For All of You Amateur Locksmiths

[jfsmith]

I was at gun show Saturday doing a table the guy next to me was the guy who I got my pick set from. He now sells a DVD with all of his methods and the different things you need to know about lock picking.

http://www.lockpicks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=399

This is not an instant course in how to become a master lock smith, but will teach you the basics.

If you buy the DVD, you a basic set of picks with it.

Jerry

[CCWKen]

My lock-pick tools consist of a 1/2 drill and cutting torch! http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net//biggrin.gif

[rockrat]

Another site. http://www.lockpicking101.com/ They have some free vids for download showing you how to make picks out of hacksaw blades. Not that I would know. http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net//rolleyes.gif

jfsmith - were you at the Columbus local show? Missed this one, hope to hit the next.

rock -

[Rustystud]

JFSMITH:

That lock pick set and DVD in North Carolia is just like having a gun in Washington DC. If you are not a locksmith and licensed you could be charged with possession of burglery tools. I guess all these guys driving down the road with plasma cutters, OA torches, saws-alls, and grinders are locksmiths too. Thought you might enjoy the laugh.
Rustystud

[operose]

see if you can find a text file called "The MIT Guide to Lockpicking" floating around on the internet... it's how I learned, to, uh, unlock my, uh, stuff, when I, uh, lost the keys

[jfsmith]

RustyStud,

In Ohio, the use of such tools for a crime is where they become criminal.

Most locks are not that hard to open and one method I learned in the Army was a fast and cheap alternative, a sledge hammer.

Plus the Army is where I received an afternoon of training to open locks with picks. Locks are machines and I thought that we worked with machines, including guns and other such items that may be hazardous to us in one form or another.

Jerry

[ibewgypsie]

A piece of springy steel cut from a electricians fishtape, ground into a long thin probe with hook on end.. Use a tension bar bent 90 to hold pressure on the tumblers while others are "raked" into place.

A cheapie masterlock can be opened in a few seconds. Anyone watching thinks you had a key.

Having to work in offices where the office worker has key in pocket is the way I learned.

Some locks have false tumblers, you can't open them easily. Some "theft proof" masterlocks have stiff springs on the tumblers, they are hard too.

I recently opened the womens bathroom at the racetrack with a credit card. Stepped inside and got the keys off the toilet. The lil old lady dancing the pee-pee jig was very happy.

[Locksmith]

Guys, just for general knowledge, you can buy decent lock picks for 2-3 bucks apiece, though some of mine are very expensive.(But this is my living, not a hobby). By the time you go through all the trouble of making them...

Master locks ARE easy to open. I usually use a bolt cutter. What a lot of people don't grasp is that a lot of things aren't WORTH picking. As proud of some of you are to bhe able to open padlocks, how many times in the 20 years I've been doing this do you think I've picked open padlocks ?

If you're interested in this stuff go to Palladin Press and get books by Eddie the Wire; he seems to know what he's talking about, though I can't see why you'd go through the trouble of making picks.
DO NOT ever buy any book about picking by "Steve Hampton. THis clown doesn't have a clue. Doesn't even know ow the locks work or their proper nomenclature.
Finally, be realistic. I spend 7-8 hours a day installing, replacing or repairing locks. If you think all you're going to do is pick locks, think again. The closest I came to constant picking was when I did strictly emergencies, and even then it was only half the time.
One morething: Just because you hand me a basketball doesn't make me Michael Jordan. He got where he was with constant practice, on top of his natural gifts. If you think you're going to suddenly start opening doors because you have lock picks, well
Locksmitha
PS No, I am not impressed when people tell me they open desks. When you've opened a safe deposit box for the cops with 1.5 million in Cocaine in it, then come talk to me.

[Evan]

I grind up pin runners from hacksaw blades, wrap a little electrical tape for a handle. Torque wrenches too. A friend came by one day years ago with his brand new car. He locked his keys in it. I opened it in about 30 seconds. Got lucky on that one, cheap wafer lock. He was not impressed.

However, this is my favorite lock pick:

http://vts.bc.ca/pics/bcut.jpg

[ASparky]

Do check your local regs. In some countries carrying lock picks is illegal.

[sasquatch]

Dave,, really great to hear from you!!! (did that lady give you a great big Kiss -After of course!). Don,t be shy,, we miss your postings,, you have knowledge, and humor,, they both go together great, on this board!- How,s that Super shaker Chevy comming along?
Ray in N. Ont.

