THE LOCK PICKING STARTER GUIDE Everything you need to know to get started in the craft of lock picking! ~The Lock Picking Starter Guide~ Art of Lock Picking Presents *** The Lock Picking Starter Guide art-of-lockpicking.com COPYRIGHT: © 2020 ART OF LOCK PICKING Page I ~The Lock Picking Starter Guide~ TTaabblele ofof CCononttententss INTRODUCTION ......................................................page 1 PART ONE: Lock Picking Tools 101 .........................p..a..g..e. 2 1. The Truth About Lock Picks ........................p..a.g..e. 3 2. Turning Tools ..............................................p..a..g..e. 5 3.Single Pin Picking .........................................p..a.g..e.. 7 1. Short Hook .......................................p..a..g..e. .7 2. Gem ...................................................p..a.g..e.. 8 3. Half-Diamond ....................................p.a..g..e.. .8 4. Deep Hook ........................................p..a.g..e.. .9 5. Peterson Reach ................................p..a..g..e. .1.0 6. Deforest Diamond ............................p.a..g..e.. .10 4. Raking .........................................................p..a..g..e. .1.1 1. Bogota ...............................................p..a.g..e.. .1.2 2. Snake Rake .......................................p..a..g..e.. 1..2 3. City Rake ...........................................p..a..ge 12 4. Batarang ...........................................p..a..g.e.. .1.3.. 5. Best Beginner Lock Pick Set .......................p.a..g..e.. .1.4. PART TWO: Choosing Your First Lock ...................p..a..g..e. .1.5 1. Variety is Key ...............................................p..a..g..e. .16 2. Clear & Acrylic Locks ..................................p..a..g..e.. 1 7 3. The Best Beginner Locks ............................p..a.g..e . .18 PART THREE: How to Pick a Lock ..........................p..a..g..e.. 2..1 1. The Simplest Lock .......................................p..a..g.e.. .2.2 2. The Pin Tumbler Lock .................................p..a..g..e. .2.3 3. Why We Can Pick Locks ..............................p..a.g..e.. .2.7 4. Getting Started With Tension ....................p..a..g..e. .2..9 5. Intro to Single Pin Picking ..........................p..a..g.e.. .3..1 6. Intro to Raking ...........................................p..a..g..e.. 3..3 PART FOUR: Legality of Lock Picking ....................p..a.g..e.. .3..5 1. Is Lock Picking Legal? ..................................p..a.g..e.. .3..6 2. Know Your Legal Terms ..............................p.a..g..e.. .3..6 3. United States Lock Picking Laws ...............p..a..g.e.. .3..7 4. The Golden Rules ........................................p.a..ge 39 WHAT IS NEXT? ......................................................page 42 Page II ~The Lock Picking Starter Guide~ InInttrroodduucctiotionn Oddly enough the first headache inflicted by this craft typically isn’t from picking a lock. Rather it’s caused from beating one’s face repeatedly against the nearest hard object while trying to establish where to even freaking start. The beginning is always the hardest step of any craft and lock picking with its extremely vague nature is no exception. The purpose of this ebook is to strip away all of the fluff surrounding lock picking and to focus intensely on the beginning aspects of learning this skill. To give you the essential information that you need to get started but not overwhelm you with information that you can't yet use. To begin we'll cover the essentials of lock picking tools to help you understand what lock picks are useful and what tools are worth investing in. Then we'll jump into the most critical topic for beginners -- lock selection. When learning to pick locks, there is nothing more important than selecting the correct first lock. If you start with one that is too easy – which can happen even as a beginner – you likely won’t learn much. Yet, if you get one that is too hard, you might be in for some pain that may even cause you to quit picking altogether. In the third section we'll get you started right with a basic -- but very comprehensive -- beginner's guide to lock picking that will cover the fundamentals of lock theory, why we can pick locks, and how to pick them! To finish everything off, we'll quickly cover the legality of lock picking to help keep you safe from any unfortunate situations with the law. As you'll soon see, lock picking is a simple skill to learn and once you get past the beginner stages of confusion and frustration, it truly is an addictive and fulfilling craft. So let's waste no more time and get to it! Page 1 ~The Lock Picking Starter Guide~ PParartt 11 LLoocckk ppiicckkInIngg totooollss 110011 This pick, that pick, what are all these different types of lock picks for? What is the purpose of this squiggly pick or that squiggly pick? Is there a big difference between this pointy hook and that flat hook? What are the best lock picks? But, most importantly, should you invest your hard- earned cash into all these different types of lock picks and will they benefit your ability to open locks and progress your lock picking skill? Let’s tackle all of these questions and then go into the primary purpose of many of these different types of lock picks — their strengths, shortcomings, and when to best utilize them! CCononttententss:: 1. The Truth About Lock Picks .......................p..a..g..e. .3........................ 