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Left handed picking

Having read the FAQ's you are still unfulfilled and seek more enlightenment, so post your general lock picking questions here.
Forum rules
Do not post safe related questions in this sub forum! Post them in This Old Safe

The sub forum you are currently in is for asking Beginner Hobby Lock Picking questions only.

Left handed picking

Postby heisenbug » 7 Jan 2016 23:44

As a newcomer to this hobby, I'm getting all of my information from PDF's and watching videos. All of these people seem to be right handed in the videos and pdfs.

I was wondering if:
1) It even made a difference picking or putting tension with opposite hands
2) If anyone could explain the challenges of it. (Both with top and bottom of the key way tension.)
3) If anyone had a video of someone picking locks left-handed from top and bottom of the keyway
4) Will I be forever stuck in a vice?
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby C locked » 8 Jan 2016 4:49

In answer to your questions
1) the only difference is how comfortable it feels to you
And sometimes how the lock is mounted in the door
2) the challenges are usually related to how the lock is mounted
And the angle in the keyway(torsion wrench slipping)
3) no videos i know of
4) stuck in a vice ( is the house on fire?)
Short answer no but it is up to you and how you practice

And as a beginner I recommend practice practice practice
And practice again till your fingers are calloused...
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby 74TR6 » 8 Jan 2016 10:56

You should not have any problems. Picking left handed will give you the same feel as your fine motor skills are more developed in your dominant, left hand. Tension wrench pressure must be applied by any of us to suit the lock rotation. Holding a padlock in hand could present a problem, but you mention using a vise

I am right handed, but due to a car wreck had to learn to function left handed. Reached point of being able to write left handed as well or better than right handed; and had to do this rather quickly as I was a teacher and daily classroom required a lot of writing

Just tried an experiment. From several cylinder locks on the desk, I selected one I have picked; locked it; and tried picking it left handed. Had to focus on managing the pick; and it took longer, but it finally opened. There was a noticeable increase in feel of tension wrench with right hand

Point of my rambling: don't let your concerns slow your progress
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby heisenbug » 8 Jan 2016 16:56

Thank you both for your answers.

74TR6 wrote:Just tried an experiment. From several cylinder locks on the desk, I selected one I have picked; locked it; and tried picking it left handed. Had to focus on managing the pick; and it took longer, but it finally opened. There was a noticeable increase in feel of tension wrench with right hand

Point of my rambling: don't let your concerns slow your progress


74TR6, Thanks for trying it out.

Did you try it from the top of the key way? That's the way I had a concern about. (As my tools haven't arrived yet, I'm curious since the tension wrench pushes clockwise if you'd have to cross arms or reach over the top of the lock)
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby 74TR6 » 8 Jan 2016 17:39

I was using top of keyway tension with Petterson pry bar wrench. Good question, sorry I forgot to include that information. With the same cylinder, I tried bottom of keyway with standard wrench (has twist) and it was working also. Lock is one of several no name in a group recently received
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby kwoswalt99- » 9 Jan 2016 22:03

It helps if you make your own tension wrenches. You could also modify existing wrenches to make it easier. The only locks where it can be more challenging to be a lefty picker are padlocks that only open clockwise.
Alex is a lefty picker, maybe you'll like some of his stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxzfrYlbJ28
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby heisenbug » 10 Jan 2016 1:32

kwoswalt99- wrote:It helps if you make your own tension wrenches. You could also modify existing wrenches to make it easier. The only locks where it can be more challenging to be a lefty picker are padlocks that only open clockwise.
Alex is a lefty picker, maybe you'll like some of his stuff. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxzfrYlbJ28


Great video on how to make a left handed tension wrench. Thanks for the link.
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby Dakota » 11 Jan 2016 7:06

I am a Left handed picker, for the most part, I tend to switch hands depending on the lock...
It's been a long while from the last time I was on this site... Glad to see it's still around ...
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby kwoswalt99- » 11 Jan 2016 15:46

Dakota wrote:It's been a long while from the last time I was on this site... Glad to see it's still around ...

It's not going anywhere. :)
Welcome back!
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby paces » 13 Jan 2016 14:21

atleast one other topic on this in the forums. i posted some pic of how i use my thumb for tension
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby dontlook » 25 May 2016 8:37

I felt the need to reanimate this thread. I'm able to pick things fairly well until I get to TOK(top of the keyway) turning. Then I'm up to my thumb and the thing keeps flying out. I'm also a lefty. It does seem that there is some of the pry bars flying out even for experienced righties.

I'm going to check out Alex's video and look a bit for the other threads mentioned.

The other thing I'm going to try is bending the Peterson Pry-Bar like Bosnian Bill has to see if that makes a difference.

The struggle is real, that piano wire is pretty cool looking.
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby dontlook » 25 May 2016 8:46

paces wrote:atleast one other topic on this in the forums. i posted some pic of how i use my thumb for tension


I believe this to be the aforementioned post:
http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=61700&p=455365#p455365
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby dontlook » 29 May 2016 18:25

So I spent a lot of time today trying to recreate Alex's tensioner. I was using a butane torch, a grinding wheel on a Dremel, a vise, and various pliers.
Dremel battery died, so the piece that goes in to the lock needs to be worked on more
Image
Image
Haven't played with it much, but I'm hopeful.
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby dontlook » 30 May 2016 16:01

Continued work on the tool, I decided after playing with it last night that it was too large and there was too much spring. Feels like the feather weight turning tool, where it was eating my feedback.
Cut it down and put the bend closer, now I think I like it better. Also I have exposed more of the keyway.
Image
Image

I did this with a butane torch(small one, not a cigar lighter), Dremel with a cutting wheel, and Dremel with a grind stone. It is made from a truck wiper blade insert.
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Re: Left handed picking

Postby TheDave5150 » 31 May 2016 22:27

Instead of relying on PDFs for learning, I found BosnianBill at www.Lock-Lab.com has a pretty decent, free, course on beginning lockpicking. Using his youtube videos, pictures, and text explainations. And all sorts of lockpicking related videos on various picks, locks, techniques, etc. :-)
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