Even working on cheap locks will still get you the needed practice. So keep it going,mguys!mmyou are doing well,

Gordon

[youngpick]

Gordon, do you regularly buy locks at the thrift shop? I need a place that i can get locks cheap, but i wasn't sure if what they had would be rusted out and completely corroded...

[phrygianradar]

I have tons of locks that I will sit around and pick. It depends on my mood, but I have padlocks that I have picked hundreds of times. Mr. Wizards practice lock comes out a bit here and there. The thing is to just keep practicing! Even if you only have a couple of locks just keep working on your tension and consciously think in your minds eye about what is happening inside the lock until you can really see it. Doing that works best with just one or two locks. Then when you get a lock you are picking blind (i.e. don't have the key to), and feel something familiar about it your ability to picture the inner workings will be better. It is very, very difficult to pick a lock that you don't know what the insides look like, or at least have the basic idea of. If you can, take a few locks apart, even if it destroys them (not expensive ones, of course) and if you can reassemble them, great! Doing that has helped me immensely! Well done to all the new pickers out there, keep it up. Notice what Gordon did when he got that safe open? He took it apart, cleaned it, and no doubt reassembled it. These are the habits of the lock pickers around here that I admire most.

[Onz]

This is my first but not last post on lp101.

This was my first official pick I have successfully done, I got this lock for about 7$ AUD.

Had no security pins from the feel of it but it did take me 16ish minutes.

1: Lock, 2: key, 3: tension, 4: pick.


Close up of the lock.


P.S. I know this isn't a real pick but my kit I brought is currently in the mail so I had to impromise.

[GWiens2001]

It counts as a real pick to me. The improvised picks can be more difficult.

Great job!!!

Gordon

[Onz]

It was difficult since the pick is straight and not bent. I found out that doing a top tension is easier since you get more room to play around with.

[mechanical_nightmare]

Good job Onz, and welcome to the forum! Hope to see more of your pickings

[Achyfellow]

Took me two months and a few bent picks to open this heap of crap, but at least now I have a technique to open rusty, old and crappy padlocks...

http://i.imgur.com/qekkqbX.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Ow87xpp.jpg

The thing is so beaten and abused that you can turn the plug several degrees with the tension tool (It even comes out a bit). The internals must be totally screwed too, it does really weird things even if you are actually using the key. I had to use the cheap picks from dealextreme since those are very wide and don't bend easily.

By far the most challenging stuff I have picked until now... Even more than those dimple picks I tried.