2. Turning Tools ..............................................p..a.g..e.. .5 3. Single Pin Picking .......................................p..a..g.e.. .7......... 1. Short Hook ........................................p..a.g..e.. .7........ 2. Gem ....................................................p.a..g..e.. .8.......... 3. Half-Diamond ....................................p..a..g..e. .8............ 4. Deep Hook ........................................p..a..g..e. .9........ 5. Peterson Reach .................................p..a.g..e.. .1.0.............. 6. Deforest Diamond ............................p..a..g..e. .1..0.................. 4. Raking ........................................................p..a..g..e. .1..1........... 1. Bogota ...............................................p..a..g..e.. 1.2 2. Snake Rake ........................................p..a..g.e.. .1.2..................... 3. City Rake ............................................p..a.ge 12 4. Batarang ............................................p..a.g..e.. .1.3. 5. Best Beginner Lock Pick Set ......................p..a.g..e.. .1.4.......... Page 2 ~The Lock Picking Starter Guide~ TheThe TTrruutthh AAbbououtt LLoocckk PPiicckkss Before we jump into the different types of lock picks, I want to try and break a harmful little bias that influences many newer pickers. If you are looking at that set of 20-something lock picks, this section is definitely for you! The truth is, you don’t need very many picks to absolutely slaughter the majority of locks. As a matter of fact, most lock picks are fluff and are simply variations of the same tool with very small differences in how they affect the lock. One of our contributing authors Jesse has always put it best, “Lock picks are like fishing lures, they are meant to catch the fisherman, not the fish.” Sure that shiny new fishing lure with the red and blue feathers, polished metal spinners, and scent of fresh dog turds looks like it would ABSOLUTELY slaughter that trout under hiding under a log at sunset, but the reality is, in the eyes of the fish, it’s not likely that much more appetizing than any of the other lures you already have. There is a dangerous mindset that plagues every craft, whether it be fishing or lock picking. This mindset is that the tools make the player. That having the correct lures or bait make the best fisherman and that having the right lock picks for the right locks make the great lock picker. This mindset is dangerous because it bases your expectations and your perceived skill on your tools and not on what is important — like practice, knowledge, technique, and more practice. And even further, when these expectations are broken — when that new lock pick fails to easily open that lock — what will remain is a feeling of frustration and more often than not, the urge to give up on lock picking entirely. In addition to all this, if you are a beginning lock picker, it is best to stick with a couple of types of lock picks. Progressing your skills is about developing your senses and Page 3 ~The Lock Picking Starter Guide~ recognizing patterns based on those sensations. When learning how to pick a lock, swapping between 17 different tools will only give you 17 different variations of the same feedback. It can be very difficult to learn anything when the information you receive is always changing. So even if you desire to own every pick ever made, for the sake of getting better — RESIST –, at least as a beginner! Grab a few high quality picks You will or small form lock pick set progress far from a quality manufacturer such as Peterson, Sparrows, faster spending Multipick, or SouthOrd that that extra cash accommodate the style of picking that you wish to do – on more practice more on that below – and then locks that you bunker down and focus on mastering those tools. Also, will with more do your best to stay clear picks. from those cheap Chinese picks on Amazon. Now, this isn’t to say that you can’t nor shouldn’t ever go nuts and buy a bunch of random lock picks. One of the great joys of lock picking is collecting different lock picks and trying out new pick profiles. You never know which picks will be your favorites! Just don’t fall into the mental trap of thinking that a particular pick profile will make all the difference in your progression and skill. So, with that out of the way, let’s cover the more common lock picks, their