[sasquatch]

Wasn,t it Robin Hood or Friar Tuck that were arrested for picking the lock on Maid Marion,s Chastity Belt? John or Alistair remember anything about that incident?:D :D :D Ray in N. Ont.

[japcas]

Dave,, really great to hear from you!!! (did that lady give you a great big Kiss -After of course!). Don,t be shy,, we miss your postings,, you have knowledge, and humor,, they both go together great, on this board!- How,s that Super shaker Chevy comming along?
Ray in N. Ont.

I'm not sure if the dates on here are right or not, but if they are, Dave's reply was posted over a year ago.

[George Seal]

Dave,, really great to hear from you!!! (did that lady give you a great big Kiss -After of course!). Don,t be shy,, we miss your postings,, you have knowledge, and humor,, they both go together great, on this board!- How,s that Super shaker Chevy comming along?
Ray in N. Ont.
Ray ,
I also miss Davids posts but the one you are referring to was posted 05-30-2005

[CCWKen]

You guys just wake up or something? Dave's post was made over a year ago. :rolleyes:

Looks like Locksmith has come back from a long trip and resurrected some old posts.

[Locksmith]

Yep, haven't posted for a while, and I did ressurect some old posts. Just adding some insight gleaned from 20 + years in the trade.

Here's some popular remarks from customers :

"Where can I get a set of those"(Lockpicks). And where would they be right now, besides locked in your apartment?

"Where can I get a set of those(2)" If I gave you a basketball, would you be Michael Jordan, just because you had a basketball?

"It doesn't take this long on TV" Have you considered hiring an actor to let you in?

"I bought this lock online and want you to install it." Why, can't get a cyber-locksmith to come out ?

"my closing is today at 3pm. Can you meet me at the house at 3:30pm?" You've never closed on a house before, have you ?

"I'm locked out(11PM). Another locksmith said he'd do it for $50.00." Then call the other locksmith.

[Evan]

That reminds me of the same thing on my old job with Xerox. A couple of my "favorites":

"Well, I guess you aren't like the Maytag repairman.", "No, but I still have a job..."

(machine in parts all over the floor, customer comes in) "Can I make just one copy?" "Sure, just hold these two wires together while I plug it in"

There was one that I actually did like. I was on Saltspring Island about 1/2 hour drive from the ferry. It was 5:00 pm and the last ferry leaves at 5:30. It was going to be close. The pretty young blonde receptionist says to me "you can stay at my place".


I made the ferry, wistfully. I was married at the time and still am.

[John Stevenson]

Wasn't it Robin Hood or Friar Tuck that were arrested for picking the lock on Maid Marion,s Chastity Belt? John or Alistair remember anything about that incident?:D :D :D Ray in N. Ont.

No the story was, the Sheriff of Nottingham locked Maid Marion's chastity belt and entrusted Alastair with the key and rode off to the crusades.
He'd only got two miles down the road when Alastair came up all out of breath to tell him he'd given him the wrong key. :)

.

[Wirecutter]

Ahhh, lockpicking. I taught myself the basics, and I've used it only a time or two, but I'm no professional. First time I used it for real, it was to unlock a file cabinet at work, earning me an enthusiastic hug from one of the prettier ladies in the office. Yeah, I know - file cabinets are pretty easy to open, but if you don't know that, it's practically magic to see it done. Another time, the neighbors got locked out of the house with the garage doors up. I picked the lock between the garage and the house. Again, a pretty easy lock. It was no safe deposit box, nor was it one of those Medeco high-security jobs.

I've gotten most of my practice while idly fiddling with a lock while watching the tube or doing some other mindless activity. After a short while, I can get a feel for a particular lock, provided it's a pretty easy one. I'd have to agree with the resident pro on the subject - some locks are easy enough I can teach a 10 year old to do it, and others I can't even imagine can be picked at all. That's why we men have tools, torches, drills, and other destructive implements. YMMV.

-Mark

[bolmas]

i bought an item recently from a creditable expert on roman items.
in roman times valuables were saved in large caskets with a crude[by our standards] lock and key.
it is a key that was fitted to the back of a ring and worn on the finger so it would not get lost. i have had it checked and it is genuine from the 2nd century and comes from wiltshire, found on the site of a roman encampment.i find it fascinating to think it is 1800 yrs old.

[JPR]

question for Locksmith, how much better are the American 700 series with 6 pin tumblers over the generic master lock?

[Alistair Hosie]

Hey John I would have just used the bolt croppers and still been out of puff:DAlistair ps the way I heard it he fitted a small guilotine to the hole in the chastity belt and Evan hasn't been able to speak since:DAlistair