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HOWTOPICKLOCKS:EasyLockPickingGuideforLocksmithStudentsandHobbyists

by

GeorgeRobertson

THISBOOKISA“HOWTO”TREASURETROVE!

Ifyourinterestislockpicking,whetheritbeforcareerpreparationorsimply

tosatisfyyourcuriosity,thisisanebookyou’regoingtoenjoy!Itisnotahugebookandthisisbydesign.Advancedtechnicianswillappreciatelonger,morescholarlybooksthatrequirepreviousknowledgeofthesubject,butnotsobeginnersandnoviceswhoaresimplyinsearchofthebasicinformationandeasytofollowinstructionthatwillpavethewayforfutureadvancement.ThisiswhyIwrotethisebook:Forthestudent,thenovice,thehobbyist.Here’swhatyoucanexpecttofindinthefollowingpages:

One5secondstepthatwilldoubleyourlockpickingsuccessrateHowtoshortenthelearningcurvebyasmuchas75%Thebasictoolsyou’llneedtogetstarted,andwheretogetthemHowtomakemoneywithlockpicking...legally,ofcourse!WheretofindqualitylockpicksonlineatreasonablepricesBestmethodsdescribedandillustrated,stepbystep

CONTENTSRECOMMENDEDTOOLSPART1:SoHowDoIDescribeLockPicking?PART2:HowDoLocksWork?PART3:PickingProceduresEXERCISE1:SinglePinnedCylinderPracticeEXERCISE2:DoublePinnedCylinderPracticeEXERCISE3:TriplePinnedCylinderPracticeEXERCISE4:PracticeWithAFullyPinnedCylinderPART4:ThePickGunPART5:OngoingPracticePART6:PickingWaferLocksPART7:PickingSidebarLocksPART8:PickingLocksWithPickResistantTumblersPART9:TubularLocksPART10:AnIntroductionToImpressioningINREVIEW

RECOMMENDEDTOOLS

Thefirstconsideration,ifyouaregoingtotakefulladvantageofthis

ebook,istoconsiderbuyingsomebasicbutessentiallockpicksandrelatedtools.Ifyoualreadyhaveagoodpickset,youmayskipthissection,butwhynotreadittomakesureyouhavethesuggesteditems?

There’sareasonforrecommendingthis.You’llfind4exercisesinthisbookwhichwillrequireyouhavesomeofthesetools,andwhileyoucancertainlylearnfromsimplyreadingandmentallydoingtheexercises,there’snoquestionthatyou’llprogressexponentiallyfasterifyouactuallyparticipatephysically.Youcanalwaysaddtoyourtoolslater,butconsideratleastthefollowingitems.Tomakeitaseasyaspossible,wehaveincludedactivehyperlinksthatwillallowyoutopurchasedirectlyfromourwebsite(assumingyouhaveinternetaccesswhilereadingthisebook).

1.Practicelocks2.Anentrylevel(orbetter)picksetwithallthestandardpickstylesincluded3.Cylindershims(packof25)

Forpracticelocks,we’drecommendatleasta2-pinnedanda3-pinned

standardpracticelockwithaKwiksetkeyway.Ifyoucanjustifyanotheroneyoushouldalsoadda5-pinnedmodel.YoucanelecttogowithSchlagekeywayifyouwantthechallengetobealittlemoreadvanced,butgenerallyspeakingKwiksetkeywayisthewaytogoforbeginners.

Cutawaypracticelocksareevenbetterbecausetheytendtocutthelearningcurvedramatically,simplybecausetheyrevealtheinnerworkingsof

thelockcylinder,butcutawaysareabitmorecostly.AgoodentrylevelpicksetistheSouthOrdMPXS-08(stainlesssteel

tools),ortheHPCPIP-13(springsteeltoolswithstainlesssteelhandles).Thedebateoverwhichisbest–stainlesssteelorspringsteel–rageson,butwefindit’smostlyafunctionofwhichtypeyougetusedto.Ifyoubeginwithstainlesssteel,forexample,you’relikelytobecomeaccustomedtoitandpreferitlateron.

Twoothertoolsyou’dbewisetopurchaseforongoinglockpickingpracticeare:

1.PlugSpinner2.PickGun

Theplugspinnerisanawesomelittletoolthatcomesinhandywhen

youfindthatyou’vepickedalockthewrongdirection.Itsavesre-picking.Obviouslythisisatoolthatisnotsomuchapracticetoolasitisanessentiallockpickingaidforthosewhoworkinthelocksmithindustrynoworintendtolateron.Thesamecouldbesaidforthepickgun,asitiscertainlynotrequiredtolearnlockpicking.

PART1

SoHowDoIDescribeLockPicking?

It’sanart...it’saskill...andit’sFUNtolearn!

Somepeoplehaveitontheirbucketlist.Otherslearnbecausetheyplantogointobusinessasaprofessional locksmith. Stillothersaresimplyfascinatedwith the idea and end up making it a rewarding hobby. Regardless of themotivation, thousandsofpeopleeverydaydoGooglesearchesfor informationonthistopicandinterestisatanalltimehighasI“pen”thesewords.

Isitdifficult?Absolutely.Andit’seasyatthesametime.Beforeyouread

thatlineagain,letmeexplain:Ifitwerenotdifficulttodo,noonewouldbothertakingitupbecausetherewouldbenochallenge.Therealsowouldbenosuchthingasasecurelock,sinceburglarswouldnolongerhavetoresorttophysicallybreakingintodotheirdirtywork,they’djustpickthelock(ifyouthinklockpickingisthemethodburglarscommonlyusetocommittheircrimes,you’renotevenclose.Infact,it’sveryrarethataburglaryoccursviatheuseoflockpicksorlockpicking).

So,it’sdifficultenoughtorequiredevelopingalevelofskillbeforeyou

canevencomeclosetomasteringit.Butactuallydevelopingthatskillisquiteeasy,aslongasyousticktoit,practiceitdailyifatallpossible,andrefusetoallowyourselftobecomediscouraged.Also,it’sanabsolutemustthatyougetholdofgoodqualitytools.Tryingtoteachyourselflockpickingwith

homemadeorbelowparlockpickswillonlyservetomakeyourtaskharder,anditwilllikelyleadtoearlyfrustrationandeventuallossofinterest.Goodtools,whiletheycan’tdothejobforyou,contributemightilytoyoursuccess.Thisinformationcomesoutof31yearsofprofessionalserviceasaprofessionallocksmith.Ihaveattemptedtopresenteverythinginacasualandinformalmanner,sincemostpeopleseemtoabsorbinformationeasierthisway.I'vestartedwiththeconceptthatinordertobecomeaskillfullockpickeritisnecessarytoknowsomethingaboutwhatmakesalockworkinthefirstplace.I'mreferringtotheinnerworkingsofthelock,thatmysteriousinnersanctumwherethetumblersreside.That'swhereallthemagichappens,afterall.You'llsoonfindthatlockpickingisdownrightfun.It'soneofthosethingsthathaveawayofgrowingonyou.Somepeoplegetsoinvolvedinitthattheyareinspiredtobuildupsuchahighskilllevelthatitonlymakessensetomakealivingatitandgetintolocksmithing.ThatprettymuchsumsuphowIbecamealocksmith!Funasitis,it'sstillimportanttounderstandthatdevelopingskillinlockpickingrequiresatonofdedicatedpracticeandatleastasmuchpatience.Oncetheskillislearned,itrequiresmaintainingintheformofongoingpractice.Itisnotlikeridingabike.Youdefinitelywilllosewhateverskillyouhaveacquiredifyougolongperiodsoftimewithoutputtingthisskilltouse,anddoingsoinchallengingsituations.Somelocksarenaturallyeasytopick,tothepointthatrankamateurscanattainsuccessinarelativelyshortperiodoftime.Itistheapplicationoftheskillagainstmorechallenginglockdesignsthathonesandperfectsit.

PART2

HowDoLocksWork?

Whatisakeydoingwhenitoperatesalock?Beforetheprocessthatwecall"lockpicking"canbeproperlyunderstood,itisnecessarythatthebasicfunctionofthelockbeexplained.Everyonehasheardtheterm"tumblers"andyetsurprisinglyfew,outsidetheindustry,reallyknowswhattheyareandwhattheydo.Inarealway,locksarejustasmysterioustomostpeopleastheprofessionoflocksmithing!Sincethisebookassumesthatthereaderisnotnecessarilyfamiliarwiththesubjectoflocksandlockdesign,itisagoodplacetobegin.TUMBLERTYPES

Theterm"tumbler"isquitegenericandnotspecificenoughforourdiscussionoflockpicking,asdifferenttypesoftumblerspresentdifferentkindsofchallengestothelockpicker.Ingeneral,however,theyallshareasimilarfunction.Theyareobjectswhoseprimarypurposeinlifeistopreventaplugfromrotating(inpintumblerandwafertumblerlocks)oraboltfromdroppingintoaslotandthusunlockingavault(safesorsafedepositboxes).Naturally,ourdiscussionislimitedtothosetumblersusedinlocksthathaveasapartoftheirdesignakeyway.Andnotalllockssportingkeywayscanbepicked--butmoreaboutthatlater.

Pintumblersarethemostcommontypeusedinresidentialandcommercial

doorlockhardware,bothknobsetsanddeadbolts.Itisthetypethatposesthegreatestchallengetolockpickers,generallyspeaking,andisthetypeyou'llmostoftencomeupagainst.Evenso,theactuallockdesign(intermsofqualityofmanufacture)hasagreatdealtodowithwhetherornotyouhavedifficultypickingapintumblerlock.

Thesetinypintumblersaremadeofsolidbrassandareamazinglystrong.

Theirfunctionissimplyto"pin"thelockplugfromrotating.Apintumblersetiscomprisedoftwotumblers,atoppin,ordriverpin,andabottompin.Thesetisdrivenbyatinyspring,whichpushesthebottompindownagainstthekeybladeand,intheabsenceofakey,pushesthesetofpinsdownintotheemptykeyway.Inlocksthataremasterkeyed,youwillfindseveralother,muchthinnerpintumblers,calledmasterpins,betweenthetopandbottompin.Thisallowsseveralkeyswithdifferentcutstooperatethelockand,usually,rendersalockmuchmorevulnerabletopicking.

PINTUMBLER

PINSTACK(spring,toppin,bottompin)

WAFERTUMBLERS

Alsocalled"disc"tumblers,theseareflatbrasswafersthatslideupand

downingrooveswithintheplugofthelock,asopposedtopinsthatmoveupanddownwithindrilledchambers.Thereareactuallyseveralkindsofwafertumblersbutbasicallytheysharesimilarfunctions.Likepintumblers,theirjobistopreventthelockplugfromrotatingwithinthecylinderand,alsolikepintumblers,theyaccomplishthisbyprotrudingbeyondthe"shearline"oftheplugwheninthelockedposition(andwhenanincorrectlycutkeyisinsertedinthekeyway).

Wafertumblersareoftenusedinlocksthatarenotexpectedtoprovideasmuchsecurity,astheyarephysicallyweakerthanpintumblersandalsoeasier,onthewhole,topick.Asineveryrule,thereareexceptions,however.OnenotableexceptionisthelockthatGMintroducedwaybackinthe'40s,calledasidebarlock.Briefly,itisawaferstylelockthatfunctionsinatotallydifferentwaythannormallocksandisnotasvulnerabletopicking.Thedesignwassoeffectivethatitisstillusedtothisday,andmanyotherautomanufacturershaveadopteditoflate.

You'llfindbasicwafertumblersinmanydesklocks,somefilecabinetlocks(thoughpintumblerlocksaremoreoftenusedthere),andoncabinets.

HIGHSECURITYWAFERTUMBLERS

Thesearementionedforsakeofinclusioninthediscussion,buttheyhavenobearingonthesubjectoflockpickingastheyarevirtuallypickproof.Foundinmanyoftheluxurycarsoflate(andgoingbackdecadesonsomeGermanmodels),youcanrecognizelocksthatusethembytheunusuallywideandsquarekeyway,andbythekey.Keysarereferredtoas"sidewinder"keys(thereareafewotherkindsaswell,equallybizarrelooking).Theydonothave"teeth",orprofilecuts,asdonormalkeysbutratheracrooked,milledgroovealongtheflatofthekeyblade.Whilepickingisnotentirelyimpossible,itisdeemedentirelyinappropriateduetotheverysmalllikelihoodofsuccess.

HOWTUMBLERSACTUALLYWORK

Whathappenswhenyouinsertacorrectlycutkeyintoalock?Toillustratethis,let'ssimplifyalockbyremovingallbutonesetofpintumblers(waferlocksfunctioninaverysimilarmanner).Infact,thisisanexcellenttoolforinitialpickingpracticeandyoucanorder2,3and5pinnedPracticeLocksfromouronlinestore,LockPickersMall.com.

Onceyouunderstandwhathappensinonechamber,justmultiplythatby

fivetimes,realizingthatineachchamberthepinsizeswillbedifferentbuttheactionwillbethesame.Bypracticingpickingwithcylinderspinnedwithlesssetsoftumblers,you'llquicklygraduateuptofullypinnedlocks(usuallyfivechambers,sometimessix).