intended use, and their strengths. NOTE: This guide will be discussing tools related to picking pin tumbler locks. While many of these tools are useful for other types of locks, any advice given in this guide is for the intent of using them on pin tumblers. Page 4 ~The Lock Picking Starter Guide~ TTuurrnnInIngg totooollss It is said that lock picking is 90% how you use your tensioning tools (turning tools for the purists) and 10% everything else. I tend to agree. With the exception of practice, tensioning is the single most important aspect of lock picking, yet it is the most overlooked and undervalued. As a beginner, developing your skill is directly correlated to developing your sense of feel and identifying the feedback the lock gives you. To this end, it is important that when starting out you do everything in your power to maximize the feedback you are receiving. This will help you to identify what certain feedback means and, as a result, significantly increasing your lock picking skills. So before we jump into the nitty gritty of lock picks, let’s take a moment and cover the best type of tensioning tool for the beginner! TheThe StStrraaiigghhtt WWrerenncchh Because the tension wrench provides us with the most feedback – more than every other factor combined – it is crucial that we use one that will provide us with the most feedback possible. The ideal tension wrench will be as thick and stiff as possible – such as a top of the keyway pry bar. To understand why you want these characteristics, let us take a look at a tensioning tool that is the exact opposite – thin, floppy, and springy. You may have noticed that many lock pick sets include tensioning tools that have a 90-degree twist down the shaft. Page 5 ~The Lock Picking Starter Guide~ While these twisted wrenches have their benefits, they are absolutely the worst wrench you could use to develop your skills. The reason being is that the twist acts as a spring and dampens the vibrations moving through the wrench. To better illustrate this, think of the springs used in the suspension system of a car. If you were to hit a pothole, the springs will absorb and dampen the vibrations you feel as a driver. However, if you were to take out the springs and drive over that same pothole… well let’s just say you as a driver would know you hit it. Remember that when it comes to picking, feedback is everything. We want to feel every pothole, speed bump, and potentially crack in road as we metaphorically drive our lock picks up and down the pins of a lock. When using bottom of the keyway tension, you want a tool that looks similar to this: Because of the way in which these tools are bent, they will not flex and will remain rigid while you apply torque to them, thus providing you with a maximum degree of feedback! Because of the way in which these tools are bent, they will not flex and will remain rigid while you apply torque to them, thus providing you with a maximum degree of feedback! NOTE: It’s always best to have several sizes of tension wrenches because the lip of the lock between the plug and lock body can cause problems if you don’t use the correct size wrench — for instance if you use a wrench that is too small it can bind against the lock and you won’t be able to properly torque the plug. Yet, if you use one too big, well then you may not have any room for a pick. Page 6 ~The Lock Picking Starter Guide~ SSInIngglele PPInIn PPiicckkInIngg Single pin picking is the act of manipulating a single pin at a time. In my opinion, it is the purest form of lock picking as it takes a tremendous amount more skill, precision, and practice to develop and master. Single pin picking is also significantly more reliable because you are not just bumping and humping your way to an open lock like when raking. Instead, you are moving components in a precise and logical way and adapting your movements to how the lock responds. You can think of single pin picking like the Tango where your actions are a response to your partner, and their movements are a response to yours. However, because single pin picking is precise and logical, you need a type of lock pick that matches these qualities. You need a type of lock pick that is agile and maneuverable — that isn’t going to bump things unintentionally. So let’s look at a few picks that gush these qualities! 11.. TheThe SShhorortt HHooookk The standard Short Hook is hands down the most versatile and useful pick and is an absolute staple to any pickers toolbox. The power of this pick comes from its moderate hook that is just long enough to set most pins with ease, but short enough that it’s easy to maneuver in the lock. In addition to single pin picking, the Short Hook is also a great pick to use for other various techniques of raking – such as zipping, bitch picking, rocking, or reverse picking! However, the one area in which this pick falls short is literally when it falls short. Page 7