help getting started..?

[Cipher747]

Hi!

I just joined your forums because i'm interested in lockpicking, but i dont know much about locks at them moment apart from the info on howstuffworks.com

I was wondering if anyone could help be get started with lockpicking. I dont have many locks apart from the ones in my house (im a student) but i want to try and pick the lock on my desk draw (because it has always facinated me and i want to see if it is do-able!)

I think the lock is a wafer-tumbler based on the descriptions at howstuffworks.com and because it has gold plate/wafer? things instead of pins.

Yeah..I would be grateful is someone could help me

Thanks (p.s. I may not reply for a while because i go online weekly not daily )

[Pickety]

Howdy

First off, i suggest you read the MIT Guide - http://www.gregmiller.net/locks/mitguide/

After that you should get yourself a set of picks. If you are unable to buy any from a local store and from a website, then you can give a go at it yourself by making your own. If all else fails, you can try the Buy/Sell section of the forum and hope someone wants to sell some picks.
If you do about 5 minutes of searching you'll come up with tons of threads and videos about nearly anything you'll want to know.

Good Luck!!!

[Pickety]

oops, i forgot to add the Secrets of Lockpicking - http://lockpicking.i8.com/(ebook)%20Illustrated%20Secrets%20of%20Lockpicking.pdf

[Cipher747]

wow! that was the quickest reply i have ever got from a post!

I think I will try making my own tools first

[Cipher747]

.. I was reading a bit of the 1st website you gave me ans also re-reading the stuff on howstuffworks.com. I got my army knife nail file blunt blade and a bent paperclip that I was bending earlier... and I did what it said on howstuffworks.com and I do believe I got the 1st wafer thing to click in place!!!!!

wow this is so cool!

[Cipher747]

do most wafer locks have 5 pins? the one in my desk does :S i dont know if thats good or bad.. it also has other wafer-like gold bits on the opposite side to the proper wafers, but they dont stick out past the shaft? (is that what the bit the jey goes into is called)

i think i might just get a bike lock or something more simpler to start of with lol

[Pickety]

Hmm, from your description it sounds kinda like a double sided wafer lock. Yes, those can be rather difficult to beginner lockpickers, if you want to try another lock you can go to a store and buy the cheapest lock you find to practice on. Or use any other lock you find around the house (thought try to avoid the locks and your front/back doors, as you wouldnt want to ruin them).

[Chrispy]

Semantics I know, but...

do most wafer locks have 5 pins?

Wafer locks have wafers The term you wanted to use was tumblers, and yes, they can have as many the manufacturer chooses.[/i]

[Grudge]

if you want to try another lock you can go to a store and buy the cheapest lock you find to practice on.

I would go so low as the dollar store, however. Sometimes those are so cheap that they are actually hard to pick (even the key doesn't work so great some of the time). I would look for the $3-4 brass padlock from your local mega-mart. Also make sure the key looks like it has smooth hills and valleys cut into it and not rectangular metal bits sticking out each side, that is a warded lock and not a pin-tumbler (warded locks are easy to open with the right tool, but that is not really picking).

[cracksman]

If it is like the lock on a teacher/office workers desk, I've found the right tension and a few rakes top and bottom work quite quickly with a bit of practice.

[Camarda]

When I first started out I went out and bought a masterlock no. 3. It makes good practice and I still find myself picking it to this day. Good luck

[Geek142]

Hey man.

I am not going to tell you to read the MIT guide and things because it’s already been mentioned. Just remember don’t give up. If you find yourself struggling on a lock/locks don’t give up. I have seen alot of new people just say. This is too hard I don’t think I can do it... don’t be one of them. Keep at it. It takes patience and practice. So if you are ever having trouble just remember... PATIENCE and PRACTICE... you can never have too much of those 2 things. What I did to give me a little boost is I got the crappiest and cheapest lock I could find. This was a really bad wafer lock. All I needed to do to it was stick something in there and it would open. I got that and kept picking that made me believe that I could do it. Just keep at it and that time you open a lock that has been bothering you will be worth the wait

Good luck

Geek

[Cipher747]

thanks for all the replys and tips guys
these forums r great.

I'm still trying my desk lock without much sucess but I've just bought a cheap padlock and I'm gonna start on that.. they key slot seems a bit small though oh well ill try

[digital_blue]

... it also has other wafer-like gold bits on the opposite side to the proper wafers, but they dont stick out past the shaft? (is that what the bit the jey goes into is called)

I suspect you are looking at the other side of the wafer. On a typical wafer lock you might find on a desk drawer, each wafer is a flat disc with a rectangular slot cut in the middle. You are inserting the key *through* that slot and therefore, you can often see both the top and bottom of the wafer if you look close while you are picking. That'd be my guess.

You can probably rake that puppy open in short order. Gentle tension, scrub back and forth only brushing the wafers at first. As you go, maintain gentle tension but apply more and more force (gradually) with the pick head on the wafers while continuing to scrub back and forth.

I'd be surprised to hear that you didn't get it in a few minutes with that technique. Once you can count it as a victory you can work on picking technique and develop your skills.

db

[quicklocks]

check out my vids at http://hosted.filefront.com/quicklocks if you havent already they may be of some help.