A step-by-step guide to getting started in the hobby of picking locks (2023)

Picking locks is a very rewarding hobby, but it also requires a lot of work. To really understand what you're getting into, I've put together a step-by-step guide describing an amateur's journey to start picking locks. Its purpose is to help beginners and provide information and other resources that may benefit the reader. Using the key points, you'll be able to understand your general path, but there's enough detail in each step to take the time to read the sections thoroughly as they go along.

Step 1: Know the rules

First, before you do anything with breaking and entering, you shouldUnderstand your local lockpicking laws.. It might not be cool for you to own the type of equipment you want to invest in. You may need certain licenses, or your lock picks could even implicate you in a crime simply by being in your possession. Once you know if you can legally continue this hobby, it's time to learn the code for picking locks. There are two rules for picking locks, which must be followed at all times. Failure to comply with these rules will, at best, put you and those around you in danger, and at worst, result in criminal prosecution.

1. Never open a lock that you do not own or that you have not received express permission from the owner to open it.
2. Never open a lock that is in use.

If you break the first rule, you are breaking the law. If you break the law, you are a criminal. Picking locks is a hobby for people who like challenge, knowledge, etc., not criminals. Breaking the second rule is dangerous because you can break the lock. Breaking or weakening the security of a lock is not a problem for practice locks. But if this lock is used with the expectation of achieving some level of security, the risk of ruin is reckless. Never be reckless with security.

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• Follow local, state and federal laws.
• Lockpicking should never be used for illegal acts.
• There are certain states and countries that do not allow civilian possession of lockpicks.
• Just open locks on your property.

Step 2: Set expectations and excitement

One of the most important aspects of starting any new hobby is knowing what to expect and getting excited about the reality of your venture. The first thing to do when starting to consider breaking and entering as your new hobby is to ground yourself and understand the difficulty, uses, and general expectations. I recommend reading this site and checking out the beginner playlists of bothBosnian billyschuyler city. You can also check out some of the more advanced videos just to see what level you can get to.

During this point in the investigation process, familiarize yourself with some of the basic concepts and terminology of the blocking feature. If you can't get excited about learning without doing, then lock-picking is probably not for you. Improving your skills will almost always take you to the internet to read, watch and listen to scavengers and locksmiths share their tips. This isn't the same as being overly excited, but chances are if you're really excited, you've watched a lot of hacking videos and read the forums while waiting for your mail order hacking set to arrive.

Understand that picking locks is a difficult hobby, as it requires a lot of investment, both in time and money. It's a perishable skill, so any frustrating downtime will result in a feeling of starting over. If you don't practice, your skills will atrophy. It's not like riding a bike!

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• Do your research before making a decision.
• Have some understanding of how lockpicking works.
• Come start choosing!

Step 3: Creating Goals and Deadlines

Goals are very important for any hobby. It's what keeps you interested and involved in the search. It is important to have both long and short term goals. A goal can be as simple as wanting to pick a lock, but this is a short-term goal. Once you've done that, you should already be thinking about your next step. A certain number of times you want to open the lock, or perhaps how quickly you want to open it. Do you want to be able toopen portcullis locks, to start with, then scroll down to select a single pin? Is there some kind of lock you want to open?popular house locks,car locks, strange locks, etc.? (You should start with a standard lock for best results.) Do you want to move on tobecome a locksmithor security professional?

The goals you decide on are not set in stone. You should do this in advance so you know what you want to buy initially. But this process is ongoing and always evolving. The only one who will make you fulfill your commitment is you. Understand that these goals can change to be more realistic. In cases of natural talent, where everything comes too easy, this might mean turning up the difficulty level. If your goals were too high, you might want to lower your expectations. Either way, it's important that he doesn't get disinterested or frustrated.

Your goals are meant to grow with you. Once you get stuck for too long, whether it's not increasing the challenge of your goals or getting stuck on a goal that's too challenging, you'll lose interest. The best way to fight stagnation is with a deadline. Maybe it's when you want to record your first YouTube video, or something more likely to start a fire under your feet, like a meeting or housebreaking competition. With a deadline, even if you don't reach your goal, there will be a motivating force seemingly outside of you.

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• It's best to start by learning how to open deadbolt locks.
• These goals don't have to be permanent.
• The goals you set will act as a roadmap for purchasing decisions.
• Goals can change as you start to understand more about your hobby.
• Make sure your goals aren't too easy to reach or too high to reach.

