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maply
 |  | Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
< on 5/9/2005 8:16 PM >
|  | | | when one has a door that is locked with a knob, not a deadbolt, and the door opens outwards, a foot-long length of guitar string can be slid between the door and the door frame, on the other side of the bolt thing, and then back out. grab both ends, hold them tight, and pull. once the bolt is almost back into its hole thing, grab the knob so it doesnt just close again. voila.
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ColdWater
 
location:
boston
Gender: Male
| |  | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 1 on 5/9/2005 8:28 PM >
| | | | is there any size string that works best?
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ofberenonehand
 
location:
Minn-e-snow-ta
"Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve."
| | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 2 on 5/9/2005 8:43 PM >
| | | | A door shim also works. It's the same old principle as the "credit card" trick. It really only works on cheap doors.
"That's What Government Is For; To Get In A Man's Way" -Mal |
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maply
| | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 3 on 5/9/2005 9:12 PM >
| | | | i know its the "same old principle..." but the guitar string works better than a regular shim, so i figured i'd post it.
and it doesnt only work on cheap doors. i've succeeded with big heavy average quality doors. the gap between the door and the frame is what decides whether this trick will work or not.
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Jester
 
location:
Vancouver,B.C. Canada
Gender: Male
Always just out of sight...
| |  | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 4 on 5/9/2005 9:22 PM >
|  | | | I think what he meant by *cheap door* is exactly that, an ill fitting door.
It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf. |
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ofberenonehand
location:
Minn-e-snow-ta
"Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve."
| | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 5 on 5/9/2005 9:33 PM >
| | | | Posted by Jester
I think what he meant by *cheap door* is exactly that, an ill fitting door.
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Yeah, if the tolerances are poorly done any basic lock will open.
And sorry if I sounded like I was berating you. Didn't mean to.
"That's What Government Is For; To Get In A Man's Way" -Mal |
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grit1
location:
University Campus - Minneapolis, MN
Gender: Male
Got Shear Line?
| | | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 6 on 5/9/2005 9:47 PM >
| | | | Yes! I'm so glad I'm not the only crazy one that has guitar strings in my lock tool-box! The other thing I've found that works well is little 1/2" wide by 6" long machinist's scales ... little rulers made of stainless steel that are designed for measuring close tolerance machining projects ... but when you're not measuring to the 64th of an inch, you can be shimming doors with the strong piece of stainless! Doesn't look suspicious at all either. ~Grit.
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Dages
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
location:
Midwestern US
Gender: Male
| | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 7 on 5/10/2005 1:06 AM >
| | | | Coat hangers work too. More durable too.
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HAMMERTIME
location:
Reading Pennsylvania
Gender: Male
mmm, a box . . . just a box
| | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 8 on 5/10/2005 1:16 AM >
|  | | | Back in my criminal tresspass days (I'm rehabilitated now), I once used an "L" shaped piece of cardboard to push between a set of double doors that had a lock that was "loid-able - as in celloid / credit card" but it had a pick plate covering the lock mechanism. I pushed the "L" shaped tool through the gap between the doors above the pick plate, rotated the tool to press the lock mechanism from the inside and waa laa peanut butter sandwiches, the door opened. For doors that have a tighter fit, you may be able to use a builder's metal square. I also used the same principle to open a set of double doors by inserting an "L" shaped tool/ metal rod and engaged the push bar from the inside (it did leave some scrates on the push bar though - make sure to dip the tip in rubber coating).
I like the idea of the guitar string as it is not an obvious lockpick but it may be difficult to insert it and then get the bottom half back through the door. I wonder if you could use a magnet to pull / grab the bottom half to speed up the process. I would try it myself but I'm still on probation.
HAMMERTIME
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Random
location:
Richmond, Virginia
Gender: Male
Partially Retired
| | | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 9 on 5/10/2005 4:01 AM >
| | | | Posted by HAMMERTIME
I like the idea of the guitar string as it is not an obvious lockpick but it may be difficult to insert it and then get the bottom half back through the door. I wonder if you could use a magnet to pull / grab the bottom half to speed up the process. I would try it myself but I'm still on probation.
