1st day with picks

[zekeo]

First of all, thank you all for the information on this site.

I got my first set of picks today, a set of 4 southord with a tension wrench. I opened my Brinks padlock in about 10 seconds, moved on to my all-but-3-pins-removed deadbolt, that took about 10 seconds. I put in the rest of the pins and I can still pick that in less than 30 seconds. I'm not trying to say i'm really good or anything, but I think that reading A LOT and thinking a lot about how picking works can help the process.

I found a master lock #3 lying around work. It took me a little longer, about 3 minutes. I've picked it about 5 times, but I dont have the "feel" of it. In other words, I mess around a lot and it opens within a few minutes, but it feels like dumb luck. Any thoughts on this?

The only other lock I have to practice on is an extra door handle lock from my apartment. It's a Yale, which I've heard are more difficult. Should I focus time on this one or try to buy another deadbolt with security pins that I can remove 1 by 1?

Again, thanks to everyone who contributes to this great site.

[digital_blue]

...but it feels like dumb luck. Any thoughts on this?
... Should I focus time on this one or try to buy another deadbolt with security pins that I can remove 1 by 1?...

As for dumb luck, the lock is open right? Victory 1! The next victory will come with practice as you really learn to imagine what is going on in the lock and discover the feel for it.

And as for which to work on next, my answer is yes, yes, and yes. Pick them all. Work on the yale. If you don't get it after a while, set it aside and go back later. Go ahead and get a deadbolt with some security pins. Try any padlock you can get your hands on. Pick everything you can find!

Congrats! It sound's like you've got a good head for this stuff. Happy picking!

db

[zeke79]

Great job!!!! Thanks for reading some material and understanding what is going on.... The only advice I can offer is practice practice practice and do not pick locks that are not yours. Work included!!

[zekeo]

DB- thanks for the advice! I'm amazed how fast people respond to posts around here.

zeke79-is your real name zeke? Mine is too. FYI it was just a padlock not on anything lying around. Plus I'm the manager there (have keys to everything, master code to the safe) so I can do what I well please

[nk]

I find it kind of odd that it took you a lot longer for a #3 than it did anything else. I think that #3s are some of the easiest type of locks to pick. I don't think it was just dumb luck.

It may just be your tension on the #3. If you use a light tension, you probably picked it, but just don't know it. I ran into that problem on some #3s. The cylinder was just very hard to turn compared to the other locks I was used to. Try putting a bit more torque on it after you think you have it and see if it opens--99% of the time this is the case with me.

It took me forever to figure out that I had it picked, but needed to apply more torque to "pop" the lock. Let me know if you find that this works better for you. I've only tested it on a handful of #3s(probably about 25 including the so called pro version).

Best of luck.

[zekeo]

I think I'm using plenty of tension, when it pops it pops. It took me almost 10 minutes to open it just now! Right after I opened my other padlock in a few seconds, and then by deadbolt in less than ten...

It feels like the third pin is setting too high. I need to set the last pin first, and when I reach back there I can't help locking that third pin. I think the difficulty is just becasue of the respective heights of the pins. Any advice on releasing a pin without having to start over? Thanks.

[Sabin37]

If you overset a pin, chances are you'll have to start over. You could try letting off enough tension so that if you push on the overset pin, the spring compression will push it back down. Just don't let off too much or all the pins will reset. Good luck and thanks for not being a hopeless noob.

[zekeo]

Well, I figured out what I was doing wrong. My tension was correct, but I was pushing too hard with the pick. By lightening up my touch I can now pick the master lock in seconds rather than minutes. It only takes about 2 movements with the pick to open--I was too focused on the 4 pins that I ended up hitting the same pin more than once, oversetting it. My advice for other beginners is when in doubt, lighten up. (probably not bad advice for life in general, either.)

[raimundo]

don''t be phobic about starting over, start over often. if you have tried all the pins three times and its not open, start over, any other method is beating a dead horse.

[zekeo]

Thanks for the advice! I just picked my Yale lock, about 24 hrs from getting my picks! Where to go from here... I think I'd like to practice with assorted security pins in different combinations. Could I just go to a locksmith to buy these pins? Or would it be easier to just get them from somebody on this site

[DrDetroit]

Check out Varjeal's "U-Key" set in the Buy/Sell forum. He provides a decent set complete with serrated security pins that you can use for hours of picking enjoyment.

[Geek142]

DB- thanks for the advice! I'm amazed how fast people respond to posts around here.

zeke79-is your real name zeke? Mine is too. FYI it was just a padlock not on anything lying around. Plus I'm the manager there (have keys to everything, master code to the safe) so I can do what I d*** well please

I guess there are 3 zekes on lp101 my name is zeke too.

[zekeo]

I don't think I've ever met another zeke... what are the chances of three?

[digital_blue]

About 3 in 8035.

db

[zekeo]

Actually, a rough estimate of the prevalence of the name Zeke is 1 in 10,000 (a generous estimate). so 10,000*10,000*10,000 = 1,000,000,000,000 divided by the 8000 members is still 1 in a hundred million. How do you like those odds?