First,realizethatabasiclockcylinderconsistsofthefollowing

components:

1.Theplug

Theplugusuallymadeofsolidbrassinwhichakeywayhasbeenformed.

Alongthetopofthissmoothplug,inastraightlinefromfronttoback,you'llfindaseriesofdrilledholes,justafractionlargerindiameterthanthepintumblersthatwilldropdownintothem.Theseholesdonotextendthroughtothebottomoftheplug.Attherearendoftheplugwillbesomekindofcamortailpiecethatwillmatewiththelockmechanismorthelatchitself,sothatwhen

theplugisrotatedthelockwillopen.

2.Theshell

Thiscanbesimplyatubemadeofbrasswithapinchamber,orpinbible,

attached,oritcanbeapieceofsolidbrassorsteelboredtoaccepttheplug.Ineithercase,achambersitsatoptheshellthatcontainsthepinstacksanddriversprings.Theshellandplugtogetherformthelockcylinder.

Refertotheillustrationbelow.Inthelockedposition,withnokeyinserted

atall,thebottompinrestscompletelywithinthespaceofthelockplug,withthetoppinpressingdownagainstit,drivenbythedriverspring.

Youcaneasilyseehow,evenwithonlythisonepinstackhavingdroppedintotheshearline,theplugwouldnotbeabletorotatewithinitscylinder.Thetoppinhas"pinned"thelockinplace.Theillustrationhereshowsonlyonepinchamber.Withfiveofthemsimilarlyloaded,noamountofturningforcewouldeverdefeattheactionofthefivetoppinsholdingthepluginplace!Nowconsiderwhathappensifthewrongkeyisinserted:

HereI'veaddedanotherpinchambertoillustratethatanincorrectlycutkeywilldefeatitselfbyeitherraisingthebottompinupintotheshearline,asinthefirstchamber,orbyallowingthetoppintodropintotheshearlineasinchamber2.Nowlet'srepinthecylinder,usingthesamekey,withtumblersthatareappropriateforthekey:

Withtumblersthatarecorrectforthekeybittings,thetopandbottompinsmeetexactlyattheshearline,allowingtheplugtorotate.

Wafertumblersworkinthesameway,buttheyslidewithingroovescutintothelockplugandareinonepiece(exceptforsomehighsecuritysetupsthatusesplittumblers...ofnoconcernhere.)Thecylinderinwhichtheplugrotateshasaspaceabovetheplugthatallowsthesetumblerstoprotrudeoutoftheplugwheninthelockedcondition,orwhenthewrongkeyhasbeeninserted.

Thewaferhasarectangularcut-outinthecenterofthetumblertoallowthekeytopassthrough.Thecut-outinsometumblersarehigherthaninothers,withavarianceofusuallyfiveorsixspecificpositions.Thelandsofthekey(theflatspotsbetweenthepeaksinthekeycuts)fallrightatthegroovesinwhichthetumblersride.Becausedifferentwafershavedifferentlypositioned

cuts(vertically),thetopsofthetumblerswillbepositionedeitherattheshearline(ifthekeyisthecorrectone),oraboveorbelowit.

Techniquesusedtopickpintumblerlocksgenerallyworkwithwaferlocksbecauseinbothcasesyourobjectiveistopositionthewafers,foronebriefinstant,rightattheshearline--justasthecorrectlycutkeywoulddo.Infact,withwafertumblerstheprocessisusuallymucheasierandyou'llrarelyhavetouseanythingotherthanwhatiscalleda"rake"toopenthelock.Moreaboutspecifictoolsabitlateronthisbook.

Nowtakealookatthenextillustration,showingapick(arake,inthiscase)insertedinthekeywayofoursingle-pinnedpracticelock.Inthefirstillustration,therakehasliftedthebottompintoohigh.Itisacrosstheshearline,muchasifthewrongkeyhadbeeninserted:

Thesecondillustrationshowstherakehavingliftedthebottompinjusttherightamount,bringingtheconjunctureofthetopandbottompinstotheshearline.Nowobviouslyyouwon'tbeabletoseethisasithappens...andyou'llhavefourotherpins(inmostcases)todealwith,too.Howcanthispossiblybedone?

Theobjectofpicking,then,istodowhatthecorrectdoes.Thatis,wemustmanagetocoaxallofthepinstackstoarrangethemselvessothatthetopandbottompinsmeetexactlyattheshearline--andallmustbethereatthesameinstant.

Butthatisn'tenough,either.Thinkofwhathappenswhenyouinsertthecorrectkeyintoalock.Notmuch,unlessyouturnthekey.

Evenifwegetallthepinstacksattherightplacesimultaneously,notablessedthingwillhappenunlessthereexists,atthatsamemoment,somekindofturningforcethatwillcausetheplugtorotateandtrapthetoppinsinthehousingandthebottompinsintheplug.Thisisaccomplishedwithaturningtoolcalleda"tensionwrench",or"tensiontool".

Inaveryrealway,itisthemasteringofthetensiontoolthatpresentsthebiggestchallengeinthewholelockpickingprocess.Usedincorrectly,thetensiontoolwillactuallydomoretodefeatyouthantoassistyou.Itisamatterofdelicacy,andamatterof"feel".Toomuchtensionandtheplugwillrotatejustenoughtoputbindingforceononeormorepins,preventingthemfrommovingupwardasyoupickorrake(moreonthedistinctionbetweenthosetwoprocedureslater).Toolittletensionandtherewillnotbeenoughturningforceattheinstantthecylinderisinapickedcondition,andtheywillsimplyfallbackintoplace.Yousee,itisthefactthatlocksaremanufacturedjustshortofperfectly(andoftengreatlyshortofit)thatwecanpickthematall!Thissame"sloppiness"betweenpartsalsogivesusplentyofropetohangourselves,

however,iftherightcombinationoftensionandpickingactionisn'tused.

PART3

PickingProcedures

THECHEAPERTHELOCK,THEEASIERTOPICK(sometimes!)

Locksonthelessexpensivesidearenaturallymanufacturedwithlessspentontighttolerances.It'sageneralruleofthumb,butit'strue99%ofthetime.Tokeeppricesdown,themanufacturerpurposefullyallowsproceduresthatintheendresultinlockswithmuchmoretolerancebetweenparts.

Forexample,thespaceallaroundtheplugandthecylinder.Incommerciallocksandthosebuiltspecificallyforhighsecurity,thisspaceisincrediblysmall,andtheroundnessoftheplugandtheholethatitfitsintoisclosetoperfect.Infact,anylessspaceandtheplugwouldn'tbeabletorotate.Samewiththedrilledholesintheplug,wherethepinstacksriseandfall.Whenthesetolerancesareheldtohighstandards,itmeanspickingthelockismoredifficult.

Thereareotherfactorsthatenterintheequationwhenitcomestothemoreexpensivecylinders.Quiteoftentheymakeuseoftoppinsthatareshapedinsuchawayastohangupintheshearlinewhenpickingproceduresareused.Toppinsshapedlikespoolsormushroomsareeffectiveatthwartingpickingattempts,asaretoppinswithserrationscutintothem.Sometimesyou'llevenfindtinyballbearingsunderoneortwoofthebottompins,wherethekeymakescontact.This,too,canruinalockpicker'sday.

Noneofthesemeasuresmakeacylinderimpossibletopick...justmorechallenging,andtimeconsuming.Thereisapointwhereyoufacediminishingreturns.Itisneverpracticaltospendmorethan20or30minutesattemptingtopickacylinder.Ifithasn'tpickedbythen,itprobablywon't,andit'stimetopulloutthedrillbits.Thisisatrueforprofessionalsasforamateurs.Itisafactoflifethatsomelocks,forwhateverreason,willsimplynotpick,andthepriceofthelockdoesn'talwayshavealottodowithit.Eveninexpensivelockscanhavegrimeinthepinstacks(that'swhyit'salwaysrecommendedtolubethelockfirstandrakethepinsafewtimes),orweakenedsprings,orfrozen(meaningbound-up)pins.Allthesethingscanrenderalocktooresistanttopickingforsuccess.

Thepointbeingmadehereisthatwithoutatleastsome"sloppiness"betweenlockcomponents,wewouldn'tbeabletopickalockatall.Thankfully,allWORKINGlockshavethisbuilt-intolerancetoonedegreeoranother.Correctpickingprocedurestakeadvantageoftheseinherent,andnecessary,errors.Forinstance,ifitwerepossibletomanufacturealockthathadinfinitesimallysmalltolerances,ontheorderof0.0000001inchbetweenparts,itwouldbeincrediblyexpensive.Also,itwouldwearoutquicklyduetothefrictionandwearaspartsinevitablybegintowanderfromtheiroriginalperfection.Andjusttrytoduplicateakeyforalockthisclosetoabsoluteperfection!Justtheerrorsintroducedbythephysicalprocedureusedincopyingthekeywouldbetoomuchtoworkthecylinder.

SPECIFICTECHNIQUESThereareseveralkindsofpickingtechniques,eachwithitsownname.In

practice,it'snotuncommontousetwoorthreeonanyonecylinder,dependinguponthedegreeofdifficultyencountered.Theterm"lockpicking"hascometomeantheprocessofdefeatingalockedcylinderwithouttheuseoftheworkingkeyandwithoutdamagingthecylinder.Buttobemoreexact,to"pick"alockisdifferentthanto"rake"alock...thoughtweusuallyrefertothemsimplyaspicking.

“Singlepinpicking”istheprocessofmovingeachpin,oneatatime,withalockpick,whilesubtletensionisappliedwiththetensiontool.Thisisusuallydonewitha"hookpick",butcanbeaccomplishedwitharake,too.Thepinstackiscarefullymovedupwarduntilthejunctureoftopandbottompinreachestheshearline,atwhichtimeaverytinymovementoftheplug,duetoturningtension,willtrapthetoppinabovetheshearline.Eachpinstackisdealtwithindividually,thoughnotnecessarilyinorder,untilalltoppinshavebecometrappedabovetheshearline.Atthatinstant,dueagaintotheconstantpresenceofturningtension,theplugwillrotateandthenlockwillbeunlocked.

“Raking”istheslowinsertionandthenrapidremovalofapickcalleda"rake",thoughitcanbedonewithseveralotherconfigurations.Ratherthanworkingonepinstackatatime,theintenthereistocauseallstackstojumpupwardasthepickrakesagainstthebottomofthebottompins.Theresultingimpactcauseseachpinstacknotonlytojumpupward,butalsotoseparatemomentarily(topandbottompin).Thisseparationleavesagapbetweenthetwopins.Withrepeatedraking,atvaryingdegreesofupwardforceasthetooliswithdrawnquickly,itislikelythattherewillbeamomentwhenallpinstackshaveseparatedrightattheshearline.Again,itistheconstantpresenceofaslightturningforcethatwillallowtheplugtorotateatthatinstant,trappingalltoppinsintheupperchambers.Rakingisusuallyallthatisrequiredonlowend

locks,onitisthemosteffectivemeansofpickingthevastmajorityoflocksusingwafertumblers.

Inlockswithlesstolerance(highqualitycylinders),rakingisonlyeffectivewhenthereisonlyslightdifferenceinthesizesofthebottompinsinthelock.Tounderstandthis,lookatthefollowingillustration:

Thestraightlinerepresentstheshearline.Asyoucansee,thisparticularkeyiscutwithsimilardepths,meaningthepintumblersforeachcutinthekeywillallbeofsimilarsize.Theoneinthe#3positionisthelongesttumbler(correspondingtothedeepestkeycut),butitisnotappreciablylongerthanitsneighbors.Arakingactiononsuchacylinderwillmostlikelybesuccessfulinpickingthelock.Nowcheckoutillustration2:

Thiskeyhasbothdeepandshallowcuts(depths),andsothepintumblerswillbebothlongandshort.Rakingsuchacylindermightstillworkifthelockisnotaparticularlywellmanufactureditem,butifitisacommercialorexpensiveresidentialbrand,yourbestbetistoactually"pick"thepinswithahookpick.Inpractice,theuseofbothtechniqueswillmostlikelyproducesuccess.

Thehookpickisusefulparticularlyforreachingunderlongbottompins,suchasappearsintheaboveillustration,tomakecontactwithashorterpinandmoveitupwardwithoutmovingthefirstpin.Thistakesalotofpracticeandpatience,tobesure,butthatiswhypickingisconsideredasmuchanartasascience.Thelongerthepineclipsingtheshortpinyouneedtoraise,themore

challengingthetask.Practicewithacylinderloadedwithonlytwopinstacks(availableatourwebsite,LockpickersMall.)Thefirstpinstackshouldhavealongbottompinandthesecondstackashorterone.Getthefeelofhowtotellwhenthatshortpinstackhasbeenpicked--thatis,whenthetoppinhasgottentrappedabovetheshearline.You'llfeelthetiniestgiveintheplugasyoukeeplighttensiononturningtool.Putyourearclosetothekeywayandyou'llprobablyevenhearaveryfaint"tick"sound,butmostlyyou'llfeelitinthetensiontool.

