Infiltration
THEORY
Ethics
Observations
 
PRACTICE
Abandoned Sites
Boats
Churches
Drains/Catacombs
Hotels/Hospitals
Transit Tunnels
Utility Tunnels
Various
 
RESOURCES
Exploration Timeline
Infilnews
Infilspeak Dictionary
Usufruct Blog
Worldwide Links
Infiltration Forums home | search | login | register

Page: 1 2 > 
Infiltration Forums > Archived UE Tutorials, Lessons, and Useful Info > Practice Locks (Viewed 824 times)
Servo 






Send Private Message | Send Email
Practice Locks
< on 5/18/2005 6:02 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I've been wanting to hone my lockpicking skills lately; less in order to get into locations and more just because I think it's a cool skill to have.

I know you can buy practice locks but someone said they are really expensive... so I'm looking at the resident lockpicking experts (r0sie?) for recommendations on what brand and type of lock I could obtain from a big-box-home-store to practice on.

The fine print: I don't want this turning into an ethics discussion, so if you want to talk about that please post another thread.

grit1 


location:
University Campus - Minneapolis, MN
Gender: Male


Got Shear Line?

Send Private Message | Send Email | AIM Message
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 1 on 5/18/2005 6:31 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Start with Kwiksets and Weisers, move up to Schlage. The schlage locks are built better and many have mushroom pins that are harder to feel out. If you can find some, try Sargent locks, maybe E-bay or garage sales [no residential stores]. I bought some best locks on E-bay to experiment on. All you really need is the core. Yale locks vary in their difficulty but their mortise cylinders are fairly easy to come across. Good luck! ~Grit.

Archer 


location:
Toronto, ON
Gender: Male


Imperator Sagittario

Send Private Message | Send Email | Abandoned UE
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 2 on 5/18/2005 6:40 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by grit1
Start with Kwiksets and Weisers, move up to Schlage. The schlage locks are built better and many have mushroom pins that are harder to feel out. If you can find some, try Sargent locks, maybe E-bay or garage sales [no residential stores]. I bought some best locks on E-bay to experiment on. All you really need is the core. Yale locks vary in their difficulty but their mortise cylinders are fairly easy to come across. Good luck! ~Grit.


The Sargent locks I've come across are absolute jokes. I've seen them opened in ten seconds. Schlage's do indeed vary... some of them I can get one time no problem, other times I have to give up on them because I can't get it. Haven't had any luck on Yale locks, though.

And don't even think about trying to pick a Medeco.

Abandoned UE - http://www.abandonedue.com

"We live in a twilight world... and there are no friends at dusk."
Fubster 


location:
Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Gender: Male


Though highly intelligent, guide dogs cannot interpret street signs.

Send Private Message | Send Email | AIM Message | Urban Exploration Photos
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 3 on 5/18/2005 7:33 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Your best bet would be to just buy a cheap padlock to practise on. After you can open that lock in a few seconds, get a more expensive one.

The hardest part is getting the tension right, so even if the lock opens easily, it's good practise.

Also, try picking into your own house. It's scary how easily my front door lock opens. If you have cool friends, pick into their houses. After about a month of compulsive lockpicking, it becomes a lot easier.

Sometimes, you need to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who it is you're talking to. Then, on your way out, slam the door.
GMGuy 


Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 4 on 5/19/2005 12:35 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I'll second using a cheap padlock. Look for one that has a reasonably large key opening so you have an easy time of getting the pick into the rear pins. Once you get the theory of it down you'll have an easier time with locks that are more difficult to access.
If you goto school, take an oppertune time to ask the custodian for some old door locks. Or if you work in a reasonably large place, maintanence may have some indoor locks they'll give up that are damaged in some way.

Alex.

SnakeEyes 


Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 5 on 5/19/2005 2:29 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
The best place to get practice locks are from locksmith shops. They have many locks that they don't even have keys for, and if you can think up a valid request ("I want to learn how to pick locks" in many cases won't get you very far), many will often give them to you free of charge.

