Hey #Lockpicking #Experts of Fedi!

[alice@lgbtqia.space]

Hey #Lockpicking #Experts of Fedi! I have two questions for you.

Several people have asked me to make a lockpicking zine for new folx, and I want to include some wisdom from y'all.

1. What are the top few tools in your kit that have gotten you into the most locks/places (specific pick profiles, bypass tools, turning tools)? It would be amazing if you provided a good quality, closeup photo of them so I can have an artist sketch them.

2. What's some advice you wish you had when you were still pretty new to lockpicking?

Please keep your responses to about ⅛ of a notebook page of text (like a few sentences) total.

---

Here are my answers:

1. A slim short hook, a sturdy medium hook, a two-hump w-rake, and a variety of turning tools.

2. If you can't open it with one of those tools, it's a skill issue. And you're better off learning more about the lock than reaching for another tool.

cc: @deviantollam & @LockEx for your valuable experience 🩷

#AskFedi #Locksport #RedTeam #LockpickingZine

[drwho@masto.hackers.town]

@deviantollam @LockEx @alice Every time you pick is practice. Always end on a high note if you can.

Half of lock picking is understanding that you can pick locks. The other half is your tools.

[sophie144p@mastodon.catgirl.cloud]

@alice I'm by no means an expert but I'm very happy with my Multipick "pocket knife". This way I have all the tools I want on my keychain whenever I need them and the picks have been very sturdy. Finding any decent tools in Europe is hard so I'm glad I found those.

Taschenmesser-Pick Exclusiv Blackline Edition von Multipick

Taschenmesser-Pick Exclusiv Blackline Edition von Multipick hier bei - Multipick.com kaufen. ✓schnelle Lieferung ✓direkt vom Hersteller

Multipick (multipick.com)

[deviantollam@defcon.social]

@LockEx @alice "learning to finesse your turning tool pressure and really control that matters much more than the movement of the pick tool itself"

[jesterchen@social.tchncs.de]

@alice If I may add questions I have:

- How much torque is needed, how do I get a feeling for that?
- How to single pick pins if you can barely feel them / how to properly handle your pick?
- How to know if you've made some mistake vs. there are special pins obstructing you?

[alice@lgbtqia.space]

@jesterchen check out #LearnLockpickingWithAlice, I cover some of that there.

But the tl;dr is:
- if the core has some springiness to it, *just* enough pressure to counter that spring. In general, about as much pressure as it takes to balance a couple coins on the tip of your finger.

- explore and try to visualize the lock's internal state. practice finding and moving each pin until you can differentiate between them. With time and practice, you'll be able to feel them pretty clearly. See my post at the above hashtag about pick grip and picking style.

- the biggest tell is the "false set", where the core rotates a tiny amount, then stops. That means you have a type of spool *and* that the standard pins have already been set. The next is if you get multiple clicks out of the same pin (they'll feel evenly spaced, then suddenly mushy), that means you just overset a serrated pin. There are tells for other types of pins, but that'll pretty much cover you until you get into high-security locks.

[steff@soc.femme.cat]

@alice @deviantollam @LockEx
Turning tools (for single pin picking) are arguably more important than picks. I've been able to pick with a pair of pliers, a paper clip, and a proper turner more successfully than with fancy picks with a dead turning tool.

[iwein@mas.to]

@alice
beginner here, but I'm very happy I figured this out:

2. When you give up on a try, listen carefully to the clicks when turning back.

Five clicks on a five pin lock-> false set on one of them
Four clicks -> almost got it

It accelerates learning. Im guessing it's trivial and experts do this without thinking, but I wish someone told me explicitly on day 1.

I want that zine btw. Badly.

@deviantollam @LockEx

[coeurl@goblin.technology]

@alice (I would love to see this when it's made)

[netraven@hear-me.social]

@alice @jesterchen

Teach locksmiths to unionize and start an apprenticeship like real professionals, if nothing else... and sexism within the industry is completely out of control and needs to be stamped out. It puts off so many people from entering the field.

[lockex@ioc.exchange]

@alice @deviantollam Don't pick locks you rely on. You could jam the lock into a non working state.
When you are picking a lock, you're manipulating parts that a key doesn't. I've pulled a top spring into the core when the lock had a too short drive on above a short key pin, the spring extend into the core during normal use but the correct key lifted it out of the core to the shearline. In picking the lock, that pin wasnt lifted. I also had a friend flip a master shim on edge, jamming their apartment door.
TLDR - Don't practice lock picking on your front door.

[alice@lgbtqia.space]

@idnorton only pick a lock if you accept the potential consequences.

@deviantollam @LockEx