“Rapping”isaprocedurewhereinalockcylinder,usuallyheldinavice,isgentlybutsharplyrappedwithamalletwhileturningtensionisappliedwithatensiontool.Continuedandrhythmicalrappingwillcauseallthepinstackstobounceandseparate,jumpingupintothepinhousing.Alargegapwilloccurbetweenallthetopandbottompinswitheachrap.Thisissimilartotheeffectthatrakingcauses,butisevenmoreexaggerated.Withskill,thisprocedurecanunlockevenchallenginglocksfilledwithspoolormushroomtoppins.Whenlocksaremountedondoors,however,theprocedureislessvaluableasyoudon'twanttoriskcausingdamagetoknobsetsor,indeed,thedooritself.Anotherformofrappingcanbeused,however:

“Percussion”isthetermusedwhenatoolcalledapickgunisemployedtodirectlystriketheentirerowofbottompinsoverandover,causinganeffectsimilartorapping.Thestacksofpinsseparateastheyflyupwardtowardthepinhousing,creatinghugegapsbetweenalltopandbottompins.Thegunisaspringloadedmechanismwithatriggerandavicetowhichisaffixedalong,thinneedlemadeofspringsteel.Theneedleisfirstinsertedinthekeyway,allthewaytotherearoftheplug,andthegunisheldperpendiculartothefaceofthelock.Asthetriggerispulledback,tensionisbuiltagainstacoiledspringinsideuntilapointisreachedwherethebuilt-upforceisreleasedsuddenly,causingtheneedletostrikeupward.Mostpickgunshaveaknurledwheelthatcontrolstheamountoftensionthatisallowedtoaccumulatebeforebeingreleased.Somelockspickbestwithlittletensiondialedin,somerequiremore.

“Shimming”isanotherformoflockpicking,butisusefulmainlyininstanceswherethelockcanberemovedfromthedoorandthecylinderisolated.Ifyouareabletoaccesstherearofthelockcylinderandremoveanytailpiecesorcams,athinshimcanbeusedtoworkintotheshearlinefromthebackwhileraisingthepinstacksslowlywithanuncutkey.Apickcanalsobeusedtoraisethepins,onestackatatime,whiletheshimisslowlyworkedalongthefulllengthoftheplug.

Astheuncutkeybladeisslowlywithdrawn,thethinsteelshimisfedintotheshearline,fromtherear.Asthepinstacksloweralongthebeveledendofthekey,theshimworksitswaybetweenthetopandbottompins.Thetoppinsrideonthesurfaceoftheshim,remaininginthetopchamber(orpinbible),whilethebottompinsalldropintothebottomofthekeyway.

EXAMININGTHEPROCEDURESWe'llcovertheuseofboththerakeandthehookpickinthisfirstcoupleof

exercises.Topractice,you'llneedabasicpickset(allofthemcontainarakeandhookpickandatleastonetensiontool)and,preferably,apintumblerlockplugsetupwithasinglestackofpins(abottompin,atoppin,andaspring).Thisfirstpracticecylinderwillservetodemonstrateveryquicklywhatitfeelslikethroughthepickwhenatoppinbecomesisolatedintheupperchamberandthereisturningtensionpresent.Ofcoursewithonlyonepinstack,thelockwillatthatmomentbepickedandtheplugwillturn.Still,noamountofexplanationcanimparttoyoutheactualfeelofthisoccurring.

CYLINDERPREPARATION

Withyourpracticecylinderfirmlysecuredinaviseorsomethingsimilar(youmightevenusealargepairofVisegrips,tapedfirmlytoatabletopsoastoholdthecylinderatarightangle),givetheinsideofthekeywayalittleblastoflubrication.Thereareseveralthatareidealforthispurpose,allavailableathardwarestoresandhardwaredepartmentsofmajordepartmentstores.

IusuallyuseWD40,andcarryasmallcanisterinmypickingbox.AnothergoodproductisTriflow,whichcontainsteflon.Itusedtobequitecommontousegraphitepowderinlocksbutthishascometobeconsideredlessthanideal,asithasatendencyovertimetoattractgritanddust,leavingsludgeintheplugthatcanimpedethemovementofthepins.

Afterlubricating,inserttherakeintothekeywayandanglethetipslightlyupward.Liftthepinswiththeraketodistributethelube,andthenwithdrawthetoolatthesameangle,withtipmakingcontactwiththebottompin,inanunhurriedmotion.Youarenotattemptingtopickyet,youaremerelypreparingthecylinderbymakingcertainthatthepinsarefreetotravelwithintheirrespectivechambers.Evenone"frozen"tumblerwillpreventsuccess.Ifyouareusingthesingle-pinnedcylinder,thisprocedureislessimportantthanifyouaregoingtoattempttopickafullypinnedcylinder.It'sagoodhabittogetinto.

EXERCISE1:Singlepinnedcylinderpractice

Ifyouhaveasingle-pinnedcylinder,suchasavailablefromLockpickersMall.comforthispurpose,setitupinavisenow.Prepareitasdirectedabove,eventhoughthereisonlyonepinstackinside.

Youwillneedtwotoolsfromyourpickset--atensiontoolandtherakepick.Ifyoursetcontainsmorethanonerake,chooseonewithnomorethantwo"humps"onthetip.Forthetensiontool,ortensionwrenchasitisoftencalled,selectonethatfitswellintothebottomofthekeyway.Tensiontoolsalsohavevaryingdegreesofrigidity.Somearenaturallystiffwhileothers,madeofthinnersteel,havealotofflexinthehandle.

Mostbeginnersfindtheuseofstifftensiontoolstobeeasiertomaster,asitiseasytodeterminejusthowmuchdownwardpressureyouareactuallyapplying.Thetrickistouseustenoughdownwardforceonthetooltocausetheplugtoturnwhenthelockispicked.Thatisnotmuchforceatall!

Youwillwanttoinsertthetensiontoolatwhicheversideofthekeywaythatwillcausetheplugtorotateintheunlockingdirection.Withacylinderinavice,thishaslittlebearing.Theplugwillturneitherway.Soit'sagoodideatousethetoolontheleftoftheplug,toturntheplugcounter-clockwise,someofthetimeandontheright,forclockwiserotation,others.Inactualworkingsituations,you'llfindthatsomelockswillpickquickerinthe"wrong"direction(oppositeoftherotationrequiredforunlockingthelock).Thisisnoproblem,thankstoatoolcalledaplugspinner.Moreonthatlater.

Inthisexercise,withonlyonepinstack,itwillbedifficulttodetermine

anydifferencebetweenusingahookpickandusingarake,asitwillrequireverylittleefforttoraisethestackjustenoughtoreachtheshearline.Still,itisvaluablepracticewhenfirstbeginningbecauseitdemonstratestoyouthedistinctive"feel"thatistransmittedthroughthepickingtoolandthetensiontoolwhentheplug"breaks"androtates.

Italsoclearlydemonstrateshowthetensiontoolistobeused.Tobegin,inserttheendofthetensiontoolintothebottomofthekeyway,sothetoolpointsofftoyourleft.Applyingdownwardpressureonthetoolwill,whenthecylinderispicked,causetheplugtorotatecounter-clockwise.

Astherakepickliftsthebottompinofthepinstackupward,constantbutextremelylightpressureisapplieddownwardonthetensiontool.Theinstanttheconjuncturebetweenthetopandbottompinsreachestheshearline,thelockplugwillrotatetotheleft,orCCW.

YoucandemonstratetoyourselfhowNOTtousethetensiontool,too,soyou'llbetterunderstandwhathappensifcareisnottakentoapplyLIGHTtension.Withyourcylinderinthelockedcondition,deliberatelyapplywhatyouthinkwillbetoomuchtensiononthetensiontoolasyoutrytoliftthebottompinupwardtowardtheshearlinewithyourrake.Ifyouareusingtoomuchdownwardforce,thepinsimplywon'tbudge,becausethetoppininbeingboundbetweentheplugandtheupperpinchamberbyyouruseofexcessiveturning

tension,asillustratedbelow:

ILLUSTRATIONABOVEWithtoomuchdownwardtensiononthetensiontool,theplugwillmove

justenoughtobindthetoppinintheshearlineandpreventthebottompinfromraising,evenwithheavyforceappliedtotherake.Ifyoueaseoffonthepressuretothetensiontool,anduseaslowandpreciseliftingmotionwiththetipoftherake,thetoppinwillbeabletomoveupward.Theturningtensionwillsnaptheplugtotheleft,CCW,theinstantthetoppintravelsfullyupintothepinhousingandthecylinderwillbepicked.

ILLUSTRATIONBELOWThetoppinwillbecometrappedinthepinhousingtheinstanttheshear

lineisreachedasyouapplysteadybutLIGHTdownwardpressureonthetensiontoolandgentleupwardpressureonthetipoftherake.Theplugwillnowrotatetotheleft.

EXERCISE2:Doublepinnedcylinderpractice

Nowthatyouhaveexperiencedthephysicalfeedbackthatistransferredthroughthetoolsasthepinstackseparatesuponreachingtheshearline,movetothedouble-pinnedpracticecylinder,wherethefirsttwopinchambershavebeenloaded.Inthiscylinderthereisalongtumblerinthefirstpositionandaslightlyshorteronejustbehindit:

Tryusingahookpickwiththiscylinderinsteadofarake.You'llactuallyuseitthesamewayyouusedtherakeinthepreviousexercise,butyou'llseethatit'scurvedhookishandyinpassingunderthelongtumblerinfronttoreachandlifttheshorteronebehindit:

Inmanycylinderswherethetumblersvaryappreciablyinsize,youwillbefacedwithasituationwhereitisnecessarytoreachunderalongtumblerwhichhasalreadybeenpicked(itstoppinhasbeenisolatedintheupperhousing).Ifyoususpectthatthecylindermayhavesuchavarietyoflongandshorttumblers(youmightaskyourcustomeriftheirkeywasmostlyflatorifithaddeepirregularcutsinit),itisagoodideatostartatthebackwithyourhookpickandlifteachpinstackoneatatimeuntiltheyarepicked,workingtowardthefront.

Somepinstackswillresistpickingwhileotherswillpick.Holdingjustenoughturningtensionontheplugwillkeepthosetoppinsthathavebecometrappedintheupperhousingfromdroppingbackdown.

Useyourhookpickwiththisdouble-pinnedpracticecylindertoreachunderthefirststackandmakecontactwiththebottompininthesecondchamber.Holdaverytinybitofdownwardpressureonyourtensiontoolanddelicatelyliftthetipofthehookuntilyoufeelanalmostimperceptiblemovementonthepluginthedirectionoftheturningpressure.Youhavejustpickedthe2ndchamber,trappingthetoppinintheupperhousing.Nowmovethetipofthehookunderthebottompinthefirstchamber(theonenearestthekeywayentrance).Remembernottoreleasetheslightpressureonthetensiontool.Ifyoudo,thetoppininthechamberyoujustpickedwilldropbackdownontopofthebottompin.

Gentlyliftthebottompininthefirstpositioninexactlythesamewayyoudidwiththepinbehindit.Thistime,becausethiscylinderhasonlytwopinnedchambers,theplugwillrotatefreelytheinstantthetoppinbecomestrapped,andthislockwillhavebeensuccessfullypicked.

Dothisseveraltimeswiththetensiontoolontheleft,thenswitchittotherightsideofthekeyway,topicktheplugintheoppositedirection.Theprocedureisthesame,butyou'llhavetodevelopafeelforthetensionpressurewitheachhand.You'llalsodevelopyourowngripstylewithbothtools.Thethingtorememberistoholdthepickinapositionthatallowsdelicatemovementsandalsoallowsslightvibrationstoregisterinyourfingertips.Forthisreason,Ipersonallyholdthepickbetweenthumbandforefinger,asIholdapen.Itisimportanttofindthegripthatworksbestforyou,somakefrequentchangesinituntilyoucanidentifythatparticulargrip.

Allthisexperimentingwithgripandposition(includinghowyouholdyourmouthwhileyoupick!)isallapartofdevelopingyourownstyle.Notwolockpickersseemtogoaboutthejobthesameway.Forinstance,somelocksmithsprefertoalwaysusethelefthandforthetensiontoolandtheright

oneforthepick(whichIsuspectwouldbeoppositeforleft-handers),regardlessofthedirectionthepickingistobedone...otherscanswitchhandsandusetoolsambidextrously.IpersonallyfindthatIcan'ttrustthe"feel"IgetthroughatensionwrenchwhenI'musingmyrighthand,soonacylinderthatmustbepickedclockwiseI'llcrossarmsandusethelefthandonthetensiontoolanyway.I'vebeenknowntoalmoststandonmyheadtomaintainthisorder!

EXERCISE3:TriplepinnedcylinderpracticeForthosewhohaveatriple-pinnedPracticeLock,setitupinavisenow

andprepareitasyoudidtheformercylinders.ForthosewhohavenotacquiredoneofthesePracticeLocks,aKwiksetorWeiserdeadboltorkeyedknobsetwillsufficeforthispractice,thoughyouwillbeinfactskippingaheadabit.

