Anyone into lock picking?

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

I've been off AAPK for a while messing around with a new pass time: lock picking. I started watching youtube videos by two guys, the "Lock Picking Lawyer" and "Bosnian Bill"
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm9K6r ... igLoZOh6FQ
https://www.youtube.com/user/bosnianbill

These guys are SCARY good. They can defeat most locks in a matter of seconds. You have to see it to believe it.

Anyway, I got curious, so I bought a cheap lock pick set from China that came with an acrylic see-thru practice lock. By following the guidance of the two experts, I got the practice lock open for the first time in a couple of minutes, and after a day of practice, I can now open it with my eyes closed in under a minute. Of course, it's a very simple lock with only a few pins and it is very poorly made. So, I went to my toolbox and found an old Master Lock #3 that had a key in it. Having the key allowed me to make sure the lock actually worked. I worked on that lock for a day with my picks before I finally got it to open. According to the "lock sport" forums, Master Locks are supposed to be some of the easiest locks to pick open, so this is nothing to brag about - but I was still very excited. After I got it open the first time, I was able to do it 4 or 5 more times.

So, then I went down to the HW store and bought another lock - just so I could see if I could pick it. All they had were Master Locks, so I bought a Master Lock #141D, which is supposed to be slightly more difficult than the #3. I got that one open in a few hours and I can now open it fairly reliably in 10 or 15 minutes.

Including the pick set, practice lock and the Master Lock I bought, I have about $25 invested so far - and I have been highly entertained. A good trade-off!

[royal0014]

umm ... you gave up knives for lock picking ?

'scuse me, sir, your Californian is showing ........

. . . . .

[mrwatch]

way back around 1971 I took a home study course and became a lock smith. owned my own shop which also soon added bicycles. ended around 1978. Any body wan't to by great old tools and inventory? They sent me a pad lock. Had to smoke the key blank over a candle and impression fit the key. Then mail it back to them. didn't take long. American brand padlocks are a bear to pick. And Russwin with special pins are about a no go. The round vending machine locks are fun to pick to.

[Paladin]

way back around 1971 I took a home study course and became a lock smith. owned my own shop which also soon added bicycles. ended around 1978. Any body wan't to by great old tools and inventory? They sent me a pad lock. Had to smoke the key blank over a candle and impression fit the key. Then mail it back to them. didn't take long. American brand padlocks are a bear to pick. And Russwin with special pins are about a no go. The round vending machine locks are fun to pick to.

What is it about the relationship between locksmithing and bicycles that leads them to be associated in a business? I have seen other instances where they occupied the same shop.

Ray

[mrwatch]

good question, my father walked in and said I'm putting you in the bicycle business. No discussion. The thing is that most people may need a lock smith once in a life time. If you could get some lock outs or business needing to re-key the locks because an employee left you could make some money, but it was a small town of around 5,000. At that time people were getting into bikes because of the rising cost of gas. But in the winter you couldn't give a bike away after Christmas until spring. Exercycle and tread mills were unknown and forget about bike helmets, the one I had was leather and did not sell. So added some toy trains. A few got shop lifted by kids. Today the expense of keeping up with the new cars, key blanks and technology is hardly worth it. add that many tow services will unlock your car, if lucky. Set off an air bag and see what happens! Yellow page adds around here is sky high too. Ended up moving to Michigan.

[doglegg]

Hey TFL, good to hear from you, I had been wondering. I have heard that the lock picking profession has a great retirement program. Government housing and 3 meals a day if you are caught. But no guarantee on you room mate. Good luck.

[DM11]

Yes i enjoy lockpicking. No matter how simple a lock is or how many times I've pick it. I still get a feeling of victory every time a lock pop's open. A six pin practice lock and some Peterson Tools picks and tension tools.

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

The cheap pick set I bought doesn't have a tension tool I can use for top of the keyway picking. I want to get a Peterson pry bar so I can try it. Those Peterson tools are pretty pricey.

Being a locksmith in a city seems like a pretty good gig. Every house & condo that is sold needs a locksmith to come out and rekey the locks. When we bought a condo last year, a locksmith came out and rekeyed the one lock on the front door. That took about 20 minutes (including cutting 5 keys) plus his drive time, and it cost $140. I had to wait several days for the appointment because the locksmith was so busy.

