picking locks
 

how difficult is it to learn to pick locks?

I want to learn how, but am not sure where to start. I have seen lock pick sets for sale, but have heard that they are illegal to own. Can I make my own rakers and pick set?

Does anybody have any experience with this or can anyone point me to a place to find out how to teach myself this "hobby"?

How Lock Picking Works

Thats a place to start. Never actually tried to pick a lock though, so I don't know how good that advice is.

http://www.gregmiller.net/locks/

its not illegal to own a lock pick set...

theres plenty of places to get them for pretty cheap online...
ive got a small 4 pick set... its pretty neet...

still learning how to use it...

A friend of mine at work had one of these small sets and he gave me a quick lesson and then I picked his desk lock. It was so exciting! I'm sure there is TONS of info on the web...google as usual

The lawfulness of haveing possession of lockpicks differs from state to state.
You would need to check out the state your in laws for the legality of thier possession.
It could be classed as high as a felony offense.

as suggested, check your state's laws but...

typically there's a BIG distinction between *owning* items like lock picks and *carrying* lock picks on you. if you just own them, and keep them in your house for educational purposes, you are probably ok. if you get caught with them on your person out in public it might be considered burglary tools.

fwiw, in texas they are routinely sold at gun shows, suprlus shops, and the like.

Best ways to make your own picks are to file down some old steak knives you find at a tag sale, file down brickstrap and make a handle out of electrical tape, or file down bicycle spokes and make a handle out of tape. In an emergency, a paperclip unfolded and bent at a 45°-75° angle works most of the time.

A thin, bent scewdriver works well as a torsion wrench.

Start on desk or file cabinet locks, they usually only have three pins, and the keyway is nice and wide.

Thanks for the suggestions, all.

I printed out the MIT lock picking guide and I'l start from there. It looks pretty thorough. I'll try to pick my first lock this weekend.

Will post the results here.

There's a big difference with owning / carrying a set, and using them to burglarize. My cousin is a police officer, and was telling me how you can't be arrested unless they suspect intent to commit a crime with them.. On that note here's a great site on it..

http://www.lockpicking101.com/

From what I read somewhere, some people attach a lockpick to an electronic toothbrush. The vibrations work fairly well, so it said.

Have you did this before??? I'm not judging. But when I "needed" to I prefered a brick and a window. :thumbsup: *kiddin Selfdestruct"

laws vary by state, and it's up to the individual officer to determine whether there was intent or not.

check your local laws and be aware of any risks.

Having them in your house is one thing-where I am carrying lock picking tools could get you tagged for 'Possessing instruments of crime', however it would need to be established that you had a criminal purpose for said possession.

Homemade tools are OK in a pinch, but a decent set from HPC is cheap enough-you just need to find a wholesaler who will sell to you if you're not in the business. Failing that, if you want to make your own-find an industrial supply house that offers assorted sizes of flat and round spring steel.

One final bit of advice-forget anything you've ever seen on TV or in a movie. Nothing could be further from the truth. ;)

There is another publication that I had several years ago that I think was referred to as the MIT lock picking guide, an dif you google those terms you're sure to find it downlaodable in a lot of places. It offers the theory and "in the field" applications, and step-by-step home tool manufacture. I read it and then never did much more, but it was a great read. Some of the links above say the same things in better ways as well, but the real test is not in what you, it's in applying the knowledge. Like kazoo said, forget what McGyver and Magnum ever did, it's a whole different ball game.

I find that hacksaw blades work nicely. Can get 3 picks from one standard blade easily. Just find a nice site that has pictures of different picks and copy those designs. You just need some sort of grinder such as a dremel or a table grinder.

I don't do breaking and entering if that's what you're implying/joking about. I have, however, gotten people into their desks, homes, rooms, ...

I've always thought this was an interesting topic but didn't know where to start. Thanks for the links.
One time in high school I spend about an hour trying to open a closet using paper clips. I don't think I came close but I didn't have much else to do.