Ifyouareabletoobtainalockwhichhasbeenkeyedmoreorless"flat",itwillbemoresuitable.Thebittings,orcuts,onthekeyshouldallberoughlythesamedepth,lookingsomethinglikethis:

Thepracticecylinderhasbeenpinnedinthe1st,3rd,and5thchambersonly,leavingpositions2and4empty.Thiswillgiveyouagoodopportunitytousetherakeinthemanneritismostoftenused...inamotioncloselyresemblingthename.

Begin,afterlubricatingthecylinder,byinsertingyourrakepickallthewaytotherearoftheplug,thentiltthetoolsothatthebusinessendcomesintocontactwiththerearmostbottompin,anglingtherakeslightly:

Nowquicklywithdrawtherakewithasnappingmotion,keepingthetipoftherakeincontactwiththepinsasyoudoso,thus"raking"thethreepinstacks.Dothistwoorthreetimestoinsurethatallpinsarefreeandtoworkthelubeintothechambers.

Preparenowtopickthecylinder,usingtherakingtechnique(puristswill

insistthatthisisnot"singlepinpicking",itis"raking").Insertthetensiontoolinthebottomofthekeyway,eithertotheleftoftheplugortotheright...yourchoice.Ifthehandleofthetensiontoolpointsofftoyourleft,you'llbepickingthecylindertotheleft,orcounterclockwise.

Totheright,theplugwillturnclockwise:

Dependingonthekeyway,youmaybeabletorotatetheplugineitherdirectionwithoutflippingthetensiontoolfromonesidetotheother,simplybyexertingUPWARDpressureonthetoolinsteadofDOWNWARDpressure.Iwouldsuggest,however,thatyoustickwithusingonlydownwardpressureonthetensiontool,movingtotheappropriatesideofthekeywaywithrespecttowhichdirectionyouintendtopickthelock,untilyoudevelopafeelforthismostcriticalofskills.Youwillatfirstalmostcertainlyusetoomuchtensiononthetensiontool.Itisthemostcommonerrorassociatedwithlockpicking,andevenprosoftenfindthemselvesdoingit.

Rememberthatveryoftenonlytheslightesttensionwillproducethebestresults!Eventhefullweightofyourindexfingermaybetoomuch.Tryto

imagineaquarterbalancedontheendofyourtensiontoolandattempttosimulatethatmuchweightwithyourfinger.Oncethepinsarepicked,theplugwillrotatewithalmostnopressureatallonthetensiontool!

Withtheslightestamountofdownwardpressureonthehandleofthetensiontool,usingonlythetipofonefinger,inserttheraketothebackoftheplug,anglethetoolslightlytobringtherake'stipincontactwiththebackmostbottompin,and,withaquickmotion,withdrawthetool---justasyoudidamomentagowithoutthetensiontoolinplace.Continuethisaction,keepingconstantbutlightpressureonthetensiontool,untiltheplugrotates.

TIP:Iftheplugdoesn'trotateafterafewrakes,takealltensionoffthetensiontoolsothatanytoppinsthatmightbeboundcanbecomefree.Youmayhaveevenhadachamberortwoalreadypicked(thetoppinsisolatedintheupperhousing)andit'spossiblethatyourturningtensionwasjustslightlytoohightoallowoneofthepinstackstoslideupward.Rakethecylinderagain,andthistimevarythepressureonthetensiontoolasyourake.

Usually,yourakethepinsonlyonthewithdrawal.Sometimes,however,alockwillpickbetteriftherakingmotionisalteredintoasee-sawmove,rakinginboththeinwardandoutwardmotions.Everylockisdifferent--eventwo"identical"cylinders,pinnedexactlythesame,willhavedifferencesduetovariationsintolerancesproducedinmanufactureofboththelockpartsandthespringsandtumblers.

Ifyouareworkingwithoneofourtriple-pinnedpracticecylinders,thelockshouldpickwithouttoomuchtroubleifyourusingasteadyandlighttouch.Ifyou'reworkingwithacommercialcylinderitmayrequiremoreworktogetittopick,dependingalotonhowflatthekeyisthatgoeswiththelock,butyoushouldstillexperiencesuccessfairlyquickly.Keepupthepracticeuntilyouareabletoachieverepeatedsuccess,inbothdirectionsofrotation.Trydifferentgrips,varyyourtensionpressure,andalsovarythespeedoftheraking.Worktofindtherhythmthatproducesthemostconsistentresults.Staywiththetriple-pinnedpracticecylinderuntilyoufeelconfidentthatyouwillpickiteach

timewithinafiveminuteperiod.Also,ifyourpicksethasmorethanonerakeconfiguration,spendsome

timedeterminingwhichworksbestforyou.Youarebeginningtheongoingprocessofdevelopingyourowncomfortzone--yourownpersonalstyleandtoolpreferences.Notsurprisingly,therakethatproducesthemostsuccessduringthesefirstpracticehoursislikelytobecomeyour"standard"tool,andthere'sabsolutelynothingwrongwiththat!

Theballanddoubleballpicksareexcellentforuseinlockswithbi-

directionalwafertumblers(tumblersextendedintothekeywayfrombothtopandbottom).Moreonwaferpickinglater.

Manylocksmithsprefertousepickswithhandles,suchasintheillustrationabovemarked"standardrake".Thismakesthegripabitmorepositivefrommyownpersonalperspective.Others,however,likepicksthatarewithouttheextraweightoftherivetedhandle.Theysaythatmoreofthe"feel"istransmittedtotheirfingerswhenthepickisthinandofonepiece.

Again,thisisahighlypersonalmatter.Youmayevenfindthatpickswithhandlesworkbestforyouinsomesituationsandthosewithoutinothers.Theonlywayyoucanfindoutistotryboth,andfrequently.Keeppracticingwiththetriple-pinnedpracticecylinderandalsothefullypinnedcylinder,usingbothtypesoftools...hooksandallkindsofrakes...withandwithouthandles...untilyoubegintoformapreference.

PickingWithaHookPick

Nowthatyou'vehadsometimewiththerakingmethod,pulloutahookpickandsetyourtensiontoolinthesamewayyouuseditinthepriorexercise...bynowyou'veprobablydeterminedwhichdirectionyourparticularcylinderpicksmostreadily.

Inexercises1and2,youusedarakepicktoliftthepinstacksoneatatime,demonstratingtoyourselfhowthetoppinbecomestrappedintheupperhousingwhenastackisinthepickedcondition.Thisis,infact,howahookpickisused.Thebigdifference,ofcourse,isthatyou'lleventuallybetacklingcylinderswithallchamberspinned.That'seither5or6chambersinvirtuallyallcommonlocks.

Withourtriple-pinnedpracticecylinder,you'llhavelessstackstoworryaboutandthat'sgoodforthesefirstfewhoursofpractice.

Whilethereisno"pat"procedureinsofaraswheretobeginpicking,mostofusstartattherearofthecylinderandworkourwayforward,asmuchaspossible.Isaythatbecausethepinstackswon'talwayspickintheorderyou'dlike.Sometimes,afterworkingfromtherearforward,youmightfindthatthefirstcoupleofchambersalwayspickbeforetheremainders,andyou'llendupworkingonthebackchamberslast.AsIsaidbefore,everycylinderisdifferent.Everylockhasapersonality,ifyouwill.

TIP:Here'showtotellwhenyou'vemanagedtopickapinstack.Asyoumaintainsteadybutlightpressureonthetensiontool,you'llfeelaveryminute"give"intheplugwhenoneofthetoppinsgetstrappedintheupperhousing(i.e.thestackbecomespicked).TheplugwillseemtotrytorotateaFRACTIONofaninch(morelikeafractionofafraction,butyou'llfeelit).Thisisduetotheinevitablespace,orslop,thatexistsbetweenpartsinthelock.Aseachsuccessivestackbecomespicked(providingyouholdatleastsometensiononthetensiontool),theplugwillyieldtowardthedirectionofrotationmoreandmoreuntilthefinalstackispicked,atwhichtimeyouwillexperiencethesensationthatrepresentspureELATIONtoanylockpickerastheplugturns!

Ijustmentionedthatyoumustholdatleastsomepressureonthetension

toolasthestacksbecomepicked.Ifyoudonot,andyouletuptoomuchonthetension,someifnotallofthetoppinsthatyouhadsuccessfullyisolatedintheupperhousingwillcomebackdownintotheplug,undoingyoursuccess.HOLDthatslightturningtensionasyoupickonestackatatime.It'sfinetovarythetensionfromlighttoslightly(SLIGHTLY)heavierorlighter,asthatoftenassistsinthepickingeffort,butneverreleasethepressureuntilyou'veeitherpickedtheplugwellpastthecenterpositionoryoudecidetostartover.

TIP:Startingoverisanoptionyou'llusequiteoften.Ifafterareasonabletimeyouhavenotsucceeded,itispossiblethattoomuchturningtensionhasboundacoupleofpinsanditmayhelptoreleasetheturningpressure,letallpinsresettle,andstartover.Sometimesyou'llsucceedinpickingonestack,butotherswillbind,andthisbecomesnecessary.PerhapsthestackthatyoupickedshouldbelefttoworkonAFTERpickingacoupleofotherstacks,whichmayhavelongerbottompins.

TIP:Sometypesoftoppinswillfoolyou!Therearelockcylindersthatmakeuseofvarioustypesofpick-resistingtoppinsthataredesignedtogivethefalseimpressionthattheyhavebecomepickedor,inothercases,tosimplehangupontheshearlineandcausethestacktobind.Shownbelowareafewofthesedesigns:

Youcanseehowthesetoppinscanhangupbetweentheplugandtheupperhousing:

Mostresidentialandcommerciallocksetsdonotemploythesespecialtop

pins,thoughtheyareoptionalandsometimeslocksmiths,inrekeyingcustomer'slocks,willrecommendthem.Thus,youneverreallyknowwhenyou'llrunintothem,andtherewillbenooutwardsignastowhetherornottheyarehidinginthelock.Ifyouseemtobehavingagreatdealofdifficultyinspiteofthefactthepinstacks"feel"liketheyarepicking,itcouldmeanthatoneofthesetoppindesignsarepresentinthelockyouaretackling.

Whilemoredifficulttopick,cylindersemployingsuchpinscanbepicked.Itrequiresmorepatience,tobesure,andaconsciousefforttokeeptensionontheturningtoolataminimum.Also,frequentre-pickingofchambersbecomesnecessaryintryingtodefeatthesetrickydesigns,asit'salmostimpossibletodeterminewhenastackisactuallypickedandnotsimplyhangingup.

ANOTHERTIP:BEWARETHEREBOUND!Ithappenstopretty

mucheverylockpickerfromtimetotimeanditmakesyouwanttoutterwordsthatarenotniceinsocialsituations.You'remindiskeenlyattunedtothepickingathandandyou'realittlenervousbecause(nameit),andyouknowthat

ifyouevergetthis&##!lockpickedit'llbeamiracle...andsuddenlythethingpicksandtheplugturnsanditcatchesyoubysuchsurprisethatthehandonthetensiontoolsufferssomekindofajerkyreflexandcountersthemovementoftheplug.Yep,yourelockedit!Nowyoucanstartoveragain.Rebound,Icallit,whenI'mnotcallingitsomethingthatcan'tberepeatedhere.

Asinthepreviousexercise,practicepickingthecylinderbothdirections,andusingvariationsongrip.Withonlythreechambersloaded,you'llsoonbepickingthispracticecylinderwithrelativeease.Whenyou'recomfortablewithyourprogress,grabthefullyloadedpracticecylinder,oracommerciallyproducedlockcylinderthathasarelativelyflatkey,andmoveonthenextexercise.

EXERCISE4:Practicewithafullypinnedcylinder

Thepracticecylinderpinnedinall5chambershasbeenintentionallypinnedinarelativelyflatconfiguration,soastoaidinthegradualprogresstowardmoredifficultsituations.Letmerepeatthatifyoudonothaveourpracticecylinders,findadeadboltorknobsetwhosekeyismostlyflat,withnoexaggerateddifferencesbetweenanytwobittings.Theaimhereistodevelopapersonaltechniqueandexplorevariousmethods.Todosowithadifficultcylinderwilladdavariablethatwillslowyourprogress.

Mysuggestionistoworkveryhardonyourrakingtechniquefirst.Pickingcylindersstackbystackwithahookpickisinherentlymorechallengingthanrakingandnotusuallynecessaryunlessfacingalockthathasbeenpinnedinanextrememanner--whichisusuallydonetothwartpickingattempts.Asyoubecomeproficientwithraking,devotesomeofyourpracticetimetothehookpick,especiallywiththedoubleortriplepinnedpracticecylinders.Spendagooddealoftimewiththosetwocylinderswhenpracticingwiththehook.

Withthefullypinnedcylinderinaviseormountedinsomeotherwaythatwillholditsecurely,prepareitwithlubricantandafewcursoryrakesofthepick.

