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GeorgeRobertsonProfessionallocksmithsince1983
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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.