I haven't "given up" knives - but I am a "serial hobbyist" - I usually focus on only one hobby at a time. The other hobbies need to go dormant while I become obsessed with the current focus.

It's like when you have a new baby and you have to explain to your current kids that Mom & Dad aren't going to run out of love - our love grows and we will always have enough love for ALL our children...

[Gunsil]

Well, I like berry picking, and no matter what my mother said I picked my nose. I was working as a mechanic in a VW dealership around 1970 and one day the foreman didn't show up and the engine room was locked with a padlock at night and nobody could get in who was working on an engine. One of the other mechanics told me to bring him an old wiper blade from the garbage which I did. He took the two thin stainless steel flat rods out of the blade and shortened them and ground one down a bit. He made his pick and tensioner and had that padlock open in under a minute. I had him teach me, and although retired now I still have several wiper blade picks and tensioners in my toolbox. I went from VW to Porsche in 1972 and in the late 70s- mid 90s Porsche had wheel locks that were caps over one wheel lug that needed a small key to open. A lot of customers would bring in their cars and forget to leave the little wheel lock key and I got pretty good at picking them with my homemade picks. Locks only keep out the honest people.

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

Cool! I know old wiper blades are still one of the best sources for thin stock to make lock picks & tensioners.

BTW, possession of lock picks is only illegal in 5 states (OH, MS, NV, TN, VA). In those states, it is considered "evidence of intent to commit a crime".

That means that in many states, having a set of lock picks is more legal than many knives. For example, in NY, you can carry a set of 4 inch lock picks, but not a knife with a 4 inch blade.

[Gunsil]

Good observation!! Living in NY state I never thought about the knives vs lock picks being legal. Pretty silly. I am a little surprised to hear that wiper blades are still regarded as a good source for pick making material. I guess that guy really knew his stuff 48 years ago when he showed me that trick.

[mrwatch]

I still have my automatic lock pick. Has a serial number on it. I hear that Harbor Freight sell them? If true I would not want to get caught with it, unless you can prove you are a maintenance man and need it for work. Yes I have known lock smiths in large cities that can make a living out of it. Many police dept. tried unlocking cars years ago, but found out many have plastic keepers holding the rod to the latch. Get it disconnected they could be held liable for repairs. As said locks keep the honest person honest. That is why I don't like free burglary lessons on YouTube.

[royal0014]

As said locks keep the honest person honest. That is why I don't like free burglary lessons on YouTube.

That was my thought, as well .....

Suitcase, I want to apologize for the harshness of my post back there ^^^^
I was only meaning to rib 'ya a little ...

btw .... Welcome back , you've been missed .

[treefarmer]

I did most of the lock work for the school district from late 70's until I retired in '09 and never did any lock picking. Mostly keying, rekeying, repairing/replacing Russwin commercial grade cylindrical and mortise locks, also installation in new doors. Always enjoyed using a mortise maker! Actually learned how to use the shim material to open Russwin lock cylinders but never had to use that skill that I never quite mastered.
Speaking of mastering, I had the task of setting up pass keys, masters and grand masters on most of the campuses in the district. Replacement keys were always made from actual Russwin blanks, that way we could tell if some one was using an unauthorized copy. The little stamp we used to mark our keys, that neatly printed DO NOT COPY, apparently meant nothing to any hardware, auto parts or Walmart store. It was amazing how many teachers would end up with an unauthorized copy and swear up and down they had been issued that key months ago and all of a sudden it didn't work. Not a Russwin key, we didn't make it, we knew it was a store copy.
Our padlocks were never an issue, a good set of bolt cutters always took care of unauthorized locks. We kept several cartons of Master Brand #3 pad locks on the shelf, all keyed alike. It was amazing how many of those locks could be lost in a years time, when possible we would weld the lock shackle to a chain and try to secure it to the gate or what ever was being secured.
All that came to an end 10 years ago come next Tuesday when I officially joined the ranks of the retirees on 4/30/09.

Last day on the job

(Just noticed there are 3 Russwin Corbin mortise locks stacked up on my desk when I enlarged the picture. Also noticed the calendar was a month behind. )
Treefarmer

[LongBlade]

Interesting ... Just as an aside when I was reading the book The Knife Makers of San Francisco many of the famous cutlers (Will & Finck, Price etc) were also locksmiths ... so TF maybe your additional interest in locksmithing along with collecting knives is not so unrelated ..