NYGF Lockpicking Thread

[libertysnake]

Anyone here into lock picking? I think only NYC and Nassau County give you any trouble in this state as far as needing a license, while you're otherwise free to do whatever elsewhere.

Waiting to get a disc lock pick -- I've seen a few in action, but never tried to pick a disc lock yet.

 

[Toecutter]

At one time I wanted to get lockpicks and learn. I forgot about it . Seems like a good skill to have.

 

[libertysnake]

At one time I wanted to get lockpicks and learn. I forgot about it . Seems like a good skill to have.

It can be. But it's not for everyone:

 

[kev74]

I've got a cheap set of picks. They've come in handy a few times.

The little thin strips of spring steel in windshield wiper arms are just about perfect for making picks.

 

[libertysnake]

I've got a cheap set of picks. They've come in handy a few times.

The little thin strips of spring steel in windshield wiper arms are just about perfect for making picks.

In a jam your friends are an aluminum can and paperclips. You can make shims and picks between both those. And some tape -- so you can wrap the shims to prevent cutting yourself.

 

[BDinPutnam]

Something I've always wanted / meant to get into.

Anything good out there for beginners?

 

[kev74]

These are the ones I bought with some I made, and a bunch of blanks I can make more from.

 

[kev74]

Something I've always wanted / meant to get into.

Anything good out there for beginners?

Get a cheepie set from the magical orient and practice. I think I got mine from banggood.com for less than $20.

 

[libertysnake]

Something I've always wanted / meant to get into.

Anything good out there for beginners?

You actually don't need much. To start out just get a few basic picks. You can get the tuxedo if you want as a basic set, or just a few single picks.

The Tuxedo Set

The Tuxedo set by sparrows is designed to be your everyday carry set. The set includes 7 carefully selected picks that will open a wide variety of locks from standard front door locks to high security locks.

www.sparrowslockpicks.com

Spirit is also a good Sparrows set cause it's more pick heavy, so easier to learn Single Pick Picking (SPP).

Really all you need is a short hook, and a snake rake or triple peak. Maybe a city rake or a high reach if you want to add a nice extra option.

Beyond that it's just tension -- so a paperclip, a piece of bent metal, anything to apply tension will work. Doesn't have to be fancy.

Get some practice locks as well with cutaways so you can see the moving of the pins and associate what you see with how it feels. It's all about the feeling in your hand at advanced levels, and knowing what that feeling means.

Also watch videos out there. Picking is part of it, but another part is just knowing the quirks of the locks you want to defeat. I have a combo masterlock that actually can't be shimmed, but has a fatal flaw I saw, and performed as well, from watching a Lock Picking Lawyer video.

 

[fnfalguy]

+1 on tuxedo As a starter set. Bosnianbill has some good beginner vids, as does lockpicking lawyer, and helpful lockpicker. Good to practice on master locks, sort of entry level stuff and a confidence builder.

 

[HEX]

Anyone here into lock picking?

Yep. I've been into it since I was a kid really. It's certainly a hobby that will get you some weird looks when you tell anyone about it. Comes in very useful on occasion though.

 

[C3D]

How did I not know about this Sparrows website? I want to order *everything*.

 

[HEX]

I've used Sparrows a couple of times. Not cheap, but generally quality and trustworthy. If you're someone who just wants to play around and get started, you really don't need anything high quality or expensive. Cheap amazon sets will get you started. The one thing I do find with those sets though is bad tension wrenches. They're usually too thick.. or too something, and need to be modified (which is simple with a dremel or grinder).

Just recently I had a friend require my help with a floor safe that had a tubular lock and I grabbed one of these 'The Goat Wrench' from Sparrows.
The Goat Wrench . I wound up getting it a different way before the order showed up, but I've played with it since and it's a handy thing to have.

 

[libertysnake]

How did I not know about this Sparrows website? I want to order *everything*.

Petersen lockpicks are also solid. They’re also located in Rochester and make them there too I believe. Less tactical, but their grips are really well done on the handles. thinkpeterson.com

Sparrows is located in Lancaster PA.

 

[GOPerfect]

I have always wanted to try my hand at this, maybe now is the time. I think I will order the following:

The Tuxedo Set

The Tuxedo set by sparrows is designed to be your everyday carry set. The set includes 7 carefully selected picks that will open a wide variety of locks from standard front door locks to high security locks.

www.sparrowslockpicks.com

With the clear lock.

Thanks for this thread....

 

[libertysnake]

I have always wanted to try my hand at this, maybe now is the time. I think I will order the following:

The Tuxedo Set

The Tuxedo set by sparrows is designed to be your everyday carry set. The set includes 7 carefully selected picks that will open a wide variety of locks from standard front door locks to high security locks.

www.sparrowslockpicks.com

With the clear lock.

