Unlock the Secrets: A Beginner's Guide to Lock Picking

Lock picking, often shrouded in mystery, is a fascinating skill with practical applications and a "cool" factor that appeals to many. While some might associate it with nefarious activities, learning to pick locks can be a rewarding hobby and a valuable skill to possess. This article will guide you through the basics of lock picking, covering the legality, necessary tools, fundamental techniques, and how to get started.

Why Learn Lock Picking?

There are several compelling reasons why a law-abiding citizen might want to learn how to pick locks:

Understanding the Illusion of Security: Lock picking opens your eyes to the "illusion of security". We often rely on locks to protect our homes and belongings, but the reality is that most locks can be easily picked by someone with the right knowledge and tools. This realization highlights the importance of utilizing multiple layers of security and not solely relying on locks for protection.
Practical Skill: Knowing how to pick a lock can be incredibly handy. If you’ve ever been locked out of your house or car, you know how annoying it is to be standing there like a chump, waiting for someone to show up with a key or a professional locksmith to arrive. Wouldn’t you love to be able to jimmy your way in yourself? Not only can this skill save you a lot of time and money, being able to solve a problem like that on your own is pretty dang satisfying. Plus, you can help out all your friends when they get locked out too.
Potential Life-Saving Skill: Knowing how to pick a lock may even help you save a life one day. There have been instances where individuals have used lock picking to enter the homes of elderly parents who were unresponsive, potentially saving their lives. While other methods of entry exist, lock picking offers a non-destructive and quick solution.
Fun and Engaging Hobby: There’s simply a “cool” factor of knowing how to pick a lock. Of all the Jason Bourne-esque skills every man wishes he had, it’s one of the most attainable. The idea that I can surreptitiously enter most doors without a key makes me feel all-powerful, like some sort of super ninja-spy. It’s also a fun little hobby and something I like to do when I’m taking breaks from work or hanging out with the kids while they do their kid thing on the carpet. If you get really into lock picking, you can actually go to events and contests to test your skills against other lock pickers.
Brain Training: Lock picking is practical brain training. The challenge of learning how things work, how to take them apart and how to put them back together. Picking locks improves manual dexterity and allows you to think through the locking pins problem simultaneously.

The Legality of Lock Picking

There’s a common misconception that the only people who can legally own lock-picking tools are first responders or licensed locksmiths. The reality is that in most states, as long as you’re not trying to illegally enter someone’s home with your lock-picking set, you can legally own, carry, and use lock-picking tools.

There are, however, some states that have laws that make owning lock-picking tools prima facie evidence of criminal intent. If you’re caught with picks in these states and you want to avoid criminal charges, you have to prove that you didn’t plan on committing a crime.

Long story short: owning lock-picking tools and learning how to pick locks is perfectly legal and ethical as long as you do so without nefarious intent. Just be a decent human being. For a summary of lock-picking laws across the country, see here.

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Essential Tools for Lock Picking

To practice lock picking effectively, you'll need a few essential tools. These tools include lock picks, tension wrenches, and a practice lock.

Lock Picks: Lock picks come in various shapes and sizes, each designed to manipulate the pins within the lock.
Tension Wrenches: Tension wrenches, on the other hand, apply slight rotational force to the core. The tension wrench is the key (no pun intended) to successfully picking a lock. If you’re applying the right amount of torque on the plug, once the driver pin passes the shear line, the plug will rotate slightly. When you pull your pick out, the key pin will drop back down, but the driver pin will catch the edge of the plug, thus staying above the shear line. You’ll keep lifting pins with your pick and applying pressure with your tension wrench, until all the driver pins have cleared the shear line.
Practice Locks: A practice lock allows you to hone your skills without the risk of damaging a working lock. Clear practice locks are highly recommended for beginners because you can see the pins moving as you pick, which dramatically speeds up learning. Once you understand the mechanics, you can progress to real padlocks and door locks.

Lock Pick Set Recommendations

SEREPick: My favorite is the set from SEREPick.
SouthOrd PXS-14: The Southord PXS-14 is a great beginner set, customer service is the best!
Lokko Beginners Box: We recommend the Lokko Beginners Box as it includes everything you need: quality picks, practice locks with visible mechanisms, and a comprehensive how-to guide.
Multipick: Premium sets like Multipick use higher-grade stainless steel, tighter tolerances, and hand-finishing.
SouthOrd: SouthOrd has long been a reliable name in lock picking quality. This is a consistent, best-selling lock pick set that will compliment your developing skills perfectly.
Peterson: Peterson's lock picks are known for their attention to detail, especially the small differences in the picking surface that can make all the difference.
Vorax: This Canadian Lock Picking manufacturer sure knows how to make sets for picking locks, and their exclusivity means you should definitely check them out.

Understanding Pin Tumbler Locks

Pin tumbler locks are the most common locks found on the front doors of homes. So it makes for a good first lock to learn how to pick.

How a Pin Tumbler Lock Works

You don’t really need to understand how basic pin tumbler locks work to successfully pick them, but it does help.

The design of the basic pin tumbler lock has been in use since 4000 BC. Of course, it’s gotten more complex over the millennia. The design that is used in most cylinder locks - like the one on your front door - has been around since 1861, and it hasn’t changed much. Basically, most of the world is using a technology that’s been around for a century and a half to keep their most prized possessions safe and secure.

