lockpicking progress

master #3

The Master #3 is notoriously easy to open.  I struggled with it for about 20mins, longer than normal for a beginner. I was in a park, lugging water to the van from a spigot.  I sat in the grass with Muffin and fought the lock in between trips.  Road noise and screaming feral children meant I couldn’t hear the lock, which might have contributed to the long pick time.

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It’s got a weird feel and I have opened better locks faster, so I guess I just need more practice on it.  I did get lock lubricant in today which improved the feel.

Sourced at Ace Hardware.  Submitted to /r/lockpicking for “white belt”.

EZ-Rekey cutaway practice lock

A cutaway is a normal lock core that has part of the material ground away so you can see the pins.  It’s a training tool that helps you

• visually

  • calibrate the position of the pick inside the lock, which you cannot see under normal circumstances.

  • see how the pick interacts with the pins

  • see how the pins can be unset, set, and overset (pushed too far into the pin channel, called the bible for some reason)

• feel

  • feel what real pins feel like in a real lock

[caption id=”” align=”alignnone” width=”2560”] normal locked condition[/caption]

This one is the Ez-Rekey w/Kwikset keyway.  It has a sliding cap on top  to allow easy “repinning” (reconfiguration of pins).  Remove carefully to keep springs from flying all over the place.

The more common visual learning aid for beginners is the clear acrylic lock .  They cost a bit less but have many shortcomings:  they don’t feel normal, wear quickly,  are generally poor-constructed, and can’t be disassembled and repinned.  I think the cutaway is a good investment.

This cutaway has a lovely feel, smooth and delicate unlike the “gravel in a crushed soda can” feeling of the master #3.

Here it is opened (covering pin area with my thumb blocking the bible view.  No need to look, the pins are easy to find and manipulate:

[caption id=”” align=”alignnone” width=”2560”] picked[/caption]

Brinks 40mm brass

This one came from Amazon.  Feels very nice, smooth, well-machined.  It’s a “yellow belt” lock, so I will submit it tomorrow.

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old kwikset kik

KIK means key in knob, a lock in a doorknob.  Found at La Grange Habitat for Humanity ReStore shop, $3.

Definitely needed lube.

[caption id=”” align=”alignnone” width=”2560”] picked[/caption]