I would start off with a Kwikset deadbolt, because it is very easy for a noob to take some pins out of for practice (remove the cap on top)(or remove the clip on the back and use a plug follower or marker to follow the plug out once you have the key in/have it picked). Kwikset is generally considered fairly cheap, but even a Kwikset lock pinned to high-low configuration (low pins next to high pins) can make it difficult for a noob.

Master Lock #3 (padlock) is also considered a good start, as it only has four pins and is fairly cheap.

Schlage varies because they have several different lines for different applications. Their 'F' seriese (residential) isn't much of an improvement from Kwikset, but once you get into their commercial/institutional grade stuff they can be quite difficult.

Other places to find locks are at thrift shops, ebay, estate/garage sales.

Brands that you want to stay away from (these are high security):
Medeco
ASSA Abloy/Desmo/Twin
Mul-t-lock
Tubar
...among others.

American padlocks are good to start with if you are moving up in skill and want to learn more about serrated/spool pins, because they are re-keyable so you can take out all but one pin and work your way up.

Pity the poor agnostic dyslexic insomniac; he stays up all night, wondering if there really is a dog.
Corallis 






Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 6 on 5/19/2005 3:26 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I just thought I'd point out that you may want to start practicing on several different locks. Having only one lock to practice on will not teach you very well how to pick locks in general - all it will do is teach you how to pick that lock. Once you figure out how to pick that lock, you may be able to get it open in just 3-5 seconds, but that doesn't mean you will be able to pick other locks in any reasonable amount of time. By practicing on many different locks, it teaches you how to really pick locks, and not just memorize how to open one.

Lock Pick Reviews
Servo 






Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 7 on 5/19/2005 3:51 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Yeah, I had intended to get one where I could take out all but one pin and try just one, then two, then three, etc... then re-key. Also, I'll be practicing on various locks around my apartment, other people's apartments, etc... I got fairly decent at raking open simple locks but that doesn't really take much skill and only works on cheap locks, plus it does damage the lock over time.

Thanks for the help thus far!

ofberenonehand 


location:
Minn-e-snow-ta


"Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve."

Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 8 on 5/19/2005 5:40 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Servo
The fine print: I don't want this turning into an ethics discussion, so if you want to talk about that please post another thread.



Not complaining, just thought I'd nip this one in the bud.

"That's What Government Is For; To Get In A Man's Way" -Mal
nobody 


location:
VANCOUVER B.C.
Gender: Male


5:55 is a state of mind

Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 9 on 5/20/2005 1:27 AM >
Posted on Forum:
 
Where is a good place to find more info on this topic?

Operating Entirely With Bad Intentions
SnakeEyes 


Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 10 on 5/20/2005 1:37 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
www.lockpicking101.com

Pity the poor agnostic dyslexic insomniac; he stays up all night, wondering if there really is a dog.
OttoL 


location:
Pacific Northwest
Gender: Male


Renob

Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 11 on 5/20/2005 5:15 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Why not practice on the locks on your house? Once you have that down, try the locks at work, and go from there.... No one will question you if you are picking you bedroom lock....

Just an idea. I dont pick locks , so what do I know. I have a key to the city (breaker bar) which works better than any lock pick...

Servo 






Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 12 on 5/20/2005 6:19 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by OttoL
Why not practice on the locks on your house?

As I said before, one of the benefits of a practice lock would be its rekeyability...

msb 


location:
Sykesville, MD
Gender: Male




Send Private Message | Send Email | AIM Message | Deltablack
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 13 on 5/20/2005 11:01 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
As many have already mentioned, I started on a $10 kwikset deadbolt and took all the pins out but one. I worked my way up to all 5, and just picked it over and over. I started little competitions with myself (pick the lock in 10 seconds...etc) until I moved onto other locks. I am absolutely no expert, but I was able to get pretty much anywhere on campus(good old BEST locks....)

