Paper clips

[Martins]

Can any1 tel me how can u pick with paper clips?I mean u have to turn the lock to one side vith one hand and pick with the other?Do u use yust one paper clip?I realidont now!

[Chronos]

Picking a lock with one paper clip is next to impossible. I personally have never seen anyone do it but I have heard that there are people who can. You would at least need a tension wrench and a paper clip but even than it is very difficult because the paper clip bends very easily and will probably bend when you try to pick with it. In short, don't use a paper clip, some people might be skilled enough to do that, but I can almost garauntee that, judging by your previous post, you will not be. If your going to improvise a pick, use a bobby pin with the rounded plastic end stripped off and the end bent up, or a safety pin with the end bent up and a screwdriver bent at a 45 degree angle as a tension wrench. However, I would recomend either making or buying some real picks to start. Hope that helped.

[Martins]

Picking a lock with one paper clip is next to impossible. I personally have never seen anyone do it but I have heard that there are people who can. You would at least need a tension wrench and a paper clip but even than it is very difficult because the paper clip bends very easily and will probably bend when you try to pick with it. In short, don't use a paper clip, some people might be skilled enough to do that, but I can almost garauntee that, judging by your previous post, you will not be. If your going to improvise a pick, use a bobby pin with the rounded plastic end stripped off and the end bent up, or a safety pin with the end bent up and a screwdriver bent at a 45 degree angle as a tension wrench. However, I would recomend either making or buying some real picks to start. Hope that helped.

My thoughts exaktly.

[Rath]

lol dont mean to sound rude but you have seen to many movies! rember movies arnt real, just like when you shoot a car in the gas tank full of gas it dosent explode (tried it! if a 30-06 dosent get the job done from 30 yards away it aint happning) im sure it has been done on some freak accident and someone will argue whith me about this, but those are the facts.

[CaptHook]

just like when you shoot a car in the gas tank full of gas it dosent explode

Yeah...... its pretty hard to get brass, copper or lead to spark.........
Chuck

[Pickey]

First off, Martins, if you had taken 15 seconds (literally) to use the search function, you would have gotten the answers to your questions

Using paperclips is not "next to impossible", its somewhat easy depending on variables. For pin by pin picking it wouldnt be too reliable, but to rake would be relatively easy. It also depends on what kind of lock your using. If your trying to pick some crappy Master 'knock-off' from a dollar store, it will likely be easy, but if your trying to pick say...any kind of ABUS, you'll likely not get it open. But usually picking locks with a paperclip does take practice (more than with real picks), and it can be a hassle
It doesnt take a genius to open some locks with a paperclip, just someone who knows what they're doing
Overall, i would agree with chronos on some things, safety pins do work better (and i dont know about bobby pins, ive never tried them), and it would be much better to just make your own or buy real picks.

[Chronos]

Using paperclips is not "next to impossible", its somewhat easy depending on variables.

I was saying that picking a lock with JUST a paper clip is next to impossible. I'm glad you agree with me on the other stuff though.

[walrus]

I have used a paper clip to pick a lock before. I was taking a crap in the library at my college and I picked the lock on the toilet paper holder and then on the paper towel container. yes, they were ridiculously simple locks, but hey, if they are being used by an accredited university they are worth mentioning. even with the quality of lock it was still hard to use just a paper clip, i had to bend it into a u shape, using one end as a pick and the other as a tension, it was really difficult. what ended up working (good idea for anyone still in college who doesn't have their tools on them) the best was a straightened out paper clip (very thick) and the clip off a pen. you know the kind of clip on the end of some pens that holds it to your shirt, the metal kind that if you break it off you have a nice L shape piece of metal. It worked surprisingly well, my ball-point pen tension wrench even opened my front door, but not with the paper clip, I do not recommend paper clips.
but if you are looking for improvised picks (sorry, I don't know if anyone has suggested this yet) a straightened out fish hook works amazing, i carry one in my wallet all the time. I have used it on many locks, works great, except it is small and becomes uncomfortable if used for very long. i first tried this when my Boy Scout troop was camping back in the day and we needed to get into a display case, the fish hook and a small screwdriver did the trick. and hey, no one suspects a fish hook, i even got it through the government building in my city when I was going through MEPS, right through the x-ray machine. and coupled with my pen tension wrench i was able to break into yet another bathroom. (its all I had the balls to do, it was the government building! and i have a little bit of down time in the bathroom, i like to practice my hobbies in my down time.) but I'm sure it would have opened most of the doors in the place, there were no high security locks or anything like that. also, not just any fish hook will work, most are too small and bend. i use a fairly large hook, looks like a 12, but probably larger. since fish hooks are designed not to bend or break they are perfect! they even come with a nifty little eyelet for a string. the hardest part is cutting the bur of the end of the hook and bending it straight/into the shape you want. they are so small you can even fit them into the hem at the bottom of your shirt or.. I'm stopping this post here, i do not want to be responsible for any illegal activities.

[Cerberus]

thanks Walrus.

I've been trying to find a suitable piece of metal for using as a pick. never would have though of using a fish hook.

(considering i've just started picking two days ago and have been using a paper clip(successfully a FEW times) and screw driver. i'm taking all the help i can get)

[ieatglue62]

thanks a ton! ive been trying to think of something to use instead of a paper clip and screw driver also. I used some tool that looks like some tooth scraper youd find at a dentist that i found in our garage. it opened my front door, but took MANY tries. it was still to flimsy, but not as flimsy as a paper clip and not as thick.

[Rath]

lol if your talking about consealing your picks i took my half dimond and a tention wrench (the cheap half dimond the ones that are really thin) cut a little slot in the back of my pants behind the belt loop, slid the tention wrench and the pick in my new pouch put my belt on and nobody is the wiser. I have a few more places but i dont think i want to let those out just yet...

[WR417H]

1) Yes, paper clips will bend. This is enevitable and they're only good for one or 2 attemps without reshaping.

The thing you want to do is try and find some thicker paper clips for the wrench and the pick.

For the Wrench: Take a pair of pliers and squeeze a normally shaped paper clip at the end, so it looks something like this : (@ >
Then ½ way down the clip, bend it to a 90 degree so that from the side you have an L shape, like any other wrench, just smaller.

For the pick: Again, pliers are helpful here, straighten out the clip from one curve of the clip only. ( will look like this ____@===@). If you're more comfortable scrubbing, make something that looks like an S rake. Personally, I like going pin by pin, and raise one end of it about the hight of a half diamond. It doesn't take much.

When picking, be very very gentle. Scrubbing like this will be very hard, but if you tap each pin carefully and you know what you're doing, you should be able to do it like this.

[benzy2]

If your serious about getting into picking and dont want to buy picks there are many better choices than paper clips. If you go and buy a set of hacksaw blades or a windsheild wiper you should be able to make great picks. Right now i have a set made out of windshield wiper metal. They work great and look just like many you would buy(without a handle though). It doesnt take much effort to get 3 or 4 good picks and a few good tension wrenches. Look in the FAQ for a great video and all the instructions you could need on how to make your own picks. Also if you havent yet read the mit guide take a look at it. It is a great first step into picking.

[kraftdinner12345]

I picked a 6 pin lock with paper clips but i folded the clips differntly then it shows in the other guyds

[pick_maker]

Hair pins or bobby pins are more resilient than paperclips. I bent one into a king pick- popped that Master#1 right open.