inconsistent picking.

[TarHeelBrit]

Does anyone suffer from this malady? Let me explain. Yesterday I was picking like a semi-pro my 7 pin was yielding to the pic as was my old Schlage deadbolt and a master lock padlock. Today I can't even pick four pins in the lock, nothing has changed same TW same pic...very frustrating indeed. I was going to put some spool pins in today but I think I'll hold off for the moment.

[xeo]

Happened to me when I was first learning. It means one thing, you haven't quite nailed down how to reliably detect the binding pin and/or you're not 100% on pick placement under pinstacks. You need to practice and break through that barrier to where you can consistently open the locks. Practice, lots of it. What really helped me the most was having a batch of 20-30 pin tumbler padlocks from Master to Abus to American Lock that I would pick through in random order once a day until I was able to rip through them amazingly quick. It took about a week to get there, but all the practice is priceless. Just sit on the couch and watch a movie or two and pick on stuff.

[Alera]

You just aren't feeling it today, that's all. When you are first starting, it requires a lot of undivided attention. The more experienced you get, the less this variance happens. Eventually, you'll be able to blind pick in a snowstorm with one arm suffering massive hypothermia. Or something to that extent

[Alaphablue]

Slow down and practice finding the binding pin just focus on the stiff binding pin, not opening the lock . After a while it will become second nature it did for me anyway .

[RAR]

OK, I am terrible having recently returned to the cult. I have had previous success and since my return It's been a trial. I know about practice, practice ( I've already played in Carnegie Hall ). Here's a classic question how do I know when I've found the "binding pin". Just a couple of possible clues might just help. Please.....I'll be your friend. Bob

[Alera]

Look up Wizwazzle and Kokomolock on youtube. They cover pretty much everything you'd need to know. There are also a few written manuals out there that would help. I think (don't quote me) I learned from the MIT guide to Lockpicking. Good luck man

P.S. Sol's guide is somewhere around here, and it's also really good.

[GWiens2001]

What really helped me the most was having a batch of 20-30 pin tumbler padlocks from Master to Abus to American Lock...

20-30 pins!!! Heck, I though my LOB lock with 12 pins was surprising. How long is the key? I wanna see the pick that can reach the back pins! Now going to go search Master's website for these incredible sized padlocks!



Gordon

[xeo]

OK, I am terrible having recently returned to the cult. I have had previous success and since my return It's been a trial. I know about practice, practice ( I've already played in Carnegie Hall ). Here's a classic question how do I know when I've found the "binding pin". Just a couple of possible clues might just help. Please.....I'll be your friend. Bob

First, understand what a binding pin is and why pins even bind in the first place. Because humans are incapable of producing components that are 100% perfect. The holes in a plug are not 100% aligned perfectly, same with the pins themselves, there are very tiny variations in widths. These tolerance imperfections show themselves in a pin tumbler when you apply tension. Applying tension is causing the lock to essentially do its job, it prevents the plug from turning because the pins are blocking the plug from moving. That blocking is the result of two metal objects touching each other. In a perfect world where everything is machined perfectly THEORETICALLY everything will bind at once, meaning every single pinstack will cause blocking as the force would be evenly distributed across all of the objects that are preventing the plug from moving. But we do not live in a perfect world so therefore due to these machining imperfections, only ONE pinstack will absorb all of the force that is preventing the plug from turning. THAT is the binding pin. Why did I just explain this? Knowing how this works is 90% of knowing how to find the binding pin. How do you find it? You're looking for a pinstack that resists vertical movement when moved with a pick. It will feel different than other pinstacks. It will lift, but there will be resistance to the lifting. The resistance will be directly proportional to the tension force you're applying to the lock with your tensioner. The harder you tension, the harder it will be to lift this pinstack. What I initially do is apply tension to a lock and glide my pick over the pins from back to front looking for a "stiff" one. Try that out and see if you can feel it.

This isn't a 100% silver bullet rule as there are cases in the higher security locks where this rule simply does not apply, but I won't go there right now. If you're serious about learning you will learn the subtle intricacies once you get there. I could write 100 pages on trying to explain all of the things I've learned over the years from all the locks I've encountered. Some of them are intensely difficult to articulate. For now, just practice on finding the binding pin by feeling for a resisting pinstack with your pick and focus on lifting it.

[piotr]

Here's a classic question how do I know when I've found the "binding pin". Just a couple of possible clues might just help. Please.....I'll be your friend. Bob

The binding pin is "stiff", it resists your lifting pressure beyond the force that is provided by the spring because its driver pin is experiencing a shearing force which you are introducing with your tension wrench. A non-binding pin resists your lifting pressure because of its spring which will be less resistance than the binding pin.