Step 4 - Choose your options

Now that you're excited and you know what you want to accomplish, it's time to start shopping for your supplies. The research you've done to set your expectations should have already prepared you somewhat for this in terms of pricing. That should save you a bit of surprise and also having to look for specific tools. If you are interested in starting to exploreselection of car locks,disc retainers,tubular locks, or anything else non-standard, then it will look for tools other than the standard recommended set.

Going the traditional route, in terms of breaking in, will make choosing your tools a lot easier. Just take a look at our post about the items you need inyour first set of lockpicks, and if you're worried about who to buy your tools from, check out our post onexcellent brands of ganzúas. Between these two posts, you should be able to decide on a starter kit that will give you what you need while staying within your budget. If you are interested in lockpicks or electronic lockpicks, please consider reading an article I wrote ondifferences between manual and electronic picking.

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• Your selections will be based on your goals.
• See the links for a detailed breakdown of purchase options.
• Starting with deadbolt locks will allow you to choose from a wide range of tools.

Step 5 - Choose your lock(s)

One of the most important tools you will need is a practice lock. This lock will determine your success with the hobby. Be sure to read up on some of the recommended practice blocks and what you can expect with each one. I would wholeheartedly recommend starting with a standard lock. One of the most important things is deciding between a lock, a keyed knob or a padlock. This decision really just comes down to your goals. Make sure you pick something easy to start with, or if you have multiple blocks, make sure you understand the order of difficulty. Without understanding the lock and what's inside, you are setting yourself up for failure. Start by researching your blocks and move to more challenging blocks once you're on your feet. locks likeMaster No. 3a simplekwikset lockThey make great practice blocks for beginners.

The most important thing is to go back to Step 1 at this point to make sure you are not picking a lock that is in use or that you don't own. If you intend to upgrade your door, install your new lock or have it ready for installation before you start choosing the lock you want to replace. This can give you the real feel of picking a lock that has been installed on a door. After trying to open the lock that will soon be replaced, do not use it to secure your home. Do not move away from the door until the new lock is installed correctly. If you need help installing a lock, contact a locksmith near you.

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• Your choice of lock will be based on the goals you've set.
• Start with a lock that's easy to pick.
• See the links for a detailed breakdown of purchase options.
• Do not choose a lock that you intend to use for your security.

Step 6: Start choosing

Once you've set all your tools and expectations, it's time to start choosing. Hopefully you ended up with a standard pick kit and deadbolt lock. If you've chosen to start with something more exotic, I hope you have the right kind of pick and a block that isn't too difficult. In either case, use the knowledge gained to insert your tools into the keyway and start experimenting with manipulation.

Handling Tips:

1. Use the key and open the lock. This will ensure that there is nothing wrong with the practice lock. If the lock doesn't work with the key, then you have a problem. Most likely this lock is broken. Set the padlock aside or return it.
2. Insert your hook or some single-pin selection device, even if you don't plan on picking the lock with a single pin. This is a similar troubleshooting method to using the key. You're just trying to move the internal mechanisms around and see if something is stuck. In addition, you will get an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhow the lock works from the inside.
3. Try and use your chosen method of picking the lock, making sure to maintain constant tension. If it doesn't open, experiment with less and more tension.
4. Be careful with your tools. I know you're excited and just want to open it, but take a deep breath. Many first-time lockpickers really go the extra mile on their first few attempts. That's not good for the pickaxes or the lock. Lighter lock care will extend the life of all your tools. You'll also get better feedback and start to really understand the device.
5. When you open it, see if you can open it again in the same amount of time. Try to find out what you are doing. Note its tension and how it moves the tool into the keyway. If you have a theory about the most important elements of your success, try them out. Successful first matches will give you your habits, good and bad. Try them and make them good.

The most important thing is that you don't get frustrated. Keep trying new things, but give everything a chance. Not everything will work right away. Even if you've done your best to set realistic expectations, in the moment you may forget to absorb everything you've learned. Keep your head level. And if it gets too easy, make sure it's because you understand what you're doing, not because you're getting lucky or replicating success without knowing why it's working. The best way to test this is to slow down what you're doing and see if you get the same results. If you're getting really good at raking, start by selecting a single peg.

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• Make sure your locks work.
• Try to learn about the lock by opening it.
• Don't be rough with your tools and locks.
• Be patient and remember that your goals are malleable.

