Lock-picking Skills (LPS)

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Certain “life skills” are fun to learn, practical to have, and occasionally useful.

Lock-picking is such a skill, right up there with making fire and tying knots.

We were curious to find out:

• just how difficult it is to learn how to pick locks,
• what tools are needed to pick locks, and
• if picking locks is a RainyDaySkill worth developing.

Come find out with us!

Locks

Some RainyDayMagaziners learn by seeing then doing, others like to just dig in and get their hands dirty right away. For learning how to pick locks, though, a basic understanding of how locks work make developing the skill much easier.

There is alot of information out there about how locks work, but nothing compares to seeing the pins move, aligning them to the key, and watching the cylinder rotate when everything is “just right.”

The practice locks, being made of clear material, make all of that visible, easy to understand, and, well, fun!

Picking different kinds of locks the same way

The practice lock-picking set we got had three different styles of locks: padlock, commercial, and cylinder.

Even though the locks look different, how they work is exactly the same: get the pins to align, and the lock opens. Once we understood that, we were able to improve our “feel” and our picking skills.

Because the body of the practice locks are clear, each came with a soft rubber cover for when we didn’t want to be able to see the pins. While they are a nice-to-have, we found it easier to just close our eyes while practicing…

Tools

Technically, once the lock-picking principle is understood, any thin, springy piece of metal can serve as a lock pick. However, we found it was much better to have a set of inexpensive picks in order to understand how the shape and angle of the tip helped/hindered the process.

This is what we realized:

1. The length of the pick determines how far into the lock the pick can go. If the tool cannot get to the inner-most pin, you’ll never be able to open the lock.
2. If the angle at the tip end of the tool is not right, you’ll have a more difficult time manipulating the pins in the tumbler.
3. If the metal is not flexible or is too pliable, you’ll have a hard time working the pick.

The practice set we got came with a variety of flexible steel tips, and nonslip plastic handles that made for good feel and control.

Once we got the feel (literally) for what we were suppose to do with the picks, we tried it with a paper clip. It worked, but it was nowhere as quick and easy as the springy picks.

While manipulating the pins/tumblers is an integral part of picking locks, the other part of the process is rotating the bolt after the pins have been properly aligned. For that, a second tool, the tension wrench/bar, is required.

The purpose of the tension wrench is to keep just enough force on the rotating bolt so that the pins do not slip back down when moved. How much to lever the tool is also another thing that you need to develop a “feel” for: too hard and the pins won’t move, too light and the pins fall back down when moved.

When all the pins are aligned, the tension wrench is free to turn the bolt, which unlocks the lock. You literally feel it when it happens, and it is such a cool feeling when it happens the first time, and every time afterwards!

Picking

The techniques of how to pick locks are well covered on the web, so we won’t dive into too much detail here.

However, we would like to share our thoughts on learning how to pick locks:

1. Go slow at first, and look at how the pins move in the practice locks;
2. Once you “get it,” pick the lock with your eyes closed;
3. When you can consistently pick one lock, try a different practice lock.
4. When you can easily pick all the practice looks, practice picking all the locks again, but with different picking tools.

Ultimately, picking locks is all about getting the “feel” and “seeing” the pins with your “mind’s eye,” and then practice, practice, practice.

After a while we got good enough with the practice locks that we could do it while watching TV. That was when we decided it was time to try a “real” lock.

The real-lock real-test

A bunch of years ago, we swapped the original lock in the the front door of the office with a biometric lock. Us being us, though, we knew we still had original one somewhere in the office. After looking around for a bit, we found it: a Schlag lock cylinder.

Much to our surprise, our newly acquired lock-picking skills WORKED!!!

We were able to pick the Schlag using both the tool and the paper clip. We have to say, though, it was MUCH easier with the picking tool.

Once we picked an actual, people-use-this-in-their-front-doors lock, we were left with the unsettling realization of just HOW EASY it really is to pick a lock.

We are going to have to up our security…maybe by getting more cats.

Practice

Lock-picking is a skill, and like any skill, practice won’t make you perfect, but it will make you better at what you’re practicing.

In order  to “cement” our newly acquired LPS, we practice it as often as we can, which in our case is nightly before bed. It’s an oddly soothing wind-down from the day’s other activities.

Links to items mentioned:

• Lockpicking tools
• Visible practice locks