Well, first I'd like to thank you all who've been so kind and patient in your answers and responses to my few posts of frustration here. You've helped a lot. I've now conquered the Master lock no.3 and no.5 and now am working on the big bastard, the one with the boron-carbide hasp and ball bearings inside the lock. What I've learned is that locks are kind of a joke and I think alot of business people understand this. I live around a bunch of boatyards and they are all locked up with fences surrounding them by master no.3's and every once in awhile a no.5. But I think they realize that locks only keep the honest people out. Once you've learned to open a no.3 then you've learned to open a no.5 and onwards up until the $50-75 locks where you kinda have to change you're style a little bit. But the only difference is the different pinning combinations, that's it. I feel like I've learned an awful lot just as far as hand-eye coordination and the feeling that comes from the pins, through the pick, into your hands. It's a lot of brain work really. Instead of getting one of those clear practice locks, I got a couple of Kwikset locks and took one apart and noticed it had two spool pins in it. So I took all the pins out except one and opened it quite easily, so I then put two of the spool pins in and opened that, just to see what it felt like and I think this helped alot. Then I went to the fully loaded one and picked that in no time. I could tell by the spool pins that I would have to release a little tension off of the torsion wrench, almost going into a full counterclockwise mode and then add full tension and go forward and, click, the lock opens , doing this all immediately after getting that final pinset feedback. I have learned what to feel for and feel I am much more proficient lockpick today than I was a week ago. I can't imagine how easy it is for you guys that have been doing this for years. I'm sure there are many challenges ahead so I don't want to seem like I'm getting cocky here because I'm not. I just can see where this is going now and couldn't unlock anything a week ago and felt like quiting. So it's a nice feeling that I'm at least making little connections and being successful at it.
I have found that the locks with spools seem to pick a lot easier than some of the standard pins. Master lock is not quite the lock it is cut out to be. I will not buy any Master or Brinks lock to use on something I want to protect.
SaintAccardo wrote:I'm sure there are many challenges ahead so I don't want to seem like I'm getting cocky here because I'm not. I just can see where this is going now and couldn't unlock anything a week ago and felt like quitting. So it's a nice feeling that I'm at least making little connections and being successful at it.
It doesn't sound that way to me. To me it sounds like you are enthused about locks as a sport, and that's a good thing that will only help you as you progress. I believe there is a certain "Zen" to lockpicking that makes it a bit easier for some people to pick it up and a bit more difficult for others. I'm the latter and have to work hard to make progress, but every opening just fuels the enthusiasm that I have for picking. Maybe you're the former and will progress in leaps and bounds. It's too early to tell, but it certainly sounds like you have a knack for it, feeling what you're supposed to be feeling.
The quality of the lock has a lot to do with how pickable it is. Have a Lockwood padlock from a fellow member in Australia, and it has no security pins at all. Yet it is harder to pick than many locks that are loaded with security pins.
Practice is what makes the difference. The more you practice, the better you get. But a word of caution - don't practice, and your skills will diminish as well. This is a perishable skill. You will remember what you are supposed to do, but you won't feel what you did before you stopped picking for a few weeks, let alone months.
Really proud of you and the progress you are making. The Master #3 and #5 locks are real confidence boosters. When teaching somebody to pick, that is typically the lock I choose for them to work with. You see them everywhere here in the United States, and you see the packaging that says 'Maximum Security', and to the average person who has never picked a lock, they are intimidating.
Now that you are 'inducted' to lock picking, you realize that security is all about perception. If someone thinks a lock is secure, they will use it, with nothing more to back up that trust than the packaging and advertising. Disc detainer locks are much the same. So many people seem to think they are far more secure than pin tumbler locks. If you are talking about an Abloy disc detainer, you would likely be correct. But the cheap Chinese disc detainer locks that you see showing up as padlocks, trailer hitch pin locks, bicycle locks, etcetera are just like the Master locks - only secure to those not familiar with them.
Good job, and keep us posted on what you are learning. We love to hear people progressing in their skills and knowledge. And we also appreciate you posting what you have learned, so that others who are just starting out will be able to benefit from your advice.
Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
Yes it is a perishable skill indeed GWiens... Can you believe that one of the american locks I have mastered turned into a nightmare just the other day. I picked at it and for some reason I couldn't feel the feedback, but since I know what I"m looking for, I quickly pulled those feedback feelers back up and dragged it back into my head.
KPick wrote:Yes it is a perishable skill indeed GWiens... Can you believe that one of the american locks I have mastered turned into a nightmare just the other day. I picked at it and for some reason I couldn't feel the feedback, but since I know what I"m looking for, I quickly pulled those feedback feelers back up and dragged it back into my head.
