ok...im in need of help please

[unknown1771]

Ive read all of the faqs and guides thoroughly but i cant picture the things that the guides are saying...is there a kind of video that shows whats going on inside as your picking, and describes everything like binding etc. and you can see inside the lock?

Im still having trouble on this binding thing because in the MIT guide it says to find the pin thats binding the most but i dont understand that...and i read it over and over its hard to picture in my head the pictures dont help much...its probably really simple and im missing one small thing but its hard to imagine whats going on in my lock while im trying to pick, and i have a small really really cheap lock im practicing on and it feels like theres only 3 pins because when i put the key in i only here 3 clicks. Since the lock is cheap im using 2 paper pins and i shaped them in a way to look like a tension wrench and pick...but i dont quite know what to do with the tension wrench part, could someone illaberate with like step by step and what to turn etc. or does someone have a screename i can talk with or someone refer me to a "virtual" video of it...thanks a lot.

[digital_blue]

First off, get better tools. That will help you greatly. Also, check out the lockpicking article at http://www.howstuffworks.com for some visual representations. Also, to determine the number of pins, insert your pick (ow whatever you've got to use as a pick) into the lock upside down and lift all the pins to the top of the keyway, then slowly pull the pick out and count the pins as they drop. It's pretty important to know how many pins are in the lock if you're gonna pick it.

Hope this helps. Good luck, and happy picking!


db

[master in training]

binding means sticking, when the lock is made, it is not exactly perfect and when tension is applied to the lock, one pin sort of holds the lock from opening more than the others, it gets caught first and so, it binds, this is the pin you push up, this allows another pin to bind and be pushed up and so on until the lock opens.

the way the pin binds involves some knowledge of how a lock works, but basically, the pins are in between the plug and the shell at the shear line, meaning that the plug cannot turn, one pin is scissored in between the plug and the shell at the shear line more than others, this is the binding pin.

watching the videos digital_blue pointed tou towards should help you a lot. other than that it is usually useless to make a video of picking a lock to help beginners, since you cannot see what is goin on inside a lock through the metal it is coated in and even if they use a cut-away lock, a video still cannot show how much pressure a person is using and what they are feeling.

hopefully this will help and not confuse you too much, good luck with the picking and welcome to the site!

[starkweather]

I'm another who's finding picking a bit difficult. I have bought a decent 22-piece lockpick set (http://tinypic.com/4lrtqf) and I can't seem to pick a 5-pin tumbler lock. I am able to pick my 3-pin wafer cashbox with this pick: http://tinypic.com/4lru6h and am also able to pick a small padlock with another pick: (http://tinypic.com/4lrub8) but that's about it.

[BUNGYSTRAP]

Hi starkweather, have you tried to dismantle your lock and rebuild with only one set of pins. Then try and pick. It should fall open. Then dismantle and rebuild with two sets of pins. A bit harder but still possible. Continue and with each rebuild add another set of pins. This will give you a good idea of the internals and help you to visualize what is happening inside. Good luck.

[unknown1771]

bungystrap...how would you take apart a lock like this?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v470/ ... 1771/1.jpg

[master in training]

unlock the lock and under the shackle, there should be a screw of some sort, undo that and you may be able to remove the plug, if it is not there, im afraid the only way to dismantle the lock would be to destroy it, with a drill/angle grinder etc.

[SFGOON]

It's not worth the effort buddy. Padlocks aren't good for what you're trying to do, which is build a practice lock. What you need to do is get a core from you local hardware store (patrons of this site will reccomend kwikset for it's ease of picking) and CAREFULLY dissassemble it. Then you'll be able to add or subtract pins at will. You should also invest in some sort of vise grip so you can "mount" the lock. Hope this helped.

[Geek142]

I just remembered something that i would like to add, I Have been taking locks apart for a while and its a pain putting all the springs and driver pins back in when i want to take it apart, Anyone know where i could get a plug follower, I thought about making one but i am too lazy to go to a hardware store and see if they have any pipes or something that i could use. There is also a good video out there that teachs you how to take apart a kwikset deadbolt, so you might want to try find that and it should help you alot.

Geek

[master in training]

i got annoyed when i couldnt find something to use as a plug follower, so i took a piece of paper and rolled it up into a tight tube and used that, the spings arent that strong, so if you roll it tight and its a bit small, put it in the lock still and it will spring out a bit to fill the space and hold the pins in. works for me!

[raimundo]

go to your hardware store, and ask for a half inch dowel, it comes a yard long, but you can use long followers for benchwork where you have a number of cylinders, and you can cut off shorter pieces and easily shape the end of the dowel with a hacksaw to fit any special plugs you might encounter, bic pen makes a thick barrel clicker pen, you might see these as advertizing pens, this is somewhat less than the standard half inch diameter, and can be used as a follower on smaller diameter plugs. Always get a hollow tube for a follower, the solid steel ones easily drag themselves out of the cylinder under gravity whenever theres an opportunity/accident that will allow this. cut wooden dowel with a 32 tooth hacksaw for a finer finished end cut.

[Sbecspeledrx]

Similarly I'm in need of a little help ....

I've got hold of a couple of yale front door locks and padlocks to practice on. I am using a mates old diamond pick. The problem is I am able to open the yales by raking them but not by picking them and I haven't managed to open a single one of the padlocks.

When I release the pressure on my wrench i hear 4 or 5 pins clicking back into place, but i still can't open them. What do you think I'm doing wrong? Have i pushed the pins too far do you think?

Am I just expecting too much after raking a yale on the first try? Will it take me days before I succesfully open one of these padlocks for the first time?

[Geek142]

Hey

Well i dont know with yales,You might have security pins and they are falsely setting and when you release they are going but to unset, maybe you might be trying to pick it the wrong way? And like you said you might have pushed them to far above the shear line. Well I am probably wrong about that but at least i am trying

Geek