Any other hobbies lock pickers?

[Gung Pow Chicken]

Are there any other hobbies lock pickers on the LTT Forum? How did you get started? 

 

I've been picking since I attended my first Con in 2011, and it's been a huge obsession of mine since then. I've currently been working on different pin configurations with the Sparrows test lock set, I purchased the whole set and a few pinning mats last year. I thought I was pretty good at lock picking until I tried some configs with serrated and security pins, can't single pin them for the life of me.

 

 

[Guest]

I wanted to get started as a cool party trick and never needing keys. Can’t lose a key if it’s locked by its lock, am I right? 

 

How do you get started? Where are lock pick conventions? What are some easy locks to pick? 

[Canada EH]

All I know is from Youtube, and Masterlocks are useless!

All you need is a crude bump stop and you can open them.

 

You want a decent lock $100+ and you got one, that would need lots of time to pick. Or a cordless grinder with a cutoff wheel.

I heard those fancy helixal pins are tough to pick.

 

Be aware that some of the YT lock pickings, can be rigged from the get go. I remember seeing one guy on there have some round thingy that took him two seconds, the barrel was rigged, probably no pins. I believe he did Kryptonite NY Lock the best on the market, costing $150.

[MeDownYou]

Honestly you just have to pick up a whack ton of locks and and go at it, see if you can pick the 2 pin brinks, then 4 pin masters, then 5 pins, then 4 pin+1 security pin, then 6 pins + security pin, then 4+2 security, you get the idea

 

If you're in college lectures are the perfect time to practice picking locks. 

 

Legally speaking i wouldn't know anything about picking locks or claim to know anything, but when you get the the point where you can pick AZZA's you're on the right track

 

also if there is a town group, or if you know someone with a few locks that comes in really handy because locks get EXPENSIVE fast. and by that i mean you can legitimately spend more cash on this hobby than PC building.

[Gung Pow Chicken]

1 hour ago, MeDownYou said:

Honestly you just have to pick up a whack ton of locks and and go at it, see if you can pick the 2 pin brinks, then 4 pin masters, then 5 pins, then 4 pin+1 security pin, then 6 pins + security pin, then 4+2 security, you get the idea

 

If you're in college lectures are the perfect time to practice picking locks. 

 

Legally speaking i wouldn't know anything about picking locks or claim to know anything, but when you get the the point where you can pick AZZA's you're on the right track

 

also if there is a town group, or if you know someone with a few locks that comes in really handy because locks get EXPENSIVE fast. and by that i mean you can legitimately spend more cash on this hobby than PC building.

I've got a tackle box with probably 30-40 different locks, various pin configurations and I can get all of them just not the sparrows practice locks lol I hate the springs it comes with. 

[Gung Pow Chicken]

9 hours ago, fpo said:

I wanted to get started as a cool party trick and never needing keys. Can’t lose a key if it’s locked by its lock, am I right? 

 

How do you get started? Where are lock pick conventions? What are some easy locks to pick? 

Personally I would start by watching Schuyler Towne's videos, he is one of the best in the business. There are a lot of local lock picking groups I've found over the last few years, and Def Con is always a good one, maybe even one of the biggest. Definitely be sure to check your local pick laws, here are some useful links. AND NEVER PICK ANY LOCKS WITH A PURPOSE!! AND THAT AREN'T YOUR'S!!

 

 

https://toool.us/laws.html

https://unitedlocksmith.net/blog/lock-pick-laws-rules-and-regulations-is-your-hobby-a-crime-in-your-state

http://www.sparrowslockpicks.com/category_s/80.htm

http://www.southord.com/Lock-Picking-Tools/Lock-Pick-Sets.html

[Guest]

Thanks! 

[Tsuki]

a friend of mine was a locksmith and took me out on a couple of jobs with him.  i learned a lot and he gave me a nice pick set for free.

i actually carry it with me everywhere i go, its come in handy more than a few times.

 

with the exception of a couple of manufacturers, picking doors is super easy. (fuck you kwikset)

[Canada EH]

11 minutes ago, Tsuki said:

i actually carry it with me everywhere i go, its come in handy more than a few times.

yup sure does come in handy

[Dash Lambda]

I've been meaning to get into lockpicking, but I have yet to get a good set of picks.

 

What I have done, however, is make a number of picks for a friend. First couple were pretty bad, one was copper and one was made from a chintzy screwdriver, but at some point I started using woodworking saw blades and ended up with a few good ones. I think the best ones were a diamond and a hook pick. I was going to get some titanium stock to try and make picks with, but so far I haven't done that. Maybe after school gets out.

[ShredBird]

I toyed with it for a little bit, never did spend enough time on it to get really good.

[Canada EH]

no real need to pick locks unless you want to break the law or become a "locksmith"

[Gung Pow Chicken]

13 minutes ago, Dash Lambda said:

I've been meaning to get into lockpicking, but I have yet to get a good set of picks.

 

What I have done, however, is make a number of picks for a friend. First couple were pretty bad, one was copper and one was made from a chintzy screwdriver, but at some point I started using woodworking saw blades and ended up with a few good ones. I think the best ones were a diamond and a hook pick. I was going to get some titanium stock to try and make picks with, but so far I haven't done that. Maybe after school gets out.

You can get super cheap pick set's on amazon, although check your local laws first. I've never really tried making my own picks, or using anything except picks.

[Dash Lambda]

33 minutes ago, Icuw1pc said:

You can get super cheap pick sets on Amazon, although check your local laws first. I've never really tried making my own picks, or using anything except picks.

I've actually been looking at Peterson pick sets, either the Ghost or Eagle's Nest.

[Tsuki]

4 hours ago, Canada EH said:

no real need to pick locks unless you want to break the law or become a "locksmith"

i actually strongly disagree with this.  I've never used mine to break the law, nor am i a paid locksmith, its an very useful skill that has its benefits.

4 hours ago, Canada EH said:

yup sure does come in handy

yup it does, ive had multiple friends and family members lock themselves out of their house and they've all called me since i'll do it for free instead of them having to pay $200 for a locksmith to do it.  ive also run into cases where a business has locked themselves out of something and ive happened to be there to give them a hand.   shit, when i moved into my new house, my wife had the keys and i showed up like 2 hours before she did, instead of waiting for her, i just picked the lock lol