City Rake and Bogota Rake
Feeler Pick
General Rake, can be used for bumping
Regular Pick and Long Reach Pick
Diamond Pick
Long Reach Diamond and Ball Pick
Assorted Snake and long reach picks
Picking Your Picks:
So far we have covered the basics of lock picking, and from the feedback people are ordering lock picks and giving things a try. That’s fantastic news and I’m pleased people are getting into the sport. Those that have struggled in the past are also taking it up again and after following some advice are getting success, once again, this is truly fantastic news and well done to everyone that is having a go.
Today we are looking at the lock picks in greater detail and looking at what picks you should carry and why. With this information you may not be so tempted to part with your hard earned dollars on sets of tools that still only leave you with the required five or six picks you may need day to day lost in the sea of novelty shaped tools. Also before you rush out and buy the ‘Titanium-ultra-covert-hush-hush-top-secret-stealth-ninja’ pick set be sure you can use regular picks BEFORE you buy the covert sets on offer. The smaller the pick set, the better your skill set needs to be to feel the lock and the tension. Once again, this will save you time and money and a lot of frustration if you learn on regular picks to get results and the understanding before you try to pick anything with compact tools.
In the first image we have the City Rake and the Bogota Rake. Both of these tools in general will help open a vast majority of locks no matter where in the world you live. Cylinder locks, Euro locks and padlocks have all got a weakness and the two of these rakes can be used to successfully open those locks. It has to be said that some locks will not open with these tools due to additional security features, that is why I promote learning the ability to Single Pin Pick (SPP) a lock in case these options do not work. They do represent a valuable addition to your pick set and a close look of different types will show you a variation in manufacture from one company to another. There is no right or wrong set, it depends what works for you and how you rake the locks as we have discussed in the last installment of this guide.
Second Image: The Feeler Pick. Sometimes not knowing how many pins are inside the lock can delay the picking process, or perhaps you just want to know what is going on inside the lock itself. This is where the feeler comes into its own. You can manipulate the internals of the lock quickly and count the pins, feel for obstructions, detect damage internally, broken keys or even a glued lock. This is why I carry a feeler pick at all times. You also have one more benefit, most laminated padlocks, as we have shown before can be bypassed with a feeler pick and tension wrench. It’s the same as a Quick Stick but with a longer handle, so carrying one tool that takes care of two jobs helps us carry lighter. They do come in different forms, and the prices start at a few bucks up to twenty or so dollars, but as a last ditch, it makes a great self defence tool too.
Third Image: The General Rake. Not strictly its true name it should be said, but the over sized rake can act like a ‘universal bump key’ for times when you don’t have a bump key for a specific lock, or to save carrying a host of bump keys. It will work on five and six pin security locks and by raking it can set the majority of pins to save time if it does not bump the lock for you in the first couple of tries. It’s a handy tool, perhaps not for everyone as they do require some practice to master, but if you commit to it, then it’s certainly a pick everyone should invest in.
Fourth Image: Regular Pick and Long Reach Pick. Both of these get use, the uppermost one in the pic gets the most use as it fits into nearly all of the regular locks from cylinder to padlock. The low profile allows solid feedback for picking each pin and will not bind on the other pins. This is what most people think of when you say ‘Lock Pick’. If you buy one of these buy a couple, they can bend on occasion with tight pins in the back of the plug and they will get the most use so have a few of them. The longer reach pick is best suited for locks with pins further back in the plug, for example a six pin euro on occasion has the furthest pin that if picked with the regular pick can cause the fifth pin to false set, so this allows you to manipulate the sixth pin without problems. Some locks just have a large keyway or pins that need to be pushed a long way in due to the bitting on the key, this style of pick allows you to pick without any issues. I’ve used it a few times on padlocks and mainly so far on cylinder locks. You need both styles of these picks so invest in them.
Fifth Image: Diamond Pick. Now if I can’t get the feel in a tight Euro keyway with the regular pick, the diamond is my next pick of choice. These once again come in different shapes and angles for various locks but having a diamond in the mix is essential. Master padlocks can be picked with these quickly due to the shape of the pins inside the feedback is incredible. You do need to be rather precise with the picking as you don’t want to wear the top of the diamond off. You can just file the pick if that happens but do that too often and the pick will just wear down and break. Most likely in a lock when it happens. It’s a good tool to have in the kit and once again, if you are buying one get a couple as they will prove themselves invaluable.
Sixth Image: Long Reach Diamond and Ball Pick. Not strictly essential carry for everyone’s toolset. They are variations of the other picks we have seen but they do have a place. Not strictly what you need when putting your first kit together, but later on as you replace items that wear, it is worth investing in the odd new style pick to help your skills grow. On that occasion, the purchase of this style of pick will be important.
Seventh Image: Additional Picks. No matter if it’s the Snake Rake, Half Snowman long reach or any form of knife rake, you can genuinely get the job done without these additional picks. Some of these are quite specific and may or may not ever be used if added to your collection. Predefined sets of picks can run into hundreds of dollars and they will on the whole never be used, confuse you as to which tool you need for the job or simply lead to you giving up lock picking due to poor results. Don’t get blindsided by discounts on sets of hundreds of picks with a few tensions wrenches thrown into a leather zip case. Nothing can replace a few well spent bucks and some knowledge.
Blank Picks. A lot of companies offer blank picks for sale. When I first started I did not feel the need for them, but as I have improved my skill set and understanding there is a place where a blank pick and some needle/warding files will help. There have been occasions when a tool needed to be improvised or repaired so having a few good quality files make that happen effectively. There is only three I commonly use also, a flat, half round and a pyramid file, allowing me to actively make a pick, repair a pick or just knock up a bump key on the fly.
You can buy a webbing wallet online from a host of stores to carry your own kit in, add some oil to that kit and if you do feel the need to purchase one more tool buy a key extractor as they will prove invaluable when keys or picks break. By looking at the picks in detail we have narrowed down hundreds of variations to a handful that in the end only you can decide if you really require them all. For me, a few picks, the files and some tension wrenches does the job perfectly and a webbing case I knocked up holds them safely.
Perhaps highlighting the need for practice with your tools over a host of tools you don’t understand will make the biggest difference when it comes to lock picking and if you ever will succeed. Once upon a time you couldn’t walk, or ride a bike, or drive a car, shoot a gun, or satisfy a woman, and the more you did it the better you got at those things. Lock picking is the same as those skills and will all fall into place given the right tools, the right knowledge and some practice, that’s all there is to it, it’s not a dark art and you don’t need a sacrifice. (Where anyone would find a virgin these days for such a practice is worth noting!) Keep It Simple.Next time, we look at actually picking a lock to offer some help to those newcomers who want to try it.
Tension Wrench Sets or Lock Pick Sets Available Now Law Industries Store
via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1GsDWQK
No comments:
Post a Comment