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Guess what - I have locked myself out of the house again!! Can someone with lock picking experience PM or eMail me as I want to ask some questions.

Thanks

Michael

this must be a troll......

have you read all the lockpicking info on the internet yet? Theres quite a bit out there. That is, if you have a computer outside your house connected to the internet

Try checking out Ted the Tool's Lockpicking Guide.

The last time I was locked out, I downloaded it, printed it, and used it as a guide to start practicing. Eventually, I was able to get back into my house.

Nice one!!

I always forget my keys so this will be handy!!

Cheers!

These guys have some nice tools...
http://www.selfdefenseproducts.com/lockpick.htm

Some of their products are cheaper than calling a locksmith when your locked out.

733

Lock picking is a perishable skill. if I don't pick a lock for a month or so I get a bit rusty but it is like riding a bike once you know what your doing it comes back pretty quickly. The key is to have at a minimum a tension wrench and a simple rake either in your glove box or some where you can get to it. If locking yourself out of the house is the problem , maybe keeping them somewhere on your property would be an idea, better yet, why not invest in a hide a key and forgo the picking. It makes it a lot easier when you come stumbling in at 3 am with no keys but for educational purposes only one doesn't need to have the 101 picks set to get the job done unless you plan on tackling more than the occassional door or gate padlock. Of course it helps to know in advance what type of lock you might have to open in the future rather than finding it out on some dark night when your in a hurry. And for God's sake..be careful, you could put an eye out

HowStuffWorks

(and check out the "lots more information" part )

Sure you did

  Mac,
This is a much better alternative to the "sneaky stuff"

http://www.blincmagazine.com/...;listing_type=search

Try the "groucho" mask. Don't forget the floppy shoes.

Anybody got spare "groucho Masks"?


Later,
Thomas

HA HA HA mate you crack me up.. first you make 5-10 long distance calls(cell to cell phone)UK-DK and in your drunkship you get locked out.. ha ha Stay at moms house until i arive,then ill open that door for ya..ha ha
How can you tell Lene that you will take care of me as i visit you,you cant even take care of your self.ha ha we will need 2 babysitters,you good looking ofcours.
Hold on to your pink mincer hat,ill come and twist your world.(counting in 2 hands by now..)...

damnit my belly hurts please stop that kind of posting

I keep getting locked out of my house!!!

and I have ordered now twice some tools over the internet and both times have had the money taken and no goods received!!!

I have argued this with my bank - got the money back and heard no arguement with the companies!!! funny that!!!


does anyone have a decent company I could buy some tools from as I hate this being locked out forgetting my keys and it would be so easy to gain access to my house without calling a locksmith!

......... and yes I should remember my keys but my memory is so so so shit!!!

I recently ordered The Basic Set from this site: http://www.selfdefenseproducts.com/lockpick.htm. They took my money but at least they gave me the lock picks in return. They were delivered right on time and they give you a tracking number too.

Are these kinda things legal in the US (for "normal" people)? I wanted to get good at this skill once, just for kicks and to show off some time, but someone talked me out of it saying it's not really legal to own a kit. As if everything else I do is legal..

How could it NOT be legal? It's a couple chucks of spring steel. One's L-shaped and the other has a hook at the end.

You could do a cheap file cabinet lock with a paper clip and those aren't illegal.

Lou

Yes. It's like a police scanner. It's not illegal to own it, but using it in the commission of a crime automatically adds another (felony) charge to the other case.

I got mine from Lockpicks.com.

If you're having trouble with dodgy Euro-suppliers, you might ask one of your stateside brethren to tranship the stuff for you.

I bought from these guys. However (as always) is much cheaper in states.

wait, I never heard it was another charge to have a scanner involved... wtf?

Passed in the Georgia legislature last year: it's another added felony to utilize a bullet proof vest in the commission of an armed felony.

Check your state's laws... it might vary from state-to-state as to whether possession of lock tools without appropriate license/bonding would constitute a crime. Similar with scanners and anti-speed detection devices. Right now Georgia's considering legislation to make it illegal to own the infrared devices that control redlights in an emergency (Makes the light switch in 2 seconds from red to green - normally used by first responders to control traffic control devices)

Gardner

Gardner

I got my set from:

http://www.airpistol.co.uk/lockpick1.htm

Arrived quickly enough and work okay. It might be worth noting that keyways are a bit wider in the US and SouthOrd are a US company...so you might stumble across a lock that they're too big for. House locks should be fine - note, the common UK Yales have funny pin design so read up on it online. You don't find many of the key-in-the-doorknob type locks in the UK, the ones mnost of the US online guides call 'easy'.

It's about as good a set as you'll find in the UK - perfect for learning with and then you might want to put some effort into getting what you really want. If you look directly on the SouthOrd website, they sell an massive range of stuff for picking pretty much anything, but you'd have to order from the US.