Here’s the anatomy of most run-of-the-mill pin tumbler locks:

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Pin tumbler locks consist of an outer cylindrical casing (colored green) in which a plug is housed. The small gap between the outer casing and the plug is called the shear line. Remember that. It will come in handy here in a bit. The plug has an opening for the key. When the proper key is inserted into the plug, the plug can rotate, thus unlocking the lock. On top of the plug, a series of five or six holes are drilled. The holes contain key pins (colored red) of different lengths. They’re called key pins because they touch the key when you insert a key into the plug. Above each key pin is a driver pin that’s spring-loaded. Pins are also sometimes referred to as “binding pins.”

In the diagram above, there’s no key in the plug. Because of the different key pin lengths, the driver pins cross the shear line, making it impossible for the plug to rotate. If you put a wrong key into a lock, the notches on the key won’t lift up the key pins at the right height, causing them to protrude through the shear line.

In order for the plug to rotate, you need to lift each of the key pins and driver pins to the correct height - until the gap between the key pins and driver pins reaches the shear line. When all of the pins reach this position, the plug can rotate. That’s what happens when you put a properly cut key into a lock:

Pretty simple, huh?

When you pick a lock, all you’re doing is using tools, instead of a key, to line up the gap between the key pins and driver pins with the shear line between the outer casing and the plug. That’s it. And it’s super easy to do.

Read also: Guide to Removing Wheel Locks

Lock-Picking Techniques

The two primary techniques used by lock pickers are single-pin picking and raking. Single-pin picking involves manipulating each pin individually until they align at the shear line, allowing the lock to be turned. It's much the same with raking. But instead of picking each pin individually, we rake them all at the same time, and in time, sometimes seconds, sometimes minutes, each driver pin will end up resting on the ledge, and the core will turn due to pressure on the tension tool.

Lock picking is more art than science. You definitely have to develop a “feel” for it. Each lock is different, but the same basic principles apply. The easiest way to pick a lock is to use the fast and dirty method: scrubbing.

Scrubbing Technique: A Step-by-Step Guide

Insert Tension Wrench: Insert Tension Wrench into the Bottom of Key Hole and Apply Slight Pressure. The tension wrench is the key (no pun intended) to successfully picking a lock. Thanks to video games, people wrongfully think it’s the pick, because that is the thing that’s actually lifting the key pins to line up with the shear line. Here’s why the tension wrench is so important: as you’re lifting the pin sets with your pick you need to apply tension on the plug. If you’re applying the right amount of torque on the plug, once the driver pin passes the shear line, the plug will rotate slightly. When you pull your pick out, the key pin will drop back down, but the driver pin will catch the edge of the plug, thus staying above the shear line. You’ll keep lifting pins with your pick and applying pressure with your tension wrench, until all the driver pins have cleared the shear line. So take your tension wrench and place it in the bottom of the key hole. Apply slight pressure in the direction you would turn the key if you had it. And by slight I mean slight. If you apply too much pressure, you’re just going to cause the driver pins to bind below the shear line. You need to have enough give to let the driver pins rise above the shear line, but have enough torque that when they start dropping down, an edge of the drive pin catches the plug as it starts to rotate. How much is too much pressure? If your tension wrench is bending a lot, then you’re probably applying too much pressure. So lean on the side of applying less pressure than more.
Insert Pick: Insert Pick at Top of Lock. Pick your pick. I prefer the Bogota rake that has three ridges. This one has picked every lock that I’ve used it on very easily. Slide the rake all the way to the back.
Scrubbing Motion: While Applying Slight Torque to Your Wrench, Scrub Your Pick Back and Forth in the Key Hole. Keep applying that slight pressure on your tension wrench. I use my left hand for that. With your right hand, scrub or rake the inside of the plug with your pick. As you pull the pick back, simultaneously lift up in order to apply pressure on the pins.
Repeat Until Pins Set: Keep applying torque on your wrench and scrubbing the pins until they all set. You may need to apply more torque and pressure on the pins with your pick as you get near the last one or two pins that need to set. If you’re not making any progress, you probably applied too much torque with the wrench. Relax, let the pins reset, and start over again, focusing on not using too much pressure.

You can successfully pick most pin and tumbler locks using this scrubbing method.

You may run across locks that require a little bit more finesse by picking each pin set one at a time. In these trickier locks, you may need to get more methodical by looking for the pin stack that resists the most and picking it first and then repeating the process until all the pins are successfully picked.

Single Pin Picking (SPP)

Start with Single Pin Picking (SPP) - it's the foundational technique that teaches you how locks actually work. This is where the tension tool comes in. If we're single pin picking or raking, why don't the pins just fall back into place when we pick them? Good question! When we insert a tension tool, we put a small amount of turning pressure on the core, which moves the core a fraction of a millimeter, creating a tiny ledge. When single pin picking, the aim is to get the driver pin to sit on this ledge, once all the driver pins are sitting on this ledge, the lock will open - because we're still applying tension to the tension tool.

Practice and Skill Development

Like I said above, lock picking is more art than science. The best way to learn how to do it is to simply pick locks as much as possible. Buy yourself different pin and tumbler locks at the hardware store and keep them on your desk or by your couch. When you’re taking a break from work or while you’re watching TV, practice picking. I’ve got three or four locks in my drawer that I’ll bust out during the day for practice sessions.

Further Resources

If you want to get more in-depth in the art of lock picking, check out these two sources:

CIA Lock Picking Field Operative Training Manual
The MIT Guide to Lock Picking (This baby goes really in-depth into the mechanics and physics of why we’re able to pick locks. Very thorough. Definitely recommend reading it.)

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