Lesson here! Don't stop Pick it Pick it.~
i was away from my picks for over a month(long moving process) i feel like i lost it. gaining it back pretty quickly though
I was wondering about that because I took a one day break. Sometimes when I get up in the middle of the night or very early morning I'll pick one of my masters and it usually comes open right away. I've noticed when you take breaks and then come back to it, it snaps open easier. I also learned about picking from bosnianbill and that works very easy on my master no.5.
But I have yet to be able to open my big master with the boron-carbide hasp. I can't remember for the life of me the model number name. It has like a 3/4 circle shape to the body, rubber on the bottom with two little pins protruding and a bigger oval tab protruding. I took the rubber off and snapped off the two little protruding pins because they get in the way of the tension wrench. It also has a ball bearing inside the lock to secure the hasp. The lock actually seems to give good feedback and it seems like I'll get all the pins set and it's just about to open but then all the pins freeze up and it won't go anywhere. Seems like it could be a false final set but I've tried letting off on the tension and even turning counter real quick and then turning clockwise to see if that works and all my pins just snap back down. This to me is a hard one. It definitely is on a different level than the master no.3 or no.5 for sure.
No that's not it. It has a body and hasp like a normal padlock, thats a disc lock. Those are junk from what I heard. But goddammit, I've noticed once you've started on a lock and can't get it, you completely lose all lockpicking skills until you just quit and then go back to it again the next day. I still cannot get my new master lock, goddamn I wish I knew the model name. I've seen a video where he picks then guts it, but wouldn't you know it, when I go back to try to find it, no f'$#/ing luck. I'm really starting to get frustrated again here! It's like you can never just get these skills, keep them and progress from there. It seems like its this fluctuating degree of capability that goes all the way from "beginner, I can't open any except the easiest assed locks" to "I can open most of my masters and kwiksets pretty consistently"!!!! It sucks because it seems like you never truly have a handle on this skill set, ever. And it's discouraging because from what I hear from others who've been doing this for a long time say that you never really get it down and your always shootin in the dark no matter what. The only person I've seen on YouTube who can HONESTLY pick any lock consistently is bosnianbill. I would give any amount of money to have his skill level. He is truly amazing. Most locksmiths are not that good or even close. He's like on the level of these CIA guys who's specialty is breaking into buildings and apartments to plant bugs. Wish I was there. Guess I'll just keep trying but man, the frustration really defeats me and ends up just ruining and thwarting any efforts I try to make.
We have a member here who is absolutely astonishing. He is FarmerFreak (on YouTube, his username is Chessguy125), and those CIA guys would not stand a chance against him in a pick-off. He has a video on YouTube of him picking a BiLock while wearing ski gloves on his hands! Here is that video:
Anyway, the more experience you get, the more reliably you can pick locks. You do get better and better. What you hear from the more experienced pickers here is that sometimes you get even a 'simple' lock that kicks your backside, and that everybody can have an 'off' day where they could not pick their nose with instructions, let alone a lock.
Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
I guess my biggest question is; If there is basically no feedback from a lock, what do the very experienced look for to let them know, "Ok, I'm almost there." Instead of basically just picking in the dark. What do you loo for from a lock that is giving you no feedback at all? And I was mistaken about my one master giving me feedback, because once I removed the rubber from the bottom and made sure the wrench was in there good, I found out the little feedback I was getting was just the wrench adjusting in even tighter as I moved the pick up and down. Once I eliminated any possibility of the wrench slipping into a tighter position, I then realized there was no feedback at all. Maybe if this farmfreak could give me a few answers that would be great because I aim to get to his level someday. I am absolutely adamant about picking up these skills to the nth level.
SaintAccardo wrote:Maybe if this farmfreak could give me a few answers that would be great because I aim to get to his level someday. I am absolutely adamant about picking up these skills to the nth level.
In my opinion, no one has the "answers" that you're looking for. Dude, look at the title for the thread. "What I've learned in m first week". Just saying, you've come a long ways in a week. It took me that long to get my first master #3 opened with a half-diamond. You're doing fine. This shit is hard, and it's a learned skill that requires patience and practice. I'd love to be able to pick like bosnianbill and farmerfreak, or 99% of the guys on here for that matter. But it's not going to come in a week, or two, or three...it's going to take time. I'm not trying to be disrespectful here, but you need to relax and let it come as it comes. Nobody can tell you how to feel the pins set, how to feel the overset pins, and how to feel the spools. You have to experience it for yourself, over and over until it becomes second nature. I'm not there yet either and that's what makes this post relevant. You CAN get there, but it's going to take practice and patience. Don't give up...If you have to pick four pin master #3 locks for three months, do that, and then move on to something bigger and better. But don't beat yourself up because you can't pick like a pro yet. If it was easy, everyone could do it.
You're doing great...keep it up and don't be discouraged that you can't pick as well as you want to yet. ONE WEEK. I'm just saying. Keep doing it and progress.
