Anyone here doing lockpicking as a hobby?

[Downunder35m]

I was fascinated by the working of locks since I "dissected an old and heavy mechanical door lock as a kid.
Was rusted badly and I found it in the forest.
My grandfather helped to clean it all up and somehow managed to make a working key for it.
This started a hobby that I still like today.
Unlike other pickers I am not a collector, only for those locks that can be picked and that I failed so for.

What constantly surprises me is the total lack of security when it comes to our standard locking systems.
Go to your hardware store and select any door- or padlock and you can be sure it can be opened without the key in no time.
Combination locks take sometimes a few seconds longer.
Some doors and dead bolts have such a high level of security that even a hairpin would open them LOL
So far the only really secure locks I came across in AU are the Bi-Lock systems and the Abloy Protec series.
So if you need a proper lock look for them

[gordon_s1942]

Once at work we lost all the keys and of course we needed them like 'yesterday' but as it happened, one of workers who had only started recently turned out to be a qualified locksmith.
He dashed off home and returned with his tools of Trade.
We watched him in amazement as he went through the variety of locks from el cheapo of the day Lockwood padlocks (took longer to find the hammer and punch than it did to open) to one called a 'BEST' which was used on things like small cash satchels etc.
He said back then that the 'BEST' were an excellent padlock but of course its not impossible to be opened by a tradesman.

After watching that show on TV (Safecracking), it seems to me its only time and how difficult it is to break open is the biggest part of any type of locks job.

I can only suggest that unless your escaping from Handcuffs or out of a Straight Jacket on stage, I wouldnt be too vocal in advertising your hobby as some may view it with some skepticism.

[Downunder35m]

There are a lot of people out there doing it for the fun and learning, like I do.
Being able to open a lock without a key does not mean you run around trying to break other people's doors and locks.
Same with weapons...
Just because you collect guns or knifes does not mean you run around killing people.
My neighbours know it and some used "my services" for lost keys or when they locked themself out.
Often I am quite blunt when I see a lock that looks interesting and simply ask the owner if I could try to open it.
Once I got through my selection of toys and the lock still does not budge the owner is happy and I found another lock that needs more investigating.

But I do think that if more people in AU would do it as a hobby we would have more secure locks available by now.
As long as noone complains there is no need to sell the junk elsewhere.
If you check in scandinavia you will find only a few locks that are not disk detainer style and noone really bothers trying to pick them as their security is superior.
Sadly in AU even a little kid can make a bump key and open up to 80% of the residential locks with it
Since my landlord does not feel the need for better locks and I don't feel the need to waste my money on him, I simply filled my locks with stuff that prevents bumping (a foam oil that stops the tumblers from bouncing) and added a few security pins as well.

The same story is true for a residential safe you buy at your favourite hardware store.
Most can be opened by simply tapping them a hammer on the top of the frame (or by dropping them...).
If not all mounting holes are properly covered you can also simply push the re-code button.
And providing an override key (in case of dead batteries) that can be fooled with a bic pen does not increase confidence.
Awareness is they key, not only if you are picking locks as a hobby but even more if you want your valuable things stay locked

[admin]

I was fascinated by the working of locks since I "dissected an old and heavy mechanical door lock as a kid.
Was rusted badly and I found it in the forest.
My grandfather helped to clean it all up and somehow managed to make a working key for it.
This started a hobby that I still like today.
Unlike other pickers I am not a collector, only for those locks that can be picked and that I failed so for.

What constantly surprises me is the total lack of security when it comes to our standard locking systems.
Go to your hardware store and select any door- or padlock and you can be sure it can be opened without the key in no time.
Combination locks take sometimes a few seconds longer.
Some doors and dead bolts have such a high level of security that even a hairpin would open them LOL
So far the only really secure locks I came across in AU are the Bi-Lock systems and the Abloy Protec series.
So if you need a proper lock look for them

I briefly had a look a few years ago in regards to bump keys but didnt pursue it further as I would only get in to trouble

[LeroyPatrol]

I used to pick locks on school lockers as a kid. It was a competition with mates as to who has the most padlocks lol. I couldn't pick Lockwood though.

Lerou

[trash]

yep. I used to fool around with it but never took it too seriously. Cheap padlocks were too easy.
Five piston lockwood doors, I could get them open by hand about 50% of the time under 10 minutes.
If it took longer, chances are I wasn't going to get it open.

With a home made electric jigger I could get them open faster but there was some locks that I just couldn't seem to get open.

It seems some locks and some people don't work. One of my friends just couldn't open even some of the simple locks I could get open in about 20 seconds.
I gave them too him to practise on but he couldn't get any of them open. I figured it was just a matter of blind persistence and he'd get lucky, but he wasn't making any progress.