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Guitar strings are relatively easy to set a curve to. You can bend the guitar string enough that it will slide right around the bar and come out the bottom. (Anyone get the hint that I've done this before?)
I have a tool that I made to get into the interior doors of my house. It's like a slightly heavier gage coat hanger. Just a short piece of metal with a ninety-degree bend at one end.
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SnakeEyes
Gender: Male
| | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 10 on 5/10/2005 11:24 PM >
| | | | Most modern locks have a 'dead latch' feature. If you look a normal knobset lock (look at the one on your front door), you will probobly see two semi-circle shapes, the normal, larger one which holds the door shut, and probobly a smaller one next to it facing the other direction. The smaller one is not beveled, but will be retracted when the larger one is. Now, notice how when you press down the smaller one, the larger one doesn't not go down? The idea is that when the door closes, the hole cut out of the door frame is big enough for the larger latch, but not the small dead latch, so the dead latch remains retracted, and thus you cannot slip the latch with a credit card or guitar string.
On the same note as slipping the latch with a guitard string, you can do the the same thing if the door opens away from you by using a thin credit-card type material to slip the latch from the front (this can be a tad bit more difficult because of the 90 degree bend in the door frame). Hope you understand what I'm saying, I'm kinda rambling.
Edit:
I forgot to mention, often doors even with a deadlatch are not installed properly, and you still might be able to slip them. Other times there is enough play in the door frame that you can pull or push the door hard and the deadlatch will go into the hole in the door frame.
[last edit 5/10/2005 11:26 PM by SnakeEyes - edited 1 times]
Pity the poor agnostic dyslexic insomniac; he stays up all night, wondering if there really is a dog. |
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grit1
location:
University Campus - Minneapolis, MN
Gender: Male
Got Shear Line?
| | | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 11 on 5/11/2005 4:36 PM >
| | | | Posted by SnakeEyes
Edit:
I forgot to mention, often doors even with a deadlatch are not installed properly, and you still might be able to slip them. Other times there is enough play in the door frame that you can pull or push the door hard and the deadlatch will go into the hole in the door frame.
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This is true of bored locksets (key-in-knob type) but very rarely true of mortise type locks. With the exception of a doorway that had its strike plate missing, I've never seen an improperly aligned mortise lock in my school ... they are all dead-locking. I don't know any of my friend's houses I cannot get into using SnakeEyes's push/pull and shim method, but because the lock bolt on the mortise locks is below the latch bolt, this method is impossible.
(The bolt on the bottom is the lock bolt)
~Grit.
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Jesus Jones
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
location:
back in Belleville
Gender: Male
1973-2005
| | | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 12 on 5/12/2005 11:22 PM >
|  | | | With the Dead-Latch ones, a thought I had.
At my job office, the have these locks that have one 90° latch facing toward you and another one facing away from you. You cant slip the bottom one with the flat thing facing you unless you try this;
Take a guitar string and get it in under the bottom latch, then *try* to get it through the space between the bottm and top latches. snake it out about the top latch and pull each end, it should, if done right, slide both latches in and voila.
[11:23:20] * nightbird looks at jj's crotch in amazement
[19:48:06] <Freak> YOUR TOAD A SPLODE
[22:04:21] <keti> in fact, im rather robotic Virginity does not collect intrest. -Andrea [15:44:19] <Kellogs> i'm part of a complete breakfast you know =P wait...that sounds so wrong |
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DownsideuP
location:
Tampa Bay
Gender: Male
"?" -Me
| | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 13 on 5/17/2005 6:47 PM >
| | | | Posted by coldcoldwater
is there any size string that works best?
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D flat
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MothMan
Noble Donor
location:
The Gem City
Gender: Male
If you didn't bring back any pictures with you then you obviously weren't there!
| | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 14 on 5/18/2005 1:19 AM >
| | | | Posted by coldcoldwater
is there any size string that works best?
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I think Martin Silk & Steel 12-string acoustics work the best. Use the larger guage strings, as they are wrapped with silk and help dampen the sound of metal scraping metal. If that doesn't work out for ya, throw 'em on your axe.
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spiderland
location:
Westchester, New York
Gender: Female
| | | Re: Simple entry tool: a Guitar string
<Reply # 15 on 5/23/2005 2:45 AM >
| | | | the wrapped strings start at about .2/.25 ish gauge. i might actually suggest a string that isnt wrapped, as it'd be easier to slip through the door. Probably suggest a .15 - your average B string.
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