I am curious....what are people's techniques? I have a tendency to be a brute force "rake until it opens" lockpick as opposed to concentrating on each individual pin. Either way, as mentioned before, tension is the biggest factor.

grit1 


location:
University Campus - Minneapolis, MN
Gender: Male


Got Shear Line?

Send Private Message | Send Email | AIM Message
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 14 on 5/20/2005 1:04 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by msb

...I was able to get pretty much anywhere on campus(good old BEST locks....)



Did you use the special Best "fingered" type of tension tool or just a regular ol' L-bar?
[last edit 5/20/2005 1:04 PM by grit1 - edited 1 times]

Spector 


Gender: Male


Haunting the unseen places of the world

Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 15 on 5/20/2005 2:05 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
This is an interesting topic indeed. The only lock picking skills I have, I learned from watching "Hey Arnold" when I was younger. All I have ever done is take something like a screwdriver or flat, thin piece of metal, jame it into a lock... takes about five seconds of twisting and the lock opens...

I admit there aren't any sophisticated locks around for me to practice on... but what does one need to improve their skill in lock picking, anyway?

ChillBill 






Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 16 on 5/20/2005 5:30 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by grit1


Did you use the special Best "fingered" type of tension tool or just a regular ol' L-bar?


The finger tool is for assisting in picking the control shear line which would remove the core.

grit1 


location:
University Campus - Minneapolis, MN
Gender: Male


Got Shear Line?

Send Private Message | Send Email | AIM Message
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 17 on 5/20/2005 6:47 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by happyboy


The finger tool is for assisting in picking the control shear line which would remove the core.


I know that - I have found it to be the most effective way to pick those locks. You just pull the core and operate the lock itself with a screwdriver. When you try to pick the regular shear line that operates the part of the plug that rotates 360 degrees, you theoretically only have a 1/128 chance of setting the right pins at the right shear lines [for 7 pin]. I have had good luck with the finger tools. If you so desired this way you could make a control key as well, which would open all sorts of new doors. Check out this website : http://www.crypto.com/photos/misc/sfic . All kinds of technical detail. ~Grit.

Darkwolf 


Mellow Moderator

location:
Florida... Again...
Gender: Male


I fix things!

Send Private Message | Send Email
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 18 on 5/21/2005 9:41 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Padlocks are good to start out on. Master, American, etc. Then move onto the bigger. Arrow, Kwikset, Schlage etc. We are in the process of switching out all our locksets at work from arrow to the Schlage Everest. Very interesting locks and they say un-pickable. They have a groove on the lower part of the key which operates another pin. I have a link below for their answer book. Very interesting stuff.

http://professiona...estAnswer_Bk02.pdf

*Best Post Ever* any meetups to go to the malt plant? I'll join and be the first one over, so you know I'm not a cop. Also I'll bring beer. *DO NOT MESSAGE ME WITH ISSUES. PLEASE USE CONTACT A MODERATOR*
grit1 


location:
University Campus - Minneapolis, MN
Gender: Male


Got Shear Line?

Send Private Message | Send Email | AIM Message
Re: Practice Locks
<Reply # 19 on 5/21/2005 10:11 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by Darkwolf72
Padlocks are good to start out on. Master, American, etc. Then move onto the bigger. Arrow, Kwikset, Schlage etc. We are in the process of switching out all our locksets at work from arrow to the Schlage Everest. Very interesting locks and they say un-pickable. They have a groove on the lower part of the key which operates another pin. I have a link below for their answer book. Very interesting stuff.

http://professiona...estAnswer_Bk02.pdf


Matt Blaze, my newfound hero, has a paper about everest locks. It's very informative. http://www.crypto....otos/misc/everest/ putz around on that site, so much info - this guy is great. ~Grit.

Infiltration Forums > Archived UE Tutorials, Lessons, and Useful Info > Practice Locks (Viewed 824 times)
Page: 1 2 > 

Powered by AvBoard AvBoard version 1.5 alpha
Page Generated In: 78 ms