Thanks for this thread....

Awesome. Don’t forget to practice on actual locks though. The clear is good for viewing. The copper is better with the cutaway. The best practice is the real deal as that gives you the full feeling of picking it compared to metal on plastic, which is easier to see.

I once locked myself out of my house. Picked my way back in. Saved myself $100 in a locksmith cost.

 

[Darth]

I dabble. Love watching LPL and BosnianBill videos.

 

[libertysnake]

I dabble. Love watching LPL and BosnianBill videos.

Both good resources. LPL did a good video on the VaultTek LifePod. After that video they made updates to existing safes to prevent the exploit he used. Literally made the product better.

 

[Tintalieau]

piucked up a 20 set someplace myself, fun to learn. saved my some $$ over the years too

 

[Mosinitis]

Years ago I bought a lock pick that looks like a pen and converts into two piece lock picking tool. Very simple, just one tool that you push-pull and a lever with which you apply pressure. Over the years I had to use it about 4 times and it worked half of the time. I never really took the time to learn how to use it. It's a nice tool to have when you need it, but of no use other than those few times per decade.

 

[Bob]

I'm the guy at work who people call when they need access to something and don't can't wait for maintenance or security.
In a previous lifetime, I worked for a company that provided lockout services for customers who locked their keys in their cars. I MAY have opened doors with jigglers a couple times while the young bucks were fighting with the in-door tools on the other side of the vehicle.

I have a couple of cheap Southord sets and a couple of jiggler sets that I keep in various locations. I find myself using one or the other about once at week at work - sometimes a jiggler is easier than trying to find the right key for a cabinet when you have a dozen on the ring.

 

[Blimey]

I bought a cheap set earlier this year after watching the lockpicking lawyer channel on youtube. Ill juts say it's a hell of a lot harder than he makes it look.

 

[Mosinitis]

Just ordered a set on ebay to keep up with the Joneses. Lots of tools, practice see-through locks, good deal, from China.

 

[spat]

I've got a cheap set of picks. They've come in handy a few times.

The little thin strips of spring steel in windshield wiper arms are just about perfect for making picks.

Those little bits of spring steel are great for a lot of things, and most people don’t even know they're there.

 

[libertysnake]

Managed to pay off again today. Lost the key to an old file cabinet. Nothing crazy inside, but managed to pick it in a few minutes.

 

[HEX]

The funny thing about lockpicking (and other associated skills).. is that the more you do it, the more you realize how nothing is really secure; which is both interesting and also a little scary. Or perhaps it's more succinct to say that you realize that almost all security is really all within varying levels of what is really security theater.

Earlier in this thread I said I'd been into it since I was a kid and, though I was quite young, I actually remember exactly how it started.
Initially when writing this post I was going to give sort of a little backstory of my upbringing to explain how this sort of thing would come about, but I decided to delete all that and just say.. I was a weird kid who was left very much to my own devices and when I got myself into jams I pretty much had to get myself out of it. That is not to say I had a bad parent; just a single one who had a lot on their plate to keep us surviving.

Anyway , from a very early age (I have no idea exactly when, but I couldn't have been more than 7 or 8), I had a set of handcuffs. I'm not going to even explain that..heh. One of the first things a kid like me decided to do with them was lock myself to things and put the keys further and further out of my reach (A weird little escape artist with a taste for danger in the making.. I'm not sure that ever really went away given many of the choices I made in my life). At some point I threw them too far away and had to do something I guess, or who knows how long I'd be stuck there. That was the day I learned, as a young child, how to pick handcuffs.

To this day, every once in a while I intentionally lock myself out of rooms and other things in the house; for no other reason then to need to open them unconventionally. Due mostly to health issues and such, and age I suppose, I'm no longer the danger seeker I was for most of my life.. but I am still pretty weird.

 

[Cooolone]

Lock picking is only when you want to save the cylinder or not reveal the doors been opened!

Otherwise, typically, a battery drill and 3/8 HS Steel bit will make light work of almost any lock! 10 seconds and opened!

Remember, locks are for HONEST people... Lmao!

 

[SonOfSun]

A bump key for you, a bump key (or 33) for me...

 

[kev74]

Lock picking is only when you want to save the cylinder or not reveal the doors been opened!

Otherwise, typically, a battery drill and 3/8 HS Steel bit will make light work of almost any lock! 10 seconds and opened!

Remember, locks are for HONEST people... Lmao!

Yup. 3/8" is overkill though. You just need a bit as wide as the pins.

 

[Cooolone]

Yup. 3/8" is overkill though. You just need a bit as wide as the pins.

True, but sometimes then the bit will walk and it gets sloppy... 3/8 takes out the entire cylinder lol... Indiscriminately