Choosetherakingtoolthatyouhavecometopreferandrepeattherakingmethodthatyouusedonthetriplepinnedpracticecylinder.Withtwomorestacksofpinstoworkwith,thelockisnotlikelytopickquiteasquickly.Watchyourtensiontoolpressurethroughoutthepractice.Fromtimetotime,intentionallyexertabitmorepressurethanyouthinkisproper.Thiskindofreaffirmationtechniqueisvaluable,asyou'llbeabletofeelthedifferenceinhowthepinstacksreacttoyourupwardraking.Everytimeyouapplyanexcessofturningpressure,atleastsomeofthepinstackswillsuddenlyfreezeupandrefusetobudge.You'llrecognizethisstiffnessinthepinreactionslateron,asyouworkwithothercylinders,wheneveryourtensionbecomesabittooheavy.

TIP:Analternatetensionmethodistoholdslighttensionwitheachrakeofthepick,releasingitcompletelyastherakeisre-inserted,thenapplyingitagainforthenextrakingmotion.Doingthisrhythmicallyandwithvaryingdegreesoftensiononthetensiontoolwilloftenresultinsurprisinglyquicksuccess.Itworksbestwithlocksthatareknowntohavearatherhighdegreeoftoleranceinthem(read:lessexpensive),suchasresidentialgradeWeiser,Kwikset,andEZ-Setlocks.

Asinotherexercises,continuepracticingwiththislockcylinderuntilyoubegintoacquireadegreeofproficiencywiththerake.Pickitbothclockwiseandcounterclockwise,usingthesametensiontooluntilyougetto"know"itandhowmuchfingerpressureitrequirestodeliverjusttherightamountofturningtensionforthatparticularlock.Afterawhile,you'llbepickingitafteronlyafewtrieseachtimeyoutackleit.Whenyouhaveacquiredthiskindofrepeatablesuccess,movetothehookpickandtrytopickitonestackatatime.

You'llprobablyfindthatacombinationoftechniquesworksbestonmanylocks.Withsome,itwillrequirethehookpicktoraiseaparticularstackjustenoughtoreachtheshearlineandbeginthepickingprocess,afterwhichtherakewillfinishofftheotherstacks.Incylindershavingalargeamountofdifferentialbetweenadjacentchambers,thisseemstobetheruleratherthantheexception.

PART4

ThePickGunAtthispointI'dliketointroduceanotherpickingtoolthatmostlock

pickersfindatleastasvaluableastheirfavoriterake.

Itusestheprincipleofpercussion,explainedearlierinthismanual.Whenthe"handle"portionofthistoolissqueezedwithaquickandrhythmicalmotion,thelongneedle,whichisinsertedintothekeyway,strikesthebottompinsofallthepinstacksatonce.Thisenergyistransferredtothetoppins,whichofcoursearerestingatopthebottompinsineachchamber.Becausethereisaseparation,howeverinfinitelysmall,betweenthebottomandtoppins,theenergyisnottransferredsmoothlyandalargeriftdevelopsforaninstantbetweentopandbottompin,sendingthetoppinupintotheupperhousing.Ifveryslightturningtensionisbeingappliedtotheplugwithatensiontool,theplugwillrotateifalltoppinsbecometrappedintheupperhousingasaresultofthesecontinuespercussions.

Amuchmoreeffectivetooldevelopedoutofthisbasicconfiguration,usingthestoredenergyofawoundspringinsideanenclosedbody.Theresultisamorepowerfulstrikingforce,whichinfactcanbeadjustedwithaknurledthumbscrew,andmorecontrol.

Ifyouhaveoneoftheseexcellenttools,thisisagreattimetogetsomepracticewithit.Thefullypinnedpracticecylinderwillrespondwelltotheuseofapickgun,aswillmostanyresidentialdutylockwitharelativelyflatkey.

Theguniseffective,ofcourse,onalltypesoflocksbutmorepracticeisneededbeforeattemptingtouseonewithcommercialdutylockswiththeirtightertolerancesandextremedifferentialsbetweenadjacentcuts.

Evenifyoudonothaveapickgun,youshouldreadthroughthenextexercisetomorefullyacquaintyourselfwiththeproperuseofthistool.It'salmostacertaintythatyouwillsomedayhaveoneinyourtoolkit.

UsingAPickGun

Therearesimilaritiesbetweentheuseoftherakeandhowapickgunworks.Asmentionedbefore,therakeactuallyusesthesameprincipleofpercussionwhenitiswithdrawnwithasnap,itstipbumpingalongagainstthebottomtumblersasitexitsthekeyway.Withapickgun,thetoolremainsinthekeywayandisheldatarightangletothekeywayasitisoperated.

Thepickgunmustbeatarightangletothefaceofthelock.Themostcommonerrorwhenusingapickgunisthemistakenbeliefthat

anglingtheneedlewillassistinobtainingsuccess.Infact,itpreventsit.Asshownabove,theneedlemuststrikeallfivepinstackssimultaneouslyinordertocreateariftbetweentopandbottompinsatthesameinstant.Ifonestackjumpstotheshearlineandanotherdoesnot,becauseithasnotbeenstruckbytheangledneedle,theplugwillnotturn.Ontheotherhand,ifallpinstacksareinmotion,thechanceofallfivestacksseparatingfromtheirrespectivetoppinsattheshearlineandinthesameinstantismuchgreater.

Theusualpracticeistobeginwiththespringtensiondialeddownto

minimum.Givethecylinderafewdozenhitswiththeguninthiscondition,andvarythepressureonthetensiontoolwitheachhit,goingfromextremelylightpressuretomoderatetoslightlyheavyandbackagain,firingtheguninarhythmiccadence.Youcanexperimentwithbothslowandrapidrepetitions.

TIP:Concentrateonkeepingtheneedlelevelinthekeyway,anddownagainstthebottomoftheplug.Theneedlemusthaveroomwithintheplugtostrikeupward.Ifyouholdtheneedleupagainstthebottompins,youwillsacrificealotofthecontrolyou'dhaveotherwise,asthespringtensionwillbeunreliableasacontrol.

Ifthecylinderisn'tpickedafteradozenorsostrikesoftheneedle,dialinatadmorespringtensionandtryagain.Heavytensionisgenerallyneededforcylindersknowntobepinnedwithstrongsprings,suchasSchlageandmostcommercialcylinders.Also,theless"slop"inalock(thelesstolerance),themorespringtensionisgenerallyneededonthepickgun.

Theexactoppositeistrueoflocksonthelessexpensiveside.ResidentialdutyKwiksetsandWeisers,tonamejusttwocommonbrands,havealotoftoleranceintheplugandalsotheirdriverspringstendtobeabitweaker.Toomuchtensioninthepickgunadjustmentwillover-drivethepinstacks,sendingthemflyingupwardwithmoreforcethanisdesired.Thiscanworktodefeatyouinmorewaysthanone.Itcanactuallyweakendriverspringsthatarealreadyontheweaksideandifthepinstacksaren'tbeingforceddownwardagainstyourpick,thelockcanactuallybehardertodefeat.

TIP:Ifyoususpectthatalockhashadagreatdealofwear--andthiscanusuallybejudgedbytheoutwardappearance--beextracarefulwiththetensionadjustmentonapickgun.Useonlythelightestsetting.

Mostpickgunscomewithtwoorthreeextraneedlepicks,andamongthemyoumayfindanangledpick.

Inmyownexperience,I'vefoundtheseangledpickstobemuchlesseffectivethanjuststickingwithastraightone.Ifyoueverfindyourselffacingacylinderthathasbeenmountedsohighonadoorthatyoucan'tgetastraightshotintoitwithoutanglingthepickgun,itwouldbeagoodtimetoselectanangledpick(orstandonsomething!).

Thepickgundefinitelydeservesitsreputationasavaluableandeffectivepickingaid,butitsapparenteaseofusecansometimesworkagainstyou.Ifyouarenotdiligent,youmayfindyourselfdefeatingthepurposeofthetoolbyfallingintooneofthesecommontraps:

HoldingthegunatanangleUsingtoomuchortoolittletensionwiththegun'stensionadjustmentPartiallywithdrawingtheneedlepickduringuseUsingtoomuchortoolittletensiononthetensiontoolHoldingupwardpressurewiththepickneedlewhilepickingFailingtolubricatethekeywaypriortousingthepickgun

Theelectricpickgunisusedinverymuchthesamewayasthemanualgun,andit,too,hasaknurledadjustmentforsettingtheforceofthestrike.Ifanything,itisthatmucheasiertodefeatyourselfwithitifyoudonotpaycloseattentiontothepointsputforthabove.Themotorwithintheunitmakesitpossibletodelivermanymorestrikesperminutethanwhensqueezingatriggerandifyourtechniqueisgood,itcanmakethepickingprocessmuchshorter.

HPCEPG-1BatteryOperatedElectricPickGunAvailableatLockPickersMall.com

PART5

OngoingPractice

Onceyou'vebecomeproficientinpracticingonthefullypinnedcylinderwithboththerakeandthehookpick,youshouldseekoutmorechallenginglockcylindersandcontinuehoningyourskills.Pickeverylockinyourownhomeandthenobtainatleastone"expensive"commerciallockwithwhichtopractice.Commercialdutylockshavemuchlesstolerancebetweenmovingpartsandtheyalsoincorporatepinningschemesthatareintendedtomakepickingmoredifficult.You'llusuallyfindamixoflongandshortbottompins,oftenwithlargedifferencesbetweenadjacentpositions.

It'snotnecessarytobuyacompletelock,however.Youcanpurchaseamortisecylinderthatisintendedtobeusedincommercialapplications.GotoalocksmithshoporastorethatsellsarchitecturalhardwareandaskforamortisecylindermadebySchlage,Corbin,orFalcon.Anyofthesewouldmakegoodpickingpractice,especiallyifyouspecifythatyouwantacylinderpinnedsoastomakepickingdifficult.Thekeythatcomeswithyourlockshouldhavebothdeepandshallowbittings,similartothis:

Allthisisassumingyoudon'thaveaccess,comfortably,tocommerciallocksalreadyinstalledondoors.Ifyouworkatacompanywhereyoufeelyoucanpracticethisskillwithoutcausingunduealarm(thesightofsomeonecrouchedatadoorwithlockpickingtoolstendstoraiseeyebrowsunlessyourintentionsareclear!),youprobablyhaveadozenormoregoodcylinderstochallengeyou.

TIP:Wheneverpossible,knowthedirectionofrotationrequiredtounlock

thelock.Pickingatoughlockinthewrongdirectionisfrustrating...althoughalittletoolcalledaplugspinnercanusuallysavetheday.Mostknobsetspickclockwise,butbeawarethatthereareexceptionstothis.Asfordeadbolts,hereisadiagramthatwillhelpyoudecidewhichdirectiontopick:

Withdeadbolts,rotatetheplugsothatthetopofthekeywaytravelsinthesamedirectionyouwishthebolttotravel.Thiswillbecorrectwithalmosteverytypeandbrandoflock.

Forthosetimeswhenyoumistakenlypickthelockinthewrongdirection,ordosointentionallybecausethelockrefusestopickintheproperdirection,youneedalittletooltofliptheplugbackPASTtheneutralposition(thelockedposition)sothatitendsupproperlyoriented.Thereareseveralwaystodothis,buttryingtoquicklyturnitbyhandisnotoneofthem!Yousimplycan'tdoitfastenoughwithouthelp.Atleastoneofthebottompinswilldropintotheplugbeforeyoucanclearthecenterposition,andtherestwillfollowinasplitsecond.

OneofthebestperformingplugspinnersthatI'veeverworkedwithisa

compactunitmadebyHPCcalledtheFlipIt.Itworksbysimplespringtensionandwillrapidlyrotatethepickedplugpastthelockingpointwithlightningspeed,avoidingthenecessityofre-picking.

PART6

PickingWaferLocks

Thereareseveraltypesofwaferlocks,asmentionedearlier,andtheyrangefromdesignsthatareeasytopicktodesignsthatcan'tbepickedintheconventionalway(withoutdrilling).Somehighsecuritylocksusediscsthatrotatewiththeinsertionofanoddlycutkeyandare,forallintentsandpurposes,pickproof.Othersfoundinsomeofthenewercarsareequallydifficulttopickandareconsideredvirtuallypickproof.

Thewaferlocksthatwe'lldealwithherearethemostcommontype...single-anddouble-sidedwaferlocksasfoundinmanydeskdrawers,camlocks,cabinetlocks,andutilitylocks.You'llfindthemoncampersandtrailers(intheutilityflapsthatconcealgasolinefillersandstoragebins),ingascaps,inmanymotorcycles,andsomefilecabinets.Automobilesusewaferlocksexclusivelynowandmanyarepickable,thoughtheyrequireabitmoreskillthandothelocksyou'llfindondesksandthelike.

TYPICALWAFERLOCK

NOTE:FordandChryslerformerlyusedpintumblerlocksintheirdomesticallyproducedvehiclesandhaveonlyrecentlymovedexclusivelytowaferdesigns.Thepintumblercylinders,thoughsmaller,canbepickedwiththesameprocedureswe'vealreadycovered.