[TarHeelBrit]

Happened to me when I was first learning. It means one thing, you haven't quite nailed down how to reliably detect the binding pin and/or you're not 100% on pick placement under pinstacks. You need to practice and break through that barrier to where you can consistently open the locks. Practice, lots of it. What really helped me the most was having a batch of 20-30 pin tumbler padlocks from Master to Abus to American Lock that I would pick through in random order once a day until I was able to rip through them amazingly quick. It took about a week to get there, but all the practice is priceless. Just sit on the couch and watch a movie or two and pick on stuff.

I think that's my problem...too easily distracted, my wife bought Despicable Me 2 and I was watching that while picking.

Here's a classic question how do I know when I've found the "binding pin". Just a couple of possible clues might just help. Please.....I'll be your friend. Bob

The binding pin is "stiff", it resists your lifting pressure beyond the force that is provided by the spring because its driver pin is experiencing a shearing force which you are introducing with your tension wrench. A non-binding pin resists your lifting pressure because of its spring which will be less resistance than the binding pin.

I agree, I've found the binding pin in my stack it's #4. I also think I'm applying too much pressure on the wrench which isn't helping me any.

Thanks for the comments everyone, much appreciated.

[AULockpicker]

Have a go at just pushing each pin without the tensioner, repeat this several times until you become familiar with the spring pressure acting on the pins. Then introduce the tensioner and put a drinking straw on the tensioner and apply tension to the overhang of the drinking straw. As you work through the pins again you should be able to 'feel' a pin which is a little harder to push, this is the first binding pin, when that pin is set move on to the next and so on. If the straw bends and folds over, you are using too much pressure on the tensioner.

This won't apply to all locks but it's a starting point on locks which don't require extra tension. It's a good exercise for learning about the amount of tension required.

Hope this helps a bit.

[youluckyfox]

Great idea to use a straw to encourage light tension. To help get a feel for the pin spacing in a lock (to help with visualization) I have lately started doing the following:

1. Get rid of your tension wrench for this exercise.

2. Using a hooked pick, press the pick against the side of the first pin. In other words, the hook pick is having a collision with the side of the outer most pin that you can typically see from outside the lock.

3. While maintaining contact with the pin at all times, slowly lower the pick until you are just under the pin.

4. Raise the pin up and press forward, pressing the pick against the side of the second pin.

5. Repeat the process until you have done this with the last pin and do it in reverse order until your pick is out of the lock.

This helps with knowing how many pins are in your lock, the shape of the pins, AND the relative distance between pins.

[Gregted]

All sage advice. What works for me is to have a variety of locks to practice on. I made up a small practice tower and installed a knobset and will soon add a deadbolt. I have also seen the towers with a u-bolt or link of chain on the side to mount a padlock to add to the variety.

I also have various deadbolts and sliding door locks that can be picked while on the couch.

As far as binding pins go, I have found that some locks have better feedback on the binding pin where others have no feel at all.

One entry set i have only 3 pins in moves the end of my 4 inch tension bar maybe 5 mm when I set number 3 pin and pin 2 is already set when I get to it and doesn't move at all when I set pin 1. Sorry to mix up imperial and metric there...

On the ones that have no feel, I insert my pick all the way to the back, release my finger off the tension bar and rest my finger back down and move the pick up and down under the last pin a few times and then move forward to the next pin in line and repeat.

You may find one pin that already is hard to the touch and this pin is set. Go past this pin, without pushing it up any further and repeat all the way to the front. Then insert pick to the back and repeat. After a few passes you will notice more pins are hard to move and these are also set. You will get to the point where all pins are hard and then the last one will give and there is the yipee moment as the lock gives and the core turns and you are in.

As far as locks having a mind of there own is concerned, I will agree on that one as a beginner myself.

Was watching the cricket and picked a sliding door lock maybe 10 times getting quicker each time down to 22 seconds and then for no reason the lock wouldn't give. I tried for 2 0r 3 minutes and no pins would set. Put it down and walked away and today all is good in the world of locks again.

I also found with practice ( and my 3 pin practice lock that set number 2 pin when I inserted the pick) that I was over-setting pins as I was mistaking set pins for binding pins so I would recommend setting up a 3 pin practice lock to get a good feel for set pins versus binding pins.

Just my 2 cents as a fellow beginner.

[TarHeelBrit]

Great advice, thanks everyone. I hadn't thought about the straw technique...I'll have to try that out. That's why I like this place and it's members everyone is so willing to help a noob out. Thanks again!

[RAR]

Thanks gents, the details you have outlined have somewhat lifted the fog, as it were. You descriptions were excellent and I am taking the advise summarily and am diligently following the suggestions, they ARE starting to work. I'll be back----"Bob"