Step 7: Keep Practicing

As we discussed in Step 2, lockpicking is a perishable skill. When you don't practice, you lose your skill. This means you need to add your practice time to your schedule. Hopefully, you're successfully picking at least one lock a day. It may seem like a lot of work, but there are many instances in a day when you can do something with your hands while still doing something else: on breaks from work; when you are watching television; when you are sitting up in bed, before going to sleep; etc

There's always time to brush up on your skills a bit, but some serious practice time is needed a few times a week. These will be the days when you make a concerted effort to improve your skills and move closer to your next goal. That's when you can really immerse yourself in your hobby and put your skill to the test. You can also use this time to do more research. Research the issues you're struggling with and even plan new goals you'd like to achieve. If you don't set aside that time, you'll lose interest, motivation, and/or skill. Missing any of these three things will eventually result in your locks and picks gathering dust.

If you travel frequently, you should take your hobby with you whenever possible. Make sure you understand the laws of the areas you will be visiting. You can also consult our guide ontravel with lockpicks. It's certainly a lot more possible than you suspect.

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• You can lose your abilities if you don't use them.
• There's always time to practice.
• Be careful when traveling with lock picks.

Step 8: Join the community

As you learned in Step 3, it's very important to have goals and deadlines. The ones you want are fine to start with, but if you're in this for the long haul, the next step is to go out into the world. Join the forums and start going to dating groups. This will build your support network. When you stumble and don't know where to turn, you'll know where to ask for advice. Being a part of these groups will also benefit your learning by exposing you to ideas you might not have otherwise encountered. There will also be a sense of competition as you'll see other achievements and you'll also have a group that might be impressed with what you've achieved.

Some really good sites to look at are Lock Picking 101 and Keypicking. These are online forums where you can start threads and reply to information that has already been left. They are great learning resources and for the most part the users are very friendly and respectful. A general rule of thumb for websites is to search existing threads for your chosen topic before posting a new thread. As the search bars on the site are not very reliable, double-check your search queries by Googling your topic with the term Lock Picking 101 and/or Keypicking. These views are not fans of self-promotion, so be humble and don't give a damn. Be nice and you'll make friends.

Being part of a community will also allow you to participate in lock trading and lock trading. This lowers the cost of getting new locks, as you can simply swap out the ones you have a lot of experience with. There are also challenge locks that are sent where you can start testing your ability to pick a lock blindly. You can also test your understanding of blocks by creating your own challenge block.

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• Forums and meeting groups provide a safety net.
• You can learn from these groups.
• Look to these people for inspiration and new goals.
• Use these features to share and negotiate locks.

Step 9: Growth

This step is a bit awkward. You will grow as you go through these steps; however, this step is about further expanding your abilities. Essentially, once you have your support network, tools, and learning, it's time to start over with developing a new skill set. It never hurts to review the rules, but you can start with Step 2.

This would be a bit like switching from standard latch locks to other styles of locks. These require new expectations, adjusted goals, sometimes different choices and, certainly, new blockages. The main difference is that you can't stop practicing your old skills. You might not need to focus solely on them for a whole day, but still, keep picking locks at the same level or you'll lose your skill.

Growth takes into account both starting over and maintaining what you already have. Each time you do this, starting over will be easier, but maintenance will start to get a little more complicated. With more to review, there will be more to practice.

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• Start the process again.
• Keep practicing your old skills while learning new ones.
• Repeat the process until you learn everything there is to know.

(Extra) Step 10: Get back on the horse

We all get busy or lose our charm from time to time. When picking locks again, it's important to remember how far you've come. You may need to go back and get your first practice lock and get back to basics, but it won't take as long to get back to your old level as, say, a newbie. Take it easy. If you missed something, go back to your original sources of knowledge.

While it feels like you're starting over, I can assure you it's not. You are rediscovering your balance. Jumping back is great, but don't be afraid to take your time. Go back to basics and build your skills again from scratch. As tempting as it is to simply recapture some of your best tricks, it's not a good way to regain your enthusiasm and skills.

Conclusion

If you really like picking locks, there is no conclusion. You can do this forever and always find something new to be excited about. Start going to competitions, travel the world. Or, you might decide to start a business around your new skills. The only time progress stops is when you decide to stop. I hope you enjoy your new hobby. Happy choice!