Therakewillbethetoolyou'llusemostofteninpickingasingle-sided

waferlock.WhatdoImeanbysingle-sided?Simplythatthewafertumblersareloadedinthepluginsuchawaythattheyarealloneitherthetoporbottom(dependingonlockorientation)oftheplug.Thepluginawaferlockissimilartothatinapintumblerlockexceptthatthetumblers,beingwafershaped,slideupanddowninslots.Therearenotoptumblers,justaflatwaferdrivenbyaverysmallspring.

Thecutoutinthecenterofthewaferisoffcenterandtherelativeplacementofthisfeaturefromonewafertothenextdeterminesthecutsofthecorrespondingkey.

Thetoprowillustratesthreewafertumblers,eachrepresentingadifferentdepthduetothefactthatthecutoutsineachwaferareatvaryingheights.ThebottomrowillustrateswhathappenswhenanUNCUTkeyblankisinsertedintotheplug.Thekeyalignsthecutouts,whichresultsinunevenpositionsofthewafersthemselves.Withinaplug,youcanseehowthetopsandbottomsofthesewaferswillnotbeatthesameheightandwillprotrudebeyondtheshearline,

preventingtheplugfromturning:

Insertaproperlycutkey,wherethedepthsinthekeybladecorrespondtothedifferentheightsofthewafercutouts,andthewaferwillalignattheshearline:

Note:Thekeyinthisillustrationhasbeencutonlyononeside.Forconvenience,itwouldinrealitybecutidenticallyontheopposingsidesothatitcouldbeinsertedeitherway.Also,thisillustrationforclarityshowsonlythreeloadedpositions.Waferlocksnormallyhavefourorfivewafers,andsometimes,inautolocks,uptoten.

Double-sidedwaferlocksusuallyhaveatleasteightwafers--fourcominginfromthetopandfourfromthebottom.Theyworkthesameassingle-sidedplugsbutpresentabitmorechallengeinpicking.Forthese,aballrakeoradoubleballrakeisoftenused.Thiseliminatesthenecessityofhavingtoflipthepickoverasyouworkwithwafersfromopposingsidesoftheplug.

Halfthewafersinthissetwillhavespringspushingthemfromthetopof

theplugdownward,theotherhalf'sspringswillpushthemfromthebottomoftheplugupward.

Afewdouble-sidedlocks,notablyaparticularlinemadebyIllinoisCompany,areknownfortheirstubbornnessinyieldingtothepickandaspecialsetofdouble-sidedpickshavebeenintroducedbyHPCtoaddressthem.Thesedoublepicksalsoworksplendidlywithlesspickintolerantlocks,butareextremelyeffectiveontheIllinoisdouble-bittedlocks.

Double-sidedpicksetThesepicksareusedwithoutatensiontool.Therearefourdifferent

configurationsandeachpickisusedjustasthoughitwereakey.Insertthepickcarefully,usingaslightrockingmotiongoingin,alternatelyapplyingaslightturningpressureasyoudoso.Asthepickiswithdrawn,continuetouseonandoffturningpressure.Ifthelockdoesn'trotate,flipthepickoverandinsertit"upsidedown",usingthesameslowandcarefulprocedure.Youmayfindthatoneormoreofthepicksinthesetwillnotenterthekeyway.Don'tforceanyofthem.Thesepicksaresplitandcaneasilybebrokenordeformediftoomuchforceisapplied.Thetrickistofindtheoneconfigurationamongthemthatwillentertheplugwithoutanythingmorethangentlepersuasionandalsoalignthetumblerswellenoughtotheshearlinethattheplugwillturn.

Besuretoinsertthepickcarefullywhilegentlyrockingitinavery

shallowarc.Onceitisatleasthalf-wayintheplug,beginapplyingaSLIGHTtwistingpressure--backandforth--whilecontinuingtoinsertthepick.Dothisseveraltimesasyouwithdrawandthenre-insertthepick.Iftheplugdoesn'tturn,flipthetooloveranddoitagain.Gothrougheachofthefourdifferentpicksthiswayuntilyoufindonethatturnsthelock.Usedwithcare,itisamazinghowoftenyoucanfindtherightpickinthisinexpensivesettoturnthelock.

Whenusingstandardpickswithdouble-sidedwaferlocks,youcanmakeuseofeithertheregularkindoftensiontooloryoucanselectoneofthedouble-sidedtensiontools.Theymakeitalittleeasiertomanipulatedouble-sidedlocks,andcanalsobeusedwithsingle-sidedlocks.

Inaddition,HPChasanotherlineoftensioninstrumentsthatareradicallydifferentthancommontensiontools,calledTorque'nTensionTools.Theyareexcellentforusewithdouble-sidedwaferlocksaswellaswithstandardpintumblercylinders.Theyarespringloaded,rotatingwheels,graduatedaroundthecircumferencesothatyouhaveavisualindicationofhowmuchtensionyouareactually"dialingin".Quiteanumberofmodelsareavailabletoaddressthevaryingsizesandshapesoflockcylinders.

Torque'NTensionToolshownplacedagainstthefaceofthemortisecylinder.Sideviewshowsthetwosmallpinsthatengagethekeywayattopandbottom.

Ifyougetintothehabitofusingthesetools,you'llsoonknowexactlyhowmuchtensiontodialinforanyparticulartypeoflock,atleastasabeginningpoint.Theytakeabitofgettingusedtobecausetheyhavenoresemblancetostandardtensiontools,butcanbewonderfullyhelpful.

TIP:Whenusingdouble-sidedtensiontoolsitisevenmorecriticalthatyouwatchyourturningpressure.Becausetheyaregenerallystifferandhavemorenaturalleveragethanmosttensiontools,itisveryeasytoputtoomuchturningtensiononthemwhilepicking.Withmostwafercylinders,verylittleturningtensionisrequired.Once

inawhile,though,you'llrunintolockcylindersthatareunderspringtension.Thisistocausetheplugtoreturntotheneutralpositionautomaticallywhenthekeyisremovedandiscommononshuntswitches,somegascaplocks,manypadlocks,andvirtuallyallautomotivedoorandtrunklocks.Withrespecttothelatter,mostarenotidealpickingtargetsduetotheirtighttolerancesandtheuseofserratedwafers(whichhangupontheshearlinemuchasspoolpinsandserratedpinsdoinpintumblerlocks).Oldercars,however,canpickveryeasily,aslongasthelockinquestionisnotofthesidebartype(usedbyGeneralMotorssincethelateforties).Hondavehiclespriortoabout1978andAmericanMotorsvehiclespriortothesaletoChryslerhadeasilypickeddoorlocks,asdidToyotaandNissaninthe70sandearly80s.

Ifyouknoworsuspectthatthecylinderyouarepickingisunderspringtension,justbethatmuchmoreawarefortheneedtomaintainturningtensionafteryouhavepickedthecylinder.Besurethedeviceordoorisopenbeforeyoureleasetheturningtensionorthelockwillre-lockitself.

Returnspringontherearofavehicledoorlock

Thepickguncanalsobeusedtopickwaferlocks.Allthesamerules

apply,particularlywithrespecttokeepingthepickitselflevelsothatitstrikesthebottomsofallwafersevenly.Theadjustmentscrewshouldbesetforminimalspringtension.Single-sidedwaferlocksarebettercandidatesforthepickgunthandouble-sided,althoughthatisnottosaythatthelattercannotbesuccessfullypickedthisway.

SETTINGUPAPRACTICEWAFERLOCK

Ifyouhaveadeskwithatleastonelockingdrawer,chancesareitwillbeasingle-sidedwafercylinder.Takealookatthekeywayandyoucanmakethisjudgmentinahurry.

ILLUSTRATIONABOVE:Theactualkeywayshapeswilldiffer,butthelocationofthetumblersandwheretheyappearwithinthekeywaywilltellyouwhichofthethreebasiccylindertypesyouaredealingwith.

Otherplacestolookforsingle-sidedwaferlocks(alsoknownasunidirectionalwaferlocks):

-cabinetdoors-utilitydoorsonRV’s-utilitydoorsontraveltrailers,campers-keyoperatedelectricalswitches

Chooseaunidirectionallockthatyoucanworkwithcomfortably,

suchasonadeskdrawerinyourownhome.Selectatensiontoolthatwillfitwellinthebottomofthekeyway.Thisisalwaysanimportantstepwhendealingwitheithersmalloroddlyshapedkeyways.

Aswithallotherpickingexercises,beginbyfloodingthekeywaywithagoodlubricantandthenexercisethewafersbyrunningarakepickinandoutofthekeywaywhileapplyinggentlepressureagainstthetumblers

(thewafersmaybecomingintothekeywayfromthetoporbottom,dependingonhowthelockwasinstalled).

Whenyouarecertainthatallwafersaremovingfreely,insertthetensiontoolandchooseyourrake.Youcanselectastandardrakeoraballordouble-ballrake,itmakeslittledifferencewithmostwaferlocks.Ifyouhaveapicksetcontainingavarietyofsizes,chooseonethatdoesnotcrowdthekeyway.

TIP:Picksizeisalwaysimportant.Ifyouareworkingwithverysmallcylinders--andthisisespeciallyimportantwithminiaturepintumblerlockssometimescalled"peanutcylinders"--toolargeapickcanraisethetumblersbeyondtheshearlinebeforeyouevenbeginraking.Moreaboutpeanutcylinderslater.

Beginbyapplyingthefaintestpressureontheturningtoolwhiledrawingtherakefromthebackoftheplugtowardyou,withnotmuchmorethantheweightofthepickagainstthewafers.Returntheraketothebackofthepluganddoitagain,varyingever-so-slightlythepressureonboththetensiontoolandtherakeitself.

Mostplugswillturnafteronlyafewrakesunlesstheyhavebeencombinatedinaparticularlysevereway.Inotherwords,ifthewafersareallclosetothesamesize,theplugshouldturnquitequickly,whereasthoseusingwafersizeswithexaggerateddifferencesinvaluewilloffermoreresistance.

Iftheplughasnotyieldedafteradozenorsorakes,startusingaslightrockingmotionwiththerakeasyouwithdrawitfromtheplug,experimentingwithawidervarietyofturningpressures.Don'tbeafraidtousetherakeonindividualwafers,manipulatingthemoneatatimeasyouwouldahookpick,andbediligentwithrespecttoturningtension.It'sjustaseasywithwafertumblersasitiswithpintumblerstogetcaughtinthetrapofexcessiveturningforce,whichwillbindtumblersandpreventthemfromslidingintheslots.

Toomuchtensionappliedtothetensiontoolwillcausewaferstohangupattheshearline(bluering)andpreventthemfrommovingfullyintothespaceoftheplug.Here,therakeisattemptingtolowerthiswaferbuttheturningpressurebeingappliedtotheplugistoogreat.

Awordshouldbesaidhereabouttherelativefragilityofwafertumblers,overall.Inlessexpensivelocks,suchascommonlyusedindeskdrawersandutilitycabinets,thewafersarereallyquitethinanditispossibletobendthemwithtoomuchturningtension--suchasonemightapplyifthelockis"almostthere"andaslotscrewdriverisusedtoattempttoforcetheplugtoturnbeforethelockisentirelypicked.Distortingevenonewaferwillruinthelockandmostlikelypreventitfromfunctioning.Keepinmindthatwafertumblersaremadeofsoftbrass.I'veseenquiteafewvehiclelockswhereforcehasbeenappliedinanattempttoturnaplugwhenitwasnotquitepickedandoneormorewafershavebeencompletelybrokeninhalf.

Bruteforcelikethisevenagainstacheaplockisnotlikelytoopenit,butitwillalmostsurelyruinthelockandpreventeventheproperkeyfromeverworkingagain.

PART7

PickingSidebarLocks

Includingthistopicinabookdesignedtoteachlockpickingmaybeskirtingtheedgeofwhatcouldbetermed"necessary",butI'dliketoatleastaddressthesubjectsothatabetterunderstandingoftheseveryeffectivedesignsispossible.

GeneralMotorsbeganusingsidebarlockswaybackinthefortiesandhasneverabandonedthem,simplybecausetheyworksowellandareveryresistanttopicking.Infact,unlessyoudrillasmallpilothole--whichI'mabouttodescribe--theyreallycan'tbepickedintheconventionalsense.SeveralmanufacturersovertheyearshaveofferedsetsofGM"rocker"picks,whicharesimilarinfunctiontothedouble-sidedwaferpicksI'vealreadycovered.Theyaretobeinsertedinthekeywayandrockedcontinuouslywhileapplyingonandoffturningpressure,inthehopesthatoneofthemanypicksinthesetwillachieveanopening.Tosaythattheycannotbesuccessfulisamis-statement,buttheyhavenotachievedwideacceptanceduetothefactthatthesuccessrateisnotparticularlyhighandtheamountoftimeandeffortinvolvedisoftengreaterthanwithotherapproaches.

GMstillusessidebarlocksinalltheirignitionsandthegreatmajorityofmodelshavetheminallotherlocksexcepttheglovebox(thereareevenafewhigherendmodelsthatusethemthere).Fordbeganusingsidebarignitionlocksinthemid-eightiesinafewmodelsandthathasexpandedtoincludenearlyallFordvehicles,thoughthedoorandtrunklocksremainstandardwafercylinders.