I had a common lockwood padlock that I could never open even though I'd opened others with the same key pattern. I handed it to him and asked him to show me how he was practising on the smaller locks.
A couple of scrapes and it almost just popped open. So there's always a bit of luck and a bit of skill involved

[best4less]

I have a nice little kit built up, all as a Hobby of course

Kind of scary when I can pick my home front door and deadlock in under 60 seconds, but then again a crook could kick the door in in 5 seconds I guess LOL

[Downunder35m]

Think of people with no understanding on how to spot a good lock.
Some might even like combination locks and trust the rating on the packing.
Since all hardware stores still sell them, check what I did to my Master 178:

Not what I can call secure..
But still faster than shimming or fiddling around with a bypass tool LOL

[best4less]

No farkin way LOL

Man they make some sh#t LOL

[Tiny]

I played around around with picking locks when I was younger, now I only do it If I have to.
I also like re-keying locks when I want them to use the same key.

Thanks for the video; That's cool.

According to the following vid; you did it the hard way.

[Downunder35m]

Well, the newer Master locks have tighter tolerances so it can be quite tricky to get a tool inside.
A hacksaw blade won't fit in my lock for sure.
I made a similar tool to fit and it is just .22mm thick -that is the thickest I could get between disc and case.
Shimming works well on those locks too, that makes two ways to open it faster than using the right combination and one way that could be as fast if the shim has a good fit.
My local hardware store charges over 30 bucks for those locks
The standard Master M1-M5 series, the ones that look like they are meda from single layers of metal riveted together, can be opened faster than with a key too.
Simpl poke a pionty piece of steel like in the above video in the keyway.
You will feel a bit that forms a groove, pu pressure there and move your tool up/down - the lock pops open.
I really like the highe security level Lockwood locks.
Tight tolerances, good materials and easy to pick for the normal pins.
Some have serrated or mushroom pins and are very good for training purposes.
Still have to get around to make a cutaway lock but then again: what is the fun in seeing what you do? LOL

[Downunder35m]

Master 178 exposed LOL

Drill out a soft metal pin and the lock falls apart....
Check the locking plate and how poorly the whole thing is designed ROFL
People spent hours to make a cut out section for those locks when a little drill is enough...

[watchdog]

If you want to fiddle with this stuff then a good source to make tools from is the thin stainless steel strip in the back of your windscreen wiper rubbers.

[Downunder35m]

Too thick but these cheap chinese wall scrapers work just fine
A set of three for 2 bucks and they provide enough material for quite a few picks.

[gordon_s1942]

I used to pick locks on school lockers as a kid. It was a competition with mates as to who has the most padlocks lol. I couldn't pick Lockwood though.

Lerou

The type of Lockward padlock I meant had a lead disc in the centre with the brand name on it, the lock body was a sort of dirty green in colour.

The trick with this lock was you didnt even try to 'pick it', you simply used a centre punch and hammer to tap out the lead disc and lo and behold there was the internal mechanism, 10 seconds it took him to 'pop' it out, suffice to say no one planned to use that type of padlock on anything than the chook shed after that !!!

Who remembers when most houses had a proper Yale or Lockwood 'combination' lock on the front door and the back door had one of those 'Lane' brand locks that you could buy a key for at near any good hardware store and many either hung the key on a nail beside the door or under the old back door mat?
Most back doors or the locks wouldnt stand a good shove from a well planted boot back then.

[Godzilla]

My father use to teach me lock picking, it was more a case of understanding lock workings.

I have yet to come across a keyed lock i cannot open.

At my old work i use to get called all the time when someone lost their keys, they use to time me opening locked cars too, another easy job.

We have a forum member here who was kind enough to give me a copy of a Automotive lock picking manual a few years ago, very interesting, however he made it clear that i was not to share it with anyone.

Information like that getting out could be disastrous for car owners.

[SS Dave]

I did the school lockers as well in the end I made a master key for 70% of the lockers in metal work the rest i picked as 30% had padlocks (I had the principal ask to open a locker once he didn't want to know how just do it) .

I also used to open bike combination chains locks and swap them between bikes if two bikes where near each other or lock the two in a big loop though each other and i knew the owners.

The last combo bike lock that I had a go at the bike shop told the owner it was the best (set your own code type).

It told me 20 minutes and that was the first combo lock in 30 years.

SS Dave

[trash]

Ha, our year master was the metalwork teacher. He would hand his bunch of keys to a student to open the store room.
The only problem was that every metalwork student made his own copy of just about every key on the ring.
One of the students would move his car and park it in a different parking space on random days.

He's probably in therapy these days.

[Skepticist]

In my school days (long ago) I started playing with those multi-wheel type combination locks and found them ridiculously easy to open just by 'feel' due to the sloppy tolerances in their design. It's a good thing I'm not a dishonest type as these types of locks don't even keep the honest people out

[Downunder35m]

Those wheel locks have improoved slightly as now there is another disc in them with cuts.
It just spins together with the three others but is slightly bigger in diameter.
So when you think you feel the actual coded discs you just slide along a dummy wheel.
But I'm still amused to see that you can open a safe by bumping the top LOL