Home Made Pick Questions

[Shadowx]

I just read about a picking guide that tells you how to open an ordenary front house door with a safety pin but many people have told me otherwise. I tried to make a tension wrench and a rake pick out of a wire clothes hanger and a wire blow gun dart respectively. I'm not finished but does anyone think that these will work ok for picking a siple 5 pin front house door lock. Also I am going to buy a lock for practice I have heard that padlocks are god for this. Can I buy one at Ace Hardware and what is the difference in picking this as opposed to another lock? Thank you.

[helix]

Don't pick your front door lock. AT ALL.
Padlocks and deadlocks can't be called easy or hard.
Say a make and model vs. another make and model, then
wait for the different views that each of us have on them.
The coathanger can work, but it will need to be filed down a
fair bit, and if you plan on bending it at all, I'd do that before you
file it down. It won't last forever, but will get you in if you've lost
YOUR KEYS. The pin does work, but it will
weaken with use. File the point down if you are going to play with pins.

Look at the keys when you buy your lock and get one that doesn't
vary much in the cut depths. That should be fine to learn with.

GO READ SOME FAQs, dude.

[Shadowx]

How am I supposed to know what kind of lock it is. I have no idea, it came with the house which is why I told you everything I know about the lock. Thank you for your input but I am getting slightly annoyed with everyone telling me to read all these different things. I have read the MIT guide to lockpicking which covered the basics well. I already knew the basics and didn't really learn anything new there which is why I am taking the next step and asking you people the things that I am wondering about. If you don't know the answer than that is obviously no problem but if you do I would appreciate it if you just explained it to me which should only take a sentence or two instead of telling me to read something which I already read even though it is many chapters long 90% of which I already knew. I should go read the FAQ? Well I AM posting in the FAQ area. I have yet to find anything about coat hangers anywhere on this site which is why I asked. Alos I have looked into Pyro's movies but I have dial up so obviously they are unfortunately useless to me. Don't think that I am stuck up or anything but I don't have access to a file or pliers because someone here lost them for whatever reason so I am trying to make due with what I have. The only time lockpicking would be usefull is if you needed to gain access to a door without a key and chances are you wouldn't know of the problem before hand and thus wouldn't bring your lockpicking kit and so on which I am not able to buy either so I am asking about ny ways I could make a pick and a wrench wiyth things lying around the ordinary household.

[Chrispy]

How am I supposed to know what kind of lock it is.

They fall under many different categories - type (pin, wafer, etc.), brand (yale, schlage, etc.), purpose (front door, garage, boat shed, etc.). So going off this you could tell us that it is a pin-tumbler lock with "Yale" written on the front and it's on your front door. We could probably tell you that it is a five-pin cylinder that is medium security and is attached to your deadbolt (or whatever).

Thank you for your input but I am getting slightly annoyed with everyone telling me to read all these different things.

Sorry to say it, but reading everything is how you learn. The members on this site have read a lot of threads and never stop reading pages or articles that are brought to our attention. Learning can be fun!!

I already knew the basics and didn't really learn anything new there which is why I am taking the next step and asking you people the things that I am wondering about.

Searching helps a lot with this. What ever you are wondering about, search for it.

http://www.lockpicking101.com/search.php

If you don't know the answer than that is obviously no problem but if you do I would appreciate it if you just explained it to me which should only take a sentence or two instead of telling me to read something which I already read even though it is many chapters long 90% of which I already knew.

As someone said in a previous thread, a lot of the members here (not me ) have forgotten more than you'll ever learn. If there's a question, they have an answer. Vague questions give vague answers

I am asking about ny ways I could make a pick and a wrench wiyth things lying around the ordinary household.

Sorry to say it, but search will help you here again. There are thousands of threads about macgyver picks. Therein lies the problem, sifting through so many threads. I feel your pain Home made picks are best made out of things like normal and junior hacksaw blades and windshield wiper inserts, but anything can be used if you put your mind to it. If it works.... it works.

We all want to help people understand and get better at picking locks and will do our best to answer any questions you have... provided you've done a search and came up with nothing or couldn't find what you're after.

I hope that clears up some things. Welcome to LP101 and happy picking.

[digital_blue]

The only time lockpicking would be usefull is if you needed to gain access to a door without a key and chances are you wouldn't know of the problem before hand and thus wouldn't bring your lockpicking kit and so on which I am not able to buy either so I am asking about ny ways I could make a pick and a wrench wiyth things lying around the ordinary household.

No, you see, this is where you are mistaken. You see, we all come here to this site because we share the common interest in picking locks for fun. Do you suppose I've got over 1000 posts on this site 'cause I'm worried I might get locked out some day and I like to be prepared?

Here's my opinion, FWIW. Once you have learned the skills of lockpicking with proper tools (even home made ones), you will be able to makeshift all kinds of stuff and pick a lock in a pinch. But if that is your sole motivation for learning to pick locks, I'd say you prepare yourself by writing down the phone number of your local locksmith and put it in your wallet. That is much more practical than learning to pick locks "just in case". If you're actually interested in picking because you think this might just be an entertaining and challenging hobby, there are a ton of threads here and many of them will help you. I would advise you to stay away from makeshift tools at them moment tho. You'll develop your skills much faster and much more effectively if you work with good tools.

This is a great site full of great people and there is a collective body of knowlege here that is overwhelming sometimes. I understand that. I've read through much of it myself. But there really aren't a whole lot of short cuts. Either you want to learn to pick locks as a hobby, or you don't.