Imentionallthisforpurposesofinclusion,asmostlocksmithsdonotpickautomotivelocksonaregularbasis.Caropeningsarealmostalwayscarriedoutwithcaropeningtoolsandpickingignitionlockstostartvehicles,duetothe

higherlevelofsecuritydesignedintomostofthemnowadays,isnotacommonpractice,either.

Still,fromtimetotimeyoumaybecalledupontopickopenatrunklockoragloveboxlock,andthesearealmostalways“pickable”(again,exceptinthecaseofGM'strunklocks,whicharesidebartype).

Asidebarlockusesspeciallydesignedwafertumblersthatgivethelockaduallockingfunction.Usingapicktomanipulatethewafersupanddownintheirrespectiveslotsissimplynotpreciseenoughtogetthemintoposition.Youarenotseekingtoalignthemwithashearline...youaretryingtoaligntinynotchesthatareformedonthesidesofthewaferswithasmallsidebar(averydescriptiveterm--it'sactuallyjustthat:Asmallmetalbarthatmustseatintothesenotchesthatareformedalongthesidesofthewafers).

AsidebarwaferasfoundinGMlocks

WafershaveV-shapedslotsinvaryingpositionsthatcorrespondtodifferentdepthcutsinthekey.

ThesidebarhasaV-shapededgeandisunderslightspringpressure.When

allthenotchesareinperfectalignment,thespringloadedsidebarseatsandthusmovesawayfromamachinedslotintheshellandformsashearlinetothesideoftheplug.Thefollowingillustrationswillhelptovisualizethis:

SIDEVIEWS:Withnokeyinthelock,thesmallspringspushthewaferstothebottomoftheplug,andtheV-notchesarenotaligned(Note:ifyouweretoloadtheplugusing6wafersofthesamevalue,thenotchesWOULDbealigned).Withtheproperkeyinserted,thespringspushthewafersdownagainstthekeybladeandintothekeybittings,orcuts.ThisalignsthenotchesandgivestheV-edgeofthesidebaraplacetoseat.

ThesidebarisunderspringtensionandengagesthealignedV-slotsinthewaferswhenaproperlycutkeyisinplace.Notethatthewafersthemselvesendupinstaggeredpositionsrelativetooneanother,becausetheV-slotsarelikewisestaggered.Eachofthewafersisalsounderspringtension.

Hereasinglesidebarwaferisusedforclarity.Ifevenonewaferisnotinthecorrectposition,theV-edgeofthesidebarcannotslipintotheaccommodatingslotonthetumblerandthesidebarprotrudesbeyondtheshearlineoftheplug,intoagroovethatismachinedintheshell.Youcanseethatthisplugcannotrotate.

InsertionofacorrectlycutkeybringsthewafersintheplugintoperfectalignmentwiththeV-edgeofthesidebar,allowingthesidebartoengagetheV-shapedslotsinthewafers.Thishappensbecausethesidebarisunderspringpressurefromtwoverytinysprings,notshowninthisview.

Becauseyouhaveatleastsixwafersinthesesidebarlocksandeach

waferisunderfairlystrongspringtension,theoddsofaligningthenotchesbyusingaconventionalpickingmethodisprettyslim.Evenonetumblerafractionoutofalignmentwillpreventthesidebarfromengagingthenotches.

So-called"rockerpicks"aresomewhateffectiveifyouhavetonsofpatienceandaverygoodtechnique.Thesesimplyattempttomimictheprofileoftheproperkey.Todothis,youmustcontinuallyrockandshiftpositionsofthepick--movingitbackandforthaswellasrockingitupanddown--whileapplyingmicro-turningtensioninbetweeneach

repositioning.Turningpressureappliedwhilemovingthepickwillonlybindthesidebarandpreventitfrommovingatall.Atypicalsetcontainsaround20double-endedpicks.

Whenfacedwiththenecessityofpickingasidebarlock,mostlocksmithsturntoahybridpickingtechniquethatcombinestheuseofastandardrakepickanda1/8"drill.Thisprocedurewillsuccessfullyopenmostsidebarlockswithoutdoingdamagetothecylinder,althoughitleavesa1/8"holeinthefaceoftheplug.Ifyou'redealingwithavehicledoorortrunklock,you'llpeeloffthefacecapfirstandthen,whenyouarefinished,replaceit(theseareavailablefromlocksupplyhousesandalsofromcardealerships).Replacingthefacecapconcealsthedrilledhole.

HereistheproceduretopickastandardGeneralMotorsdoorlock:Useasmallflatbladescrewdrivertoprythemetalorplasticfacecapoffthelock.Ifyou'redealingwithalockmountedinahandle,therewillbenofacecapbuttherewillbeadustshutterassemblytopryout.Thisstepisnecessarytorevealthefaceofthelockplug.Beverycarefulwhileprying.Aslipherewillprobablycauseanuglyscratchinthevehicle'spaint.

Oncetheplugisrevealed,noticethatthekeywayisoffcenter.Itwillbeslightlytotherightsideoftheplug.Thesidebarislocatedtotheleftoftheoffcenterkeyway.Itishereyouwillbedrilling...andyouwillnotbedrillingthewafers.Theaimistomakeashallowholewitha1/8"drill

rightwherethesidebarmeetstheshellofthelock.

Markandcenterpunchapointjustwithinthecircleformedbytheplug/shelljunction,onahorizontalcenterline.Youwanttodrillashallowholethatjustpenetratesthethinmetaloftheplugface.Whenthedrillbreaksthrough,stop.Cleanouttheholeasbestyoucanandyoumaybeabletoseetheendofthesidebarwhereitisjuttingintoamachinedgroove.Theobjectnowistouseathinwire,suchasastraightenedoutpaperclip,andinsertitbetweentheendofthesidebarandtheshellwall,whichwillpressthesidebaragainsttheedgeofthewafers.Youmayhavetofiletheendofthepapercliptoasharpwedgesothatitwillfitintheverysmallspace.Thesidebarwillnotmovebecausethenotchesinthetumblersarenotyetaligned,butyoumustmaintainpressureatthispointtokeepthesidebarpressedupagainsttheedgesofthewafers.

Whilepressinginwardonthewireprobe,useyourraketolifteach

ofthesixwafersupwarduntilyoufeelthesidebarclickintoplace.

Eachtimeawafer'snotchcomesintolinewiththesidebar'sV-edge,thesidebarwillseatalittlemore.Aseachprogressivewaferreachesthispoint,youwillfeelthewireprobeenterfurtherintothewideninggroovebetweensidebarandshell.Onceallthewafershavebeenteasedintothecorrectposition,thesidebarwillmovecompletelyintothealignednotchesandyouwillfeelthewireprobeseat.CAREFULLYholdthispositionwiththewireandsettherakeaside.Pickupasmallbladescrewdriverandputthetipofitintothekeyway.Applyaslightrotationalpressurewiththescrewdriver(clockwise).Nowremovethewirewhileholdingthisturningtension.Assoonasthewireisremoved,theplugwillrotateandthelockwillbeopen.

NOTE:Doorlocksarealwaysunderreturnspringpressure.Themomentyoureleasetheplug,itwillrelock.

TIP:Sidebarignitionlocks,suchasusedbyGeneralMotorsandlatemodelFordvehicles,canbepickedinthesameway.However,the"ears",orlockface,mustbepriedofffirstandinsomecasesthereisnowaytorepairthis.Also,ignitionlocksaresometimes"upsidedown"inthesensethatthesidebarmaybetotherightofthekeywayinsteadoftotheleft.Remember,thekeywayonasidebarlockisalwaysslightlyoffcenter.Thesidebarwillbeonthesidewiththemostspacebetweenkeywayandtheedgeoftheplug.

Occasionallyyouwillbefacedwithasidebarlockthatrefusesto

pickinthemannerjustoutlined,possiblybecauseyouhavenotdrilledthepilotholeintherightplace.Justaswithotherformsoflockpicking,youmayhavetoresorttodestroyingthelockifitisimportanttogainentry(suchaswithatrunk).Also,sidebarlockscanbecomeinoperableforanumberofreasons.Youcansimplyenlargethepilotholeprogressivelyuntilyouareusingaquarterinchdrillbit.Drillrightonthroughthesidebar,keepingthebitatrightanglestothelockface.Sidebarsfoundinautolocksaremadeofsoftmetalandcanbedestroyedquitereadilywithasharpbit.Oncethesidebarhasbeeneliminatedthisway,andthedebrisiscleanedoutofthehole,theplugwillturnwithascrewdriverinsertedinthekeyway.

AWORDABOUTOTHERSIDEBARLOCKS

Automobilesarenottheonlyplacesyoumayfindsidebardesigns.Infact,thereareseveralbrandsofhighsecurityhardwarethatusethedesigninveryinnovative--andtremendouslyeffective--ways.

Medecoisperhapsthemostwellknownofthesecompanies.Thelocksaresohighlypickresistantthattheyarebestconsidered“unpickable”.Medeco'sbi-axialdesignincorporatesnotonlyasidebar,butalsospeciallyshapedpintumblersthatareoperatedbykeysthatcannotbeoriginatedorduplicatedonconventionalkeymachines.Theuseofstandardpickingproceduresistotallyineffective,anddrillingthesidebar,asjustoutlined,isnearimpossibleduetotheuseofhardenedpinsplacedinthecylinderatstrategicpointstothwartsuchattempts.

Thereareothermanufacturers,too,whomakeuseofsidebarsintheirhighsecuritydesigns,suchasAbloy,SchlageEverest,SchlagePrimusandSargent(theirSignatureseries).Don'twasteyourtimetryingtopickthesehighsecuritydesignsasyou'llgainnoknowledgeorexperiencebydoingso.

PART8

PickingLocksWithPickResistantTumblers

BASICTHEORY

Mushroom,spool,andserratedtoppinshavealreadybeenmentionedinthismanual,andIincludehereashortdescriptionofthegenerallyacceptedprocedurefordealingwiththemforthesakeofcompleteness.Youwon'tfindmushroomandspoolpinsveryoften,andtherecanbenocertainwayofknowingbeforehandthatanygivenlockcontainsthem.

RusswinandCorbinlocksmayverywellhavethem,especiallyifthelockisquiteold,astheyusedtobemorecommonlyusedthantheyarenow.Thereare,however,highsecuritypinningkitsavailabletolocksmithsandthefactisANYpintumblerlockcouldpossiblycontainthem--evenmorecommonlockssuchasWeiserorKwikset.

Yourfirstcluemightbeapeekatone.Ifthebottompininthefrontpositionhappenstobeashortone,you'llbeabletoseequiteabitofthetoppinrestingatopit.Ifthepinisaspooldesign,you'llbeabletotell.Someserratedtoppinshaveserrationsfromtoptobottom.You'dbeabletospotthistype,too.

Manytimes,however,alocksmithmaychoosetoincludethesespecialtoppinsinonly2or3oftheplug'schambers,andit'susuallythemiddleorrearmostchambers.

Anothercluewouldbefeelingthattheplugisalmostpickedandyethavingtocontinuetofightwithitwithoutluck.Asyou'velearned,youcanfeeltheplug"giving"littlebylittleaseachtoppinbecomestrappedintheupperhousing.Spoolpinsandtheirilkfrustratepickingattemptsbyhangingupintheshearlineandbindingthere.Theserrations(onserratedpins)orthelip(onspoolandmushroompins)passesaminutevibrationthroughtheplugandyour

tensiontoolasitbecomeshungup--avibration,or"click",thatfeelsforalltheworldlikethetoppinhasjustbecomeisolatedinthehousing.

Asthespoolpinismovedupwardtowardtheshearlinebyyourpickorrake,it"tips"andbecomesbound.

Thisusuallyfeelsexactlylikethe"click"thatpassesthroughyourtensiontoolwhenatoppinbecomessuccessfullytrappedintheupperhousing,becausetheplugdoesmoveatinybitwhenthebindingoccurs.Ifyoudon'trealizethatyou'redealingwiththiskindoftoppin,itcanawhilebeforeitdawnsonyouwhatmightbehappening.Luckily,withpracticeandknowledgeoftechnique,cylinderscontainingspool,serrated,andmushroompinscanbesuccessfullypicked.

Thetoolofchoicewhendealingwiththisvarietyofpintumbleristhehookpick,orarakeusedinthesamefashionasahookpick.Thatis,youwillbepickingeachindividualpinstack,oneatatime,asopposedtorakingthepins.

It'sbesttoassumethatallthechamberscontainhighsecuritytoppinsifyoususpectthattheyarepresentatall.Startfromtherearoftheplug,asyounormallywould,andpaystrictattentiontothetensiontool.Makesureyouarenotusinganymorepressurethannecessary.Asyoulifttherearmostbottompin,bealertforthefirstsignofplugmotion(rotation).Whenyoufeelthe"click"or"snap",easeoffontheturningtensionaminuteamountandcontinuetolift,very

carefully.Youmaygetasecond"click".Ifso,it'slikelythattherewasahigh

securitypinthathasjustbeensuccessfullytrapped.If,however,afterraisingthebottompinafractionyoudoNOTgeta

secondclick,letthepinloweragainuntilyouonceagainfeelthegiveoftheplug.Assumeatthispointthatthechamberispickedandmoveforward,goingthroughthesameprocedure.

