Thread: Tell Me About Lockpicking

I used to make money opening peoples cars, homes, and other things for them. No, it's not what you're thinking, I actually have a sense for ethics. Before I moved recently I had cards made up and handed them out, sometimes people would contact me, but mostly it was my friends and relatives utilizing my skill. I have some storys but that's probably best left either a secret or for another thread. I'll opt for the former at this time. Anyway, when looking at the tumbler, you will always want to put pressure anti-clockwise with your torque wrench, I would practice with a padlock until you have a good technique for hand placement, although in the field there is no set way to both pick and apply pressure - practice, practice - your hand will get cramped. Typically, for a door like that, I will insert the torque wrench so that the handle is aligned leftwards and use my left pointer finger to apply pressure until I feel the pins set reasonably well and the "flick" extra torque anti-clockwise until I get that satisfying turn of the bolt.

Really, it's all about pick hand dexterity, knowing when and how to apply proper amounts of torque, understanding what kind of mechanism your dealing with ie. knowing what the internals are doing without actually seeing it, and utilizing the proper pick. Generally, I'll start with a rake pick and apply random amounts of torque, scraping lightly back and forth as to "bounce" the pins, and then go with a standard short scoop pick and work forward from the back, but it doesn't matter too much which pin you start from since it's all about finding the best first pin to drop first in order to turn the bolt just enough so setting the others is a matter of correctly aligning the pins underneath the edge of the bolt lip. This is very difficult with precision crafted pin tumbler bolt locks, and locks that use false pins sets and more than double layered pins, but it's possible, it just take a little more time especially with newer locks. Listen, feel, and get to know your lock intimately and after a while it will be second nature. Also, the more you wear a lock in, the easier it will be to open. Food for thought.

Why? You can almost always open a door like that with a credit card.

The lock torques clockwise.

Originally Posted by ninja9578

The lock torques clockwise.

Yes, you're right! ... don't I feel silly. Credit cards don't always work now-a-days, in fact rarely, since modern plungers are deadlocking.

Thanks for the tips. I've been moderately successful the couples times I've tried, both for about 30 minutes each. In both cases I was able to turn the lock almost completely upside down, but when I went to apply the extra pressure to open it, nothing happened. It felt as though there was something extra keeping it from turning the 250 degrees or so. This really confused me because I thought all you need to do to open a lock and set all the pins and turn it a reasonable amount. Is there something I'm forgetting?

Originally Posted by fhgshfdg

Thanks for the tips. I've been moderately successful the couples times I've tried, both for about 30 minutes each. In both cases I was able to turn the lock almost completely upside down, but when I went to apply the extra pressure to open it, nothing happened. It felt as though there was something extra keeping it from turning the 250 degrees or so. This really confused me because I thought all you need to do to open a lock and set all the pins and turn it a reasonable amount. Is there something I'm forgetting?

Sounds like you're turning the wrong way!

Superior.

*cough*

Originally Posted by Phion

I used to make money opening peoples cars, homes, and other things for them. No, it's not what you're thinking, I actually have a sense for ethics. Before I moved recently I had cards made up and handed them out, sometimes people would contact me, but mostly it was my friends and relatives utilizing my skill. I have some storys but that's probably best left either a secret or for another thread. I'll opt for the former at this time. Anyway, when looking at the tumbler, you will always want to put pressure anti-clockwise with your torque wrench, I would practice with a padlock until you have a good technique for hand placement, although in the field there is no set way to both pick and apply pressure - practice, practice - your hand will get cramped. Typically, for a door like that, I will insert the torque wrench so that the handle is aligned leftwards and use my left pointer finger to apply pressure until I feel the pins set reasonably well and the "flick" extra torque anti-clockwise until I get that satisfying turn of the bolt.

Really, it's all about pick hand dexterity, knowing when and how to apply proper amounts of torque, understanding what kind of mechanism your dealing with ie. knowing what the internals are doing without actually seeing it, and utilizing the proper pick. Generally, I'll start with a rake pick and apply random amounts of torque, scraping lightly back and forth as to "bounce" the pins, and then go with a standard short scoop pick and work forward from the back, but it doesn't matter too much which pin you start from since it's all about finding the best first pin to drop first in order to turn the bolt just enough so setting the others is a matter of correctly aligning the pins underneath the edge of the bolt lip. This is very difficult with precision crafted pin tumbler bolt locks, and locks that use false pins sets and more than double layered pins, but it's possible, it just take a little more time especially with newer locks. Listen, feel, and get to know your lock intimately and after a while it will be second nature. Also, the more you wear a lock in, the easier it will be to open. Food for thought.

Are you actually Richard Feynman?

Originally Posted by Xei

Are you actually Richard Feynman?

haha, thats what I thought, too!

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