Enjoy the reading, enjoy the site, and happy picking!

db

[raimundo]

Mcgyver pick, that a new term from chrispy, I like it, but does it mean something that can be picked up easily and used to effectively pick a lock, or does it mean something so unlikely to work and far fetched that it only works in the minds of a hollywood hack?

[Grudge]

I am a big fan of the Macgyver tool and so I am going to jump in here. It is pretty much 99.9% true that a Macgyver tool isn't going to be as good as a commercial tool (and that had better be, after I spent serious $$$ on all of these picking tools ). However Macgyver tools do exist and do work, sometimes at a slightly reduced level, sometimes at a greatly reduced level. For example, just from wondering around my house or office I can find a dozen things which I can use as a sesame decoder that are just as good as a commercial one. If I go around and find a hook pick, like maybe a bent safety pin, it can work BUT just so-so and it drags you skill level down a level (or two).

So should a beginner use Macgyver tools to start out? NO, why make it harder to start. Get good tools, find out how they should work (through practice) and then you can understand how something else might be able to substitute.

[Chrispy]

Mcgyver pick, that a new term from chrispy, I like it, but

Not new, ray. If you take a look at the description of the Lockpicks (Manual) forum in the Lockpicking101 forum index, it says it in there.

Lockpicks - Manual
When it comes down to it there is nothing better than manual tools for your Lock pick Set, whether they be retail, homebrew, macgyver style.
Moderators Chucklz, WhiteHat

[Shadowx]

Actually I am not mistaken db. I understand why you are all here. It is the same reason I am here. Defeating a lock and a challange is entertaining, however that doesn't mean it is useful. I said that it wasn't useful unless you need to open a locked door, not that it was pointless. Thank you for not going off on me but the reason that I posted about people telling me to go somewhere is because everytime I ask any question on this site or another all people say is read this. I already read that and that is why I asked the question. I read the text but that is nothing compared to real feedback from real people who actually pick. It's like reading about wolves in a book compared to going out and seeing them for yourself or talking to someone who does. Do you understand my poor analogy or do you disagree?

[Chrispy]

Thank you for not going off on me but the reason that I posted about people telling me to go somewhere is because everytime I ask any question on this site or another all people say is read this. I already read that and that is why I asked the question. I read the text but that is nothing compared to real feedback from real people who actually pick. It's like reading about wolves in a book compared to going out and seeing them for yourself or talking to someone who does. Do you understand my poor analogy or do you disagree?

Fair enough. I suggest next time you include, in your post, the fact that you searched and have read what is available, but still have questions. This is a good fire extinguisher.

[Mad Mick]

O.K. Shadowx, I'm not trying to be beligerant here, but the reason you are being directed to read certain FAQ's/threads/topics is because that is where the quality information is, which is the route that the majority of the regular users have taken to get to the stage we are currently at.

Without having followed this important learning process, we'd all be at the stage of asking questions which have previously been answered.

[helix]

If you don't know the answer than that is obviously no problem but if you do I would appreciate it if you just explained it to me which should only take a sentence or two

You are absolutely right, ShadowX.
Our answers SHOULD only take a sentence or two, but unfortunately

they reflect the quality of the question, so here goes:

Q1. Yes, an ordinary front door lock can be picked with a pin.
Q2. Yes, the wire clothes hanger and wire blow gun dart can work.
Q3. Yes, padlocks are good for practice.
Q4. Assuming Ace Hardware is a hardware store, yes they should sell padlocks.
Q5. The difference between picking a padlock and picking another lock is that one might be easier than the other. (hard to say without knowing what sort of locks we are talking about)

The question may be better answered if asked like this:

I have a lock on my front door that I know is a really stupid thing to try
to pick because it is in use but I would like to pick it anyway. I have no
picking experience or tools but I do know from searching the site and reading
the MIT guide the basics of how a pin tumbler lock works.
The lock has no name stamped on it, but from searching, I do know
that it is what the MIT calls a pin tumbler. I live in Alaska and they seem to be
pretty common here for front doors.
What sort of chance do you guys think I have at trying to pick this lock with a coat hanger as a tension wrench and a wire blow gun dart?
I have heard that padlocks are good to practice on and was wondering does it matter what brand or are they all the same?


To which we might answer semi-respectably:

That is an x brand lock and generally not too hard to pick with proper tools.
I probably would not attempt one of those with a blowgun dart, but the coathanger should work ok as a tension wrench.

G and get yourself a Kwickset deadlock or some really cheap deadlock to practice on. Have a look at the keys when you buy it and if there is not a lot of variation in the cut heights, try that one. A hardware store should sell one for $X and at this stage, stay away from XX brand locks until you are better at picking, got to go, in a huge hurry, hope that helps.

[Shadowx]

Well obviously since I was trying to pick with these things I was not very expirienced and I was eager to actually do something rather than sit here and read about doing it. I realise without brand names ect. you can't garrantee anything but all I was asking was if it was likely that I would be able to pick this door with these things. The lock and door knobs have no writing on them at all which is why I didn't mention names and we don't use that lock we use one on the second door so it wasn't all that important. I can understand what you are saying but can you understand what I am saying by reading so much and wanting to try it. And then asking one thing expecting a simple answer so I could go do it and being told to go read things I had just read for like two hours?

[Chrispy]

We feel your pain Shadowx. We were all in your position once.

[Jarod]

my first pick was with a bent safety pin and a screwdriver (flathead, not bent)
what i did was:
get a kwikset lock, empty all pin chambers except the first, apply light tension, and begin picking, and once you get it with one practice, fill the next pin chamber, reassemble, pick again, practice, repeat until all chambers are full and you can pick it, then mix up the bottom pins!!