Ifyouencounterapinstackthatresists,moveontoanotherstackandthengobacktotheonethatdidnotpick.Treateachstackasthoughyouknowthereisahighsecuritypinpresent,testingthebreakingpointtwice.Withgreatpatienceandawillingnesstostartoverasmanytimesasittakes,thecylindercanbedefeated.

Again--ifyou'repickingforexperienceandpractice,keepatit.Ifyou'reinarealworldsituationandworkingforacustomer,thereisapointwhereitismuchwisertoresorttothedrillthantowasteaninordinateamountoftimetryingtopickalockcontaininghighsecuritytoppins.

PART9

TubularLocks

Thesecircularkeywaysareoftenseenonlocksprotectingvendingmachines,alarmpanels,andutilityboxes.Theyofferafairlyhighdegreeofsecurityinsofarastheirpick-resistanceowingprimarilytothefactthatconventionalpickingmethodsarenotveryeffectivewiththem.Theyarepintumblerlocksandworkexactlylike"in-line"pintumblerlocks,withspringloadedtoppinsrestingagainstbottompins,butthefactthatthechambersarelaidoutinacircularpatternposesuniquechallengestothelockpicker.

Thekeygivesthelockitsname,beingtubularinshape.Thereareseveral

varietiesoftubularlocks,somehaving6pinsandothers7,8,9oreven10.Therearedifferences,too,inthecircumferencesandinthepinlayout.

Toaddressthishybridvarietyoflockcylinder,severalpickmanufacturershavedesignedtubularlockpicks.Becauseofthevarietyoftubularlockdesigns,morethanonepickhadtobedesigned.

Picksdesignedfortubularlocksemploy"feelers"arrangedinacircle,onematchingtheplacementofeachstackoftumblersinthelock.Thepinstacksarepickedoneatatimebyadjustingthereachofeachindividualfeeler,sothat,intheend,thedepthconfigurationmatchesthatofthetumblersinthelock.Eachfeelercanbeadjustedastothetensionbehindit,aswell,inmostpicks.

Thecostofthesevariouspickdesignscanrangefrominexpensivetopricey.Somearedecidedlyhigh-techintheirapproachtodefeatingtubularplugs,othersarenotmuchmorethanfeelersheldtighttoashaftwitharubberband.

Ifyouwouldliketolearnmoreabouttheprocessofpickingtubularlocks,Isuggestyouorderoneofthelessexpensivemodels,alongwithatubularcamlockforpractice.Theinstructionspackedwiththepickwillbeyourbestguidetothespecializedprocedureofopeningtheseuniquelocks.It'sreallynomoredifficultthanpickingagoodconventionalpintumblerlock,buttheprocessisdifferentenoughthathands-onpracticeisanabsolutemust.IwouldsuggestbuyingtheHPCmodelTLP-CMODBpick,whichisdesignedtopickstandard7-pintubularlocks.Ithasalonghistoryandisconsideredoneofthemostuser-friendlyandyetamazinglyeffectivepicksavailable.

Tubularlockpicksareuniqueinanotherway.Thereisnoneedforatensiontoolbecausethepickfitsthekeywayfullyduringtheprocessandistorqued(lightly,asinotherformsofturningtension)toprovidethisforce.Whenthelockhasbeenpicked,thefeelersremainlockedinplace.Thismeansthepickingtoolbecomes,attheend,akindoftemporarykeyandcanbeusedtooperatethelockoverandover.Itcanalsobedecoded,withtheuseofadecoder(usuallyincludedinthepriceofthepick),providingtheinformationrequiredtocutanexactcodekey.

Theprocessoftubularlockpickingissimilarenoughtoconventionallockpickingthatthesamecautionshavetobeexercised,suchaswatchingtheamountofturningpressureused(toomuchandthepinsbind,toolittleandpinsalreadypickedwillreturntotheneutralposition).Tubularpicksmustbeheld

flushtothefaceofthekeywayatalltimes,asevenalittlerockingwillaffectthereachofsomeofthefeelers,possibly"overcoding"apin(pushingitdowntoofar)orlosingthecodingonapickedone.

DRILLINGTUBULARLOCKS

Aswithothertypesofcylinders,youwon'talwaysbesuccessfulpickingtubularlocksanditmaycomedowntodrilling.Here,youusuallyhaveasomewhateasierjob.Tubularlocksarealmostalwaysquitesmallandthepinssimilarlydiminutive.Asharpholesawpurchasedatahardwarestoreoftheproperdiameterwilltakeoutthepinsquickly,allowingthelocktoturn.Specializedholesawsmadespecificallyforthispurposeareavailable,too.Itshouldbenotedthat,likeotherlocktypes,sometubularlocksusehardenedpinsandevenballbearingsinthechamberstomakethiskindofattackmuchmoredifficult.

PART10

AnIntroductionToImpressioning

Ifyoucan'tpickit,andyoudon'twanttodestroyit,thereisanotheravenueopen--atleastinsomecases--tothosewhohavemasteredtheartofkeyimpressioning.

Itdoesn'tmeanmakinganimpressionofanexistingkeyinclayorplastic,notdoesitmeanpumpingsomekindofsupercompoundintothekeywaysoitcanautomaticallyformaworkingkey(wouldn'tTHATbeamoneymaker!)Impressioningisthepracticeofinsertinganuncutkeyblankintoalockand,throughrockingitcarefullyasitisheldtightinimpressioningpliers,obtainingmarksfromthetumblersthatbindasyousimultaneouslyapplyturningforce.

Thisismucheasieraccomplishedwithconventionalwaferlocks(notsidebar,asthisprocedurewillNOTworkwiththose),althoughwithpracticeandexperienceitisequallyeffectivewithpintumblerlocks.Itdoestakeworktoexcelatthisskill,butitisoneofthemosttreasuredoflocksmithabilitiesandiswellworthpursuing.Itisnotaformofpicking...itisaskillinandofitself,andonethatcanbailyououtofasituationwhereyoujustcan'tgetasuccessfulpick.

Fortheimpressioningpliers,mostlocksmithssimplyusegoodol'Visegrip©pliers.Somepreferthebigones(lotsmoreleverageavailable)whileothersshyawayfromthemandusesmallVicegrips©becauseit'stooeasytobreakkeyswiththebigones.

Brasskeyblanks,beingrelativelysoft,arethebestchoiceasthemarkswillshowupbetter.Asetofspecialfilescalledimpressioningfilesisnecessary,too.Theyhaveshapesthataidinthisworkandarehavefineteeth,whichtendtoleaveasmoothercutandthusallowfurthermarksasyouprogressthroughtheimpressioning.Topreparetheblank,afinefileisrunoverthebladetoprepareittoreceivemarks.Youareworkingtogetasmooth,unmarkedsurface.Clampthekeyblankinthepliersandinsertitallthewayintothelock.Itshouldbenotedherethatifyouknowbeforehandthatyouaregoingtoimpressionalock,donotlubricateit!Lubricationinthekeywaywillmakemarkshardertoobtainandsometimesitwilldownrightpreventmarksfromoccurring.

Foranexample,let'sassumeyouaregoingtoimpressionadesklock,andthatisaconventionalwaferdesign.Youmustfirst,ofcourse,knowwhatkeyblankiscalledfor,andthisalonewillrequiresomefurtherknowledgeoflocksandcommonkeyways.Butlet'sassumeyouhavetheblankandthefileset(whichcanbeobtainedthroughourmall,ifyousende-mailandinquire).Withakeythissmall,itwouldmostlikelybebesttouseasmallpairofVicegrips©,asitwouldbeveryeasytotearthekeyintheprocessofgettingmarks.

Withthekeyinserted,then,gentlyrockthepliersupanddowninanarrowarcwhilesimultaneouslyapplyingaslightturningforce.Youcanalternatethedirectionoftheturningtoenhancemarks.Remember,youarenottryingtoforcethelocktoturn!Youareintentionallybindingthetumblersthatarenotevenwiththeshearline(manylockshaveastheirshallowestdeptha"zerocut",meaningthatanuncutblankwillbringtheseshortestwafersrighttotheshear

line).Let'ssayforthisexamplethatthelockyouareimpressioning,unbeknownsttoyouofcourse,hasthiscombinationoftumblers:2-4-1-1-4.

Withdrawthekeyandwipethebladetoremoveanyforeignmatterordustthatmightmaskyourmarks.Useagoodmagnifier...ithelpsimmensely.Thetopofthekeybladeshouldhaveatleastoneortwomarkswheretumblershavepinboundbytheturningpressureandhaverubbedagainstthemetaloftheblank.Becausethislockhastwopositionsalreadyattheshearline(spaces3and4),thosepositionswillnotleaveamarkbecausetheirrespectivetumblersarecompletelywithintheplugandarenotbindingagainsttheshell.Youprobablyhavemarkswherethelongesttumblersreside...inpositions2and5.Boththesepositionsareusingnumber4wafers,meaningtheyprotrudehigherintotheshellwhenboundthanthenumber2waferthatisinthesecondposition.

Withwaferlocks,themarkswilloftenlooklikeastraightlineacrosstheblade.Thisdependsonthetypeoflock,actually.Automotivewafersusuallyleavelittlenicksateachsideoftheblade.Withpintumblerlocks,themarkswilllookliketinydimplesinthemetalofthekey,usuallyveryroundandoftenbarelyvisibleuntilyoubegintogetclosetotherightkey,whenthemarkswillbecomedeeperandmoreobviousthecloseryouget.

Thekeybladeisshowing3marks.Position1hasaveryslightmark,butthemarksinpositions2and5,whichhappentocorrespondtowhatwillbecomethedeepestcutsinthekey(no.4wafers),aremuchmoredistinct.

Inaperfectworld,youwouldONLYgetmarksexactlywherethekeyneedstobefiledandNEVERgetmarkswhereyoumustn'tfile.Well,sometimesitgoesthatway,butyoushouldbeawarethatmarkswillsometimesappearwheretheyoughtnottoandonceinawhilejusttheoppositewill

happen.Theskillcomesinknowingwhentofile,howdeeptofile,andofcoursewhentoignoremarks.Withsimplewaferlocks,themarksareoftenveryeasytoreadandeasytodecipher.

Useafilewitharoundorellipticalshapetosimulatetheshapeofabitting,andfiletheobviousmarksdownuntilyouhaveashallowgrooveexactlywherethemarksstood.Makecertainthatthecutyoumakehasslopingsidesinsteadofabruptridges:

Theobjecthereistocontinuewiththisprocessslowly,cuttingeachmark

thatyouobtainwithyourfile,alittleatatime,untiltheplugturns.Gradually,thelockwilltellyou(oratleastshowyou)wheretofileandwheretoavoidfiling.Ifyouarecarefultoleavethebottomofeachfiledcutsmooth,sothatthenextmarkcanshowup,you'lleventuallygetagoodapproximationoftheoriginalkeyandlockwillturn.

Themostcommonerrorsmadeinlearninghowtoimpressionarethese:FailuretopreparetheblankbyfilingasmoothedgebeforebeginningTheuseoftoomuchturningforceduringimpressioningTheuseoftoolittleturningforceduringimpressioning

Toomuchforceusedinapplyingthe"rocking"motion,whichcanbreakkeyseasilyFailuretoproduceSHALLOWcutswiththefileFailuretoshapethefiledcutswithslopingsides,causingtumblerstohangupFailuretoleaveeachfiledcutsmoothatthebottomsothatnewmarkscanbeseenFiling"offposition"sothatcutsendupoutofalignmentwithtumblersFailuretousesomecautioninwhichmarkstofile

Impressioning,likepicking,requirespatience,practice,andthenmorepractice.Itisaskillworthobtaining,andonethatcanbehonedtoahighdegreeofperfection.

INREVIEW

Themystiqueinherentinthisfascinatingtradecomeslargelyfromtheskillwecall"lockpicking".Itisaskillthatcanbelearnedquiterapidly,withtheapplicationofpatienceanddetermination.Ifyoumakeuseoftheinformationandtipspresentedinthismanual,andyoudedicateyourselftoongoingpracticewithalltheformsofpickingandrakingdiscussedhere,youcanhardlyhelpbutbecomeaskillfullockpicker.

Asinanyotherendeavor,theuseofpropertechniqueisactuallysecondarytotheuseofpropertools.We'veallseenJamesBondpicklockswithpaperclips,andwhileIcan'tsayconclusivelythatitcan'tbedone(infactI'mquitesureitcanbedonewithSOMEtypesoflocksandwithverycleveruseofTWOpaperclips),Icansaythatnooneisgoingtolearntheskillbyresortingtosuchfoolishness.

Ifyou'reseriousaboutpickingupthisskill/art/talent...obtainqualitytoolsfirstandpracticeAFTERyou'reinpossessionofthem.You'llquicklycatchonifyouprogressslowly,andworkwithuncomplicatedcylindershavingcombinationswithinthemthatwillnottooseverelychallengeyoutoosoon.

Appliedwithinyourtradeasalocksmith,theskillwillbeinvaluableandasourceofever-present,andwelldeserved,pride.