You might need some of those if you consider your new home up *there*, but have lost the key to the perimeter fence and lift! Having said that most of the high-security locks are pretty much un-pickable unless you spend half your life practicing and even then there are some relatively inexpensive locks that you can do bugger all against. Also note that if unauthorised access is already suspected, picking will leave proof inside the lock, so they will confirm their suspicions of access if they get it inspected.

Have fun (I'm no expert on this, definitely still in the learning phase!).

Mike

22 years as a locksmith
own my shop with two employees
we do not charge so much that it would be better for you to buy picks and learn yourself
First get a spare key for everything!! buy a key safe for attachment to the outside of your house. call a locksmith if you forget to do the above. we're fast and cheap ($35.00) thats cheaper than a pick set and if you get pulled over by the cops you won't have to explain why you have picks

Well ok then………………..

Thanks for that, I will make sure I call the locksmith next time. Do locksmiths come out at all hours? Can we request that the locksmith wears all black and only whispers whilst talking to me? I am very shy and don’t like to be noticed by my neighbours. I prefer that the lock is opened without anyone noticing at all – I am embarrassed should the “neighbours” see that I have lost my keys yet again…………

my problem is that i cant rember were i hide the extra key(for theifes)...

One thing I would like to point out. If your going to go through the trouble of buying and learning how to pick ''your lock" ,it would also be worth while to learn how to key or re key your locks. It's a bit difficult to explain step by step over the net but the short version of it is this. Since you seem to always loose your key or your ex just moved out and you want the locks changed so your stuff is safe while at work you can do the following:

1. Id the type/make of your lock(s) and go to the store and buy a few blanks for that make of lock.

2. Buy a rat tail file or similar

3. Buy a mini mag light (key chain model)

4. Buy a similar lock as yours( you will practice on this one first)

5. a pair of tweezers

The idea here is to become familiar with what your doing before tackling your locks. Better to jack up a lock that isn't keeping your front door secure and become familiar with that locks insides. Again, i recommend you buy a locksmithing book with pictures do get a better idea of what I am talking about.

There is no big secret or magic to re keying or making a key from an existing lock and it is quite simple once you know how. Once you have your practice lock and materials assembled you are going to have to take the lock apart. Since you bought a new lock it should already be seperated ie: 2 seperate knobs. The part you will need is the the one with the keyway or key hole. Once you have that you are going to pull the "bible"out of the knob housing. Usually there is a small C clamp or a place on the underside of the knob where you can release the bible from the housing. Once you remove the bible you will have the keyway and what looks like a cylinder with a rectangle on top of it. Inside the bible you have a series of pins and springs. This is what makes the cuts in a key so important to it working. When you stick a key into the keyway it lifts a series of pins up to a height designated by the cuts in the key to what is known as the shear line. The shearline is the point where the keyway and bible come together. When the right key is inserted it pushes the bottom pins up enough that the top pins in the bible compress the tiny spring and allow the cyliner to rotate freely and your door opens.

The trick to rekeying or making a key is to seperate the cyliner from the bible. this is easy to do since the cylinder can be pushed out. However, you have to be carefull as there are many small pins and springs that will fly out if you do it incorrectly. With the rectangular portion facing down or setting on the table, take your mini mag light and place it against the back of the cylinder. Push in on the mag light as you simultaneously pull the cylinder out of the bible. The mag light keeps the top pins and springs from poping out. Once you have this done, place the bible and mag light to the side. You now have the cylinder (keyway) in your hand and there will be a series of pins visable,these are the bottom pins. take a blank key and insert it into the keyway. The pins will pop up at different heights from the cylinder. What you are going to do is file the key down in the rigth spots so that all the bottom pins are flush with the cylinder. This requires you remove the key repeatedly and file it down just enough to make the pins flush, to much or too little and the key will not work. It is best to go slow here and not go crazy with the file. Once you have the key filed down and all the bottom pins are flush with the cylinder you can now slide the cylinder back into the bible while simultaneously removing the mag light. If your pins aren't flush you will have a hard time inserting the cylinder into the bible. Be carefull and do this slowly as you don't want the top pins flying out. once the cylinder is back in the bible reverse the process and reassemble the knob. You now have a key that will open that lock.

To change the keying of the lock will require you to move the bottom pins around in the holes, as they are of different heights and this in a sense is scrambling where the valleys and peaks are on the key itself . Once you do this you can then make yourself a new key for that lock in the same manner described above.

Another trick you can do to make it easier to pick the lock later on is to remove a few of the top and bottom pins and the springs from the lock once you have picked it and have it disassembled. What this does is allow the original key to still open the lock but also makes it easier for you to pick at a later date.


This may take you awhile to do at first but once you practice it a few times it is quite easy to do even when it's dark out and you've had a few too many at the bar. Still, I prefer to keep a spare key stashed so i don't have to go through all that