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by kjb » 16 Jan 2014 16:08
I just started lock picking and had to ask what situations would you find yourself using all of these tools. I have just used a diamond half circle and the regular curved one. When would you need to use ones such as a double circle or an S rake?
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by HerrMannelig » 16 Jan 2014 17:27
kjb wrote:I just started lock picking and had to ask what situations would you find yourself using all of these tools. I have just used a diamond half circle and the regular curved one. When would you need to use ones such as a double circle or an S rake?
You are using weird names for picks, so maybe it is best not to worry about it yet. It depends. Some pickers use only a few. I know some pickers who only use hooks, usually a short hook. Many have a short hook and a Bogota style. Some sets come with far too many picks to be useful. But, in general: * Variations of hooks, single ball, and diamonds are used for manipulating single pins * Wavy picks are used for manipulating multiple pins at once. The ball picks (single or double ball, including half ball versions) are usually seen as very good for wafer locks. This is what raking looks like (using a Bogota style rake): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTyMKcjN7b0However, this method of picking will often open poor quality locks without any skill. You can just insert the rake, apply tension, and then pull it out and the lock opens. To rake open better locks, you need to be able to feel what you are doing, and respond to it, just like when single pin picking. So you should develop skill in single pin picking before picking up a rake. In general, there is usually not a time when you strictly need a particular pick. It is about picking style, skill, and understanding of the lock.
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by KPick » 16 Jan 2014 21:14
Well, to be honest I only use about a 5th of all the picks I carry and I carry 40+. Most are just "backups" for when one breaks or another becomes useable or for the day I eventually find a use for them. I think getting a set is good for a beginner because you'll find yourself eventually sticking to only a couple of tools; basically, it's a process in which you find what works best for you. For example, I only stick to Deforest Diamond Picks, Short Hooks, Deep Hooks, W Rake, Snake Rake, and my home-made double ended tension wrenches for TOK (top of keyway) and BOK (bottom of keyway), but that was after years of picking and learning what works best for me. There is other pickers on here who would say otherwise about my pick selection though. 
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by mechanical_nightmare » 17 Jan 2014 7:56
kjb wrote: I have just used a diamond half circle and the regular curved one. When would you need to use ones such as a double circle or an S rake?
The double-ball pick, the S-Rake and half ball are used in a technique known as raking. This is when you alternate tension on the lock and scrub the pins to set them. If you have read some guides about lockpicking (such as the MIT or LI guide) you will know what I mean. Raking is a good technique for opening some locks very fast, especially wafer locks. The half-diamond can be used both as a rake and for single pin picking (SPP). SPP requires that each pin be set one by one, systematically. (I'm guessing that by saying 'the regular curved one' you mean a hook; the hook is used to SPP the lock. The link l0ckcr4ck3r gave should help you recognize the type of picks by name. How functional they are is up to the picker 
If you do not manipulate the lock, then the lock will manipulate you
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by cdf » 17 Jan 2014 12:52
I have a fairly comprehensive set .I sometimes do a "Manual of arms " type exercise . I take a test lock , and try to pick it with each pick in the arsenal . It pretty soon gives you a handle on what works on different types of lock .
It's not a bad idea to have duplicates , or standins for the more critical picks . With easy locks , it's fun to find out what you can't pick them with .
Chris
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by DennisK » 17 Jan 2014 21:47
KPick wrote:Well, to be honest I only use about a 5th of all the picks I carry and I carry 40+. Most are just "backups" for when one breaks or another becomes useable or for the day I eventually find a use for them. I think getting a set is good for a beginner because you'll find yourself eventually sticking to only a couple of tools; basically, it's a process in which you find what works best for you. For example, I only stick to Deforest Diamond Picks, Short Hooks, Deep Hooks, W Rake, Snake Rake, and my home-made double ended tension wrenches for TOK (top of keyway) and BOK (bottom of keyway), but that was after years of picking and learning what works best for me. There is other pickers on here who would say otherwise about my pick selection though. 
Ok, tell me what you use a deep hook on. I have yet to find a lock that this pick helps over others.
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by GWiens2001 » 17 Jan 2014 22:45
Have had a few lock that a gonzo (deep hook) helped to open. Extreme high-low bittings. Don't get too many tight keyways that it will fit into, though.
Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
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by KPick » 17 Jan 2014 22:47
DennisK wrote:KPick wrote:Well, to be honest I only use about a 5th of all the picks I carry and I carry 40+. Most are just "backups" for when one breaks or another becomes useable or for the day I eventually find a use for them. I think getting a set is good for a beginner because you'll find yourself eventually sticking to only a couple of tools; basically, it's a process in which you find what works best for you. For example, I only stick to Deforest Diamond Picks, Short Hooks, Deep Hooks, W Rake, Snake Rake, and my home-made double ended tension wrenches for TOK (top of keyway) and BOK (bottom of keyway), but that was after years of picking and learning what works best for me. There is other pickers on here who would say otherwise about my pick selection though. 
Ok, tell me what you use a deep hook on. I have yet to find a lock that this pick helps over others.
I use the deep hook for cases were I need to set a high key-pin inside a lock while using top of the key way tension, and also I at times run into unbranded old locks where the key way is just too worn and the warding is worn off with enough space for the pick. I also have another that is specially reserved for master lock 175's (bypass method where you hook the lever trough one of the dials).
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by mechanical_nightmare » 18 Jan 2014 2:44
GWiens2001 wrote: Have had a few lock that a gonzo (deep hook) helped to open. Extreme high-low bittings. Don't get too many tight keyways that it will fit into, though.
There is a thread somewhere on this forum about putting bends into a hook with a chisel and hammer. I have found that this helps with reaching around the snaky wards of locks such as KALE and ABUS without disturbing pins that are already set. You have to have the plug of the lock you are working on, so that you can determine the approximate direction and degree of the bend needed. I believe femurat does something similar on dimple locks, by chiseling half-diamonds into a curve. I will give that a try too.
If you do not manipulate the lock, then the lock will manipulate you
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