Whoo Hooo I picked my first lock! Question

[Littlechina888]

So, i picked my first lock, a master No 1, with my SouthOrd 14 set and after that i seemed to be able to pick it very easily. I picked it about 50 times!!!! I was just wondering if this Master No 1 was concidered as easy to pick as a Kwickset, also i am looking for sugestions on where to go next. Cool.
' Thanks

[Mr Ules]

Every master lock which I've come against is quite easy to pick. If I was you, I would buy yourself some dexter deadbolts or LSDA deadbolts. These are both fairly cheap and easy. Aswell, take them apart and put them back together. This will give you a better understanding of how it works.
You might also want to get a few more master padlocks to practise on.
Switching between different locks prevents you from getting used to one type of lock.

[stick]

Get anything cheap. Even another Master no. 1, although your money is better spent on something just a littlebit more challenging. I'd suggest something like a standard Kwikset double cylinder deadbolt. Take it apart, and you have two locks to pick, keyed the same, but odds are, picked differently.

[digital_blue]

Hey Mr Ules:

Regarding the LSDA deadbolt... I was recently given an LSDA padlock which gave me a heck of a time opening (at first). I tried doing a little research but didn't find much about this brand. Are they common? Where do you usually find them?
Anyway, long story short, after becoming very familliar with this lock (able to pick it repeatedly) I decided to find out why it had been so tough. I suspected a spool pin or two. What I found was that *all* of the driver pins were spool pins. In any event, I wouldn't have recommended this lock to a beginner. Are the LSDA deadbolts different/easier?

db

[Mr Ules]

That's very interesting because I have an LSDA deadbolt on my door. You can usually find these deadbolts in apartment buildings ( like mine ), however I didn't find them to complicated to pick. The padlocks would most likely have spool pins, as we've established. Aswell, it seems quite common to find spool pins in padlocks today. These padlocks require a little more care when picking. And usually, when a beginner lockpicker starts picking a padlock, they apply a large ammount of force to their pick, which pushes the pins past the shearline and causes them to drop back down. With a more secure lock, reaching the shearline, and not exceeding it is crutial. This is why I make my own picks for padlocks. And many people who I know which also pick locks ask me, " why do you carry so many picks". This is because I have a certain type of pick for a certain type of pin tumbler lock.
In regards to the basic LSDA deadbolt, I don't think they would have spool pins. I've picked them before and there was no resistance at all. Although you don't have to buy an LSDA deadbolt, as mention before, quickset deadbolts will also work. And I think that would be the best thing for you to pick next.

[Chucklz]

A good rule of thumb to remember is that any lock that can be repinned may have all serrated spool drivers with serrated bottom pins. Figure in a particularly evil locksmith, and you may have threaded holes in the bible.

[Mr Ules]

Definitely true. I found a padlock which my grandfather owned. And this lock was hard to pick. I believe he added some kind of security feature to it but I can't quite figure it out.