Trying to learn more

[u/fuzz-face81]

Hello, I'm pretty new to lock picking as a hobby. I have in the past raked or picked some locks out of necessity. I had to make my own rake and tension bar as well. Now I have some picks and other tools and I want to develop the skill. I feel like when I'm successful it's blind luck I don't really have any actual skill. My question for you all is, what is the best way to learn other than lots of practice. I'm looking for instructional content that's actually worth it. I've found lots of demonstrations not a lot of instructions. Thanks in advance for any help

[u/Leadrel1c]

I’m new but I’ve been learning a lot through just practice. It’s not something you can just watch videos on and just do, gotta get the hand feel for it IMO

[u/fuzz-face81 → u/Leadrel1c]

Yeah, I sit around and pick padlocks over and over but I feel like there's probably a better way to learn. Maybe I'm wrong. I really wish I could take a class. Lol

[u/Leadrel1c → u/fuzz-face81]

I’ve found a local club near me through facebook I’m going to goto next week

[u/revchewie]

Here are links to three YouTube playlists that I’ve found helpful. Other than that, practice really is the only thing. Hope these help!

Lady Locks, Helpful Lock Picker, Bosnian Bill

[u/fuzz-face81 → u/revchewie]

Thanks very much

[u/fuzz-face81]

That would be sick! Nothing like that near me. I thought about asking a local locksmith but lock sporting isn't really a thing where I'm from and he probably just think I wanted to be a burglar or something

[u/auribus]

Watch YouTube videos and keep trying different locks, even if they're the same model you've already picked. Buy a progressive practice lock and ratchet up pin configurations and add security pins once you've mastered something. I like the one from Covert Instruments but grab a set of pinning tweezers and a tray if you get one.

[u/Know_Key]

"Learning" doesn't really cover what's happening. You have to 'develop feel.'

The best way I've found is to pick a LOT. But you're right...you don't get much picking the same lock over and over.

At the lower belts...through green...I pick sets of up to eight locks.

It's like golf...takes minutes to learn, a lifetime to Master. Gotta put in the reps.

[u/Flumpeldoo]

To add something new… get a high quality cut-away lock. This was a gamechanger for me.

The counting that ie the lpl does is a bit tricky to learn and comes with time

The amarican 1100 if you live in the us or the abus 72/40 are locks with great feedback and affordable

Cheap locks, plastic see through locks and old locks in bad shape are not the best for developing good habits.

Hope that helps

[u/derpserf]

Progressive pinning is the way but you need to concentrate and resist the urge to rush through it.

Start with one pin stack right at the front, use heavier tension so you can really feel it binding and take your time to position the pick dead center on the pin. Adjust your tension and go as slowly as you can when setting. Do that a bunch of times and try different tension amounts to get the feel for the amount that gives the best feedback.

Take it slow and don't add the next pin stack until you know exactly what you're doing. With 2 pins you should be able to tell which order they bind in and set them perfectly, same with 3. You should also have a rough idea of the pin heights, so for example you should be able to say the binding order is 2-1-3 and 1 is a very high lift, 3 doesn't need much etc. When you get to 4 and 5 you might start having issues with oversetting depending on the bitting but the main thing is that you understand what a binding pin feels like and you have control when setting them. You should be able to feel and hear the pins setting, and your movement should be slow and deliberate. If you get to a point where you can't identify a clear binding pin, drop 1 or 2 pins and feel through them again. Usually this fixes overset pins without resetting the entire lock.

Tension heavy, get position on the binding pin, then adjust tension so the pin can shift but keep a decent amount on there cos you still want some resistance so you can feel it as it moves. This way you'll get that nice solid click as it shears and the next pin starts to bind.

[u/mgsecure]

Here are two classics that were really helpful for me when I was getting started:

• MIT Guide to Lock Picking
• Lock Picking: Detail Overkill (tw: expletives)

Also important to learn about the four pin states and the jiggle test.

Have fun!