Amazing Planet - How to Pick a Lock

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Amazing Planet - Amazing Fun

How to Pick a Lock

You never know where and when you may need to pick a lock. You may just need to get into your house or car, or you may be captured by insurgents in a foreign nation. With practice and time, your skills will improve.

Steps
Understand how your lock works. The pin and-tumbler lock consists of a cylinder that can rotate within its housing (see illustrations below).
Lock Illustration

When locked, the cylinder is kept in place by several pairs of pins. The top pin of each pair protrudes into both the cylinder and the housing, thus preventing the cylinder from turning. When the correct key is inserted, it pushes the pairs of pins up so that the top pins no longer enter the cylinder. When this happens, the cylinder can be turned and the lock will open.

Note the five pairs of pins. The blue pins enter both the cylinder and the (green) housing around it, thus preventing the cylinder from turning. The springs provide resistance to keep the pins in place.

When the key is inserted, the grooves and ridges on the key push the pins up to the correct heights so that all the blue pins are completely out of the cylinder, thus allowing the cylinder to turn and the lock to open.

Get a pick and tension wrench. Each pick is specialized for a different problem. A tension wrench, or torque wrench, is the device with which you apply pressure to turn the lock cylinder. Professional-grade picks and tension wrenches can be purchased in sets (see picture), but many lock picking hobbyists make good quality sets of their own.

You probably don't own a lock pick set, so you're going to have to make due with household items. Here is a list of a few items which will serve you well as a torque wrench:

Allen Wrench.

This is the best tool. If you have a grinder, pick one which is a size or two too big to enter the key-way, then grind it's width down just enough to enter the key-way. If you don't have a grinder, use a file, or use a different item for a torque wrench. (Using one which fits exactly into the key-way will only work for a while, eventually you'll wear out the key-way).

Screwdriver.

Use a very small one, but not so small that it doesn't touch the wards. You'll want to make it as effortless as possible to apply turning pressure.

Paper Clip.

Find a sturdy paper clip and straighten it out. Then bend a loop just big enough to fit into the bottom of the key-way. Then bend the remaining wire about 80-90 degrees to the loop.

Here are some tools which may be used as a pick (most of these tools will work well for picking the first pin, but you'll need to upgrade after you've added a pin or two):

* Allen Wrench. Pick the smallest one you can find.

* Screw Driver. Again, pick the smallest one you can find.

* Paper Clip. You'll need one strong enough to withstand the force of the springs.

* Straight Pin. File the point off so you don't stick yourself.

* Safety Pin. Again, file the point off.

* Staple. You'll need one strong enough to withstand the force of the springs. Straighten it out so it's flat, then turn it edgewise when picking.

Pick the lock. Place the tension wrench into the lower portion of the keyhole. Determine which way the cylinder must be turned to unlock the lock. If you commonly use the lock, you probably already know which way you turn the key to open the lock.

If you don’t know, use the tension wrench to apply torque to the cylinder, first clockwise and then counterclockwise. The cylinder will only turn a fraction of an inch before it stops. Try to feel the firmness of the stop. If you turn the cylinder the wrong way, the stop should feel very firm and stiff. If you turn it the right way, there should be a bit more give. Some locks, especially among padlocks, will open regardless of which way the cylinder is turned.

Apply light torque to the tension wrench in the correct direction, and hold. The required torque will vary from lock to lock and from pin to pin, so this may require some trial and error. Start gently, though. Insert the pick into the upper part of the keyhole and feel the pins. With the pick in the keyhole, you should be able to press up and feel the individual pins with the tip of the pick. You should be able to push them up and feel them spring back down when you release the pressure.

Find the most stubborn pin. While still applying torque, lightly press up on each pin, one at a time. Try to push each one all the way up. Identify which one is the hardest to push up. If they are all very easy to push up, turn your tension wrench more to increase the torque. If one won’t go up at all, ease the torque until you can push it up.

Push the stubborn pin up until it “sets.” Press the stubborn pin with just enough pressure to overcome the downward pressure of the spring. Remember, the pin is actually a pair of pins. Your pick is pushing against the lower pin, which in turn pushes against the upper pin.

Your goal is to push the upper pin completely out of the cylinder. Then, when you stop pushing, the lower pin will fall back down into the cylinder, but the torque on the cylinder will result in a misalignment of the hole in the cylinder with the hole in the housing, and the upper pin should then rest on the cylinder without falling back down. You should hear a faint click as the upper pin falls back down on top of the cylinder. You should also be able to push the lower pin up a little with no resistance from the spring—when this occurs you most likely have the upper pin “set.”

Continue applying torque and repeat the last two steps for each of the remaining pins. It is imperative that you maintain torque on the cylinder to prevent the set pins from dropping back down. You may need to make slight increases or decreases in torque for each pin.

Use the tension wrench to turn the cylinder and unlock the lock. Once all the pins are set, you should be able to turn the cylinder. Hopefully you have already ascertained the correct direction to turn it. If you have chosen the wrong direction, you will need to start over and reset all the pins.

Lock picking is really all about the tension wrench. You will constantly need to find and hold just the right amount of torque to allow you to push the upper pins out of the cylinder while ensuring that pins set and stay set.

Sanding your picks smooth will make it easier for you to slide them in the keyhole and maneuver them.

Apply just enough pressure to the pins to overcome the friction and spring forces. You don’t want to jam the lower pin between the cylinder and the housing.

Remember!!! In some countries, possession of lock picks is a crime, even if the picks are improvised and even if you have no criminal intent. Be aware of the laws in your country.

Thanks to WikiHow.

Your Comments:

The Burglar says:

wow..I should try this tonight..
Posted on September 29, 2007 at 21:12
Voden says:

There's also a thing called a 'bump key' - It's a key that has all grooves filed down to the lowest setting and is used by inserting, pulling out one notch, putting pressure to turn the key and then knocking it in - this momentarily makes the pins jump out of the rotating part of the lock while you manage to turn the key ever so slightly.
Posted on September 29, 2007 at 21:33
Gary Belcher says:

I would think we have enough problems in the USA today without posting information like this for all the dropouts to spend their time reading and practicing! Don't you ?
Posted on October 1, 2007 at 16:51
Doc says:

Hell Gary, the hoods already know this shit.
Posted on October 1, 2007 at 22:46
TheThief says:

Thx, it really worked.
I got myself a new TV tonight!
Posted on October 2, 2007 at 3:36
The Homo says:

Lock picking is bad MMMMMMMMkay
Posted on October 3, 2007 at 0:10
Thief says:

My neighbour hood is pretty scared now, and i got a new computer and 4000£ !
Posted on October 13, 2007 at 17:13
unknown says:

ur all dicks this post is gd man some gd shit i gotta try diz out n u should all try this who reads it!
Posted on December 5, 2007 at 13:54