Final
Remarks
Lo ck
picking
is
a
craft,
not
a
science.
This
do cument
presents
the
knowledge
and
skills
that
are
essen
tial
to
lo
c
k
picking,
but
more
imp ortantly
it
provides
y
ou
with
mo
dels
and
exercises
that
will
help
y
ou
study
lo
c
ks
on
y
our
o
wn.
T
o
excel
at
lo
c
k
picking,
you
m
ust
practice
and
develop
a
style
which
ts
you
p ersonally
.
Remem
b er
that
the
b est
technique
is
the
one
that
works
b est
for
y
ou.
42
App
endix
A
T
o
ols
This
app
endix
describ es
the
design
and
construction
of
lo ck
picking
to ols.
A.1
Pic
k
Shap
es
Picks
come
in
sev
eral
shap es
and
sizes.
Figure
A.1
shows
the
most
common
shap
es.
The
handle
and
tang
of
a
pick
are
the
same
for
all
picks.
The
handle
m
ust
b e
comfortable
and
the
tang
m
ust
b
e
thin
enough
to
av
oid
bumping
pins
unnecessarily
.
If
the
tang
is
to o
thin,
then
it
will
act
lik
e
a
spring
and
y
ou
will
lo ose
the
feel
of
the
tip
in
teracting
with
the
pins.
The
shap e
of
the
tip
determines
how
easily
the
pick
passes
ov
er
the
pins
and
what
kind
of
feedback
you
get
from
each
pin.
The
design
of
a
tip
is
a
compromise
b etw
een
ease
of
insertion,
ease
of
withdra
w
al
and
feel
of
the
interaction.
The
half
diamond
tip
with
shallow
angles
is
easy
to
insert
and
remov
e,
so
you
can
apply
pressure
when
the
pick
is
moving
in
either
direction.
It
can
quickly
pic
k
a
lo ck
that
has
little
v
ariation
in
the
lengths
of
the
k
ey
pins.
If
the
lo ck
requires
a
k
ey
that
has
a
deep
cut
b etw
een
tw
o
shallow
cuts,
the
pick
may
not
b
e
able
to
push
the
middle
pin
down
far
enough.
The
half
diamond
pic
k
with
steep
angles
could
deal
with
such
a
lo ck,
and
in
general
steep
angles
give
you
b etter
feedback
ab
out
the
pins.
Unfortunately
,
the
steep
angles
make
it
harder
to
mov
e
the
pic
k
in
the
lo ck.
A
tip
that
has
a
shallo
w
fron
t
angle
and
a
steep
bac
k
angle
w
orks
w
ell
for
Y
ale
lo cks.
The
half
round
tip
works
well
in
disk
tumbler
lo cks.
See
section
9.13.
The
full
diamond
and
full
round
tips
are
useful
for
lo cks
that
hav
e
pins
at
the
top
and
b
ottom
of
the
keyw
a
y
.
The
rak
e
tip
is
designed
for
picking
pins
one
by
one.
It
can
also
b
e
used
to
rake
o
v
er
the
pins,
but
the
pressure
can
only
b e
applied
as
the
pick
is
withdra
wn.
The
rak
e
tip
allows
you
to
carefully
feel
each
pin
and
apply
v
arying
amoun
ts
of
pressure.
Some
rak
e
tips
are
at
or
den
ted
on
the
top
to
mak
es
it
easier
to
align
the
pick
on
the
pin.
The
primary
b
enet
of
picking
pins
one
at
a
time
is
that
you
av
oid
scratching
the
pins.
Scrubbing
scratches
the
tips
of
the
pins
and
the
keyw
a
y
,
and
it
spreads
metal
dust
throughout
the
lo
c
k.
If
you
w
an
t
to
av
oid
lea
ving
traces,
you
must
a
v
oid
scrubbing.
The
snak
e
tip
can
b
e
used
for
scrubbing
or
pic
king.
When
scrubbing,
the
multiple
bumps
43
generate
more
action
than
a
regular
pick.
The
snak
e
tip
is
particularly
go o
d
at
op ening
ve
pin
household
lo cks.
When
a
snake
tip
is
used
for
picking,
it
can
set
t
w
o
or
three
pins
at
once.
Basically
,
the
snake
pick
acts
like
a
segmen
t
of
a
key
whic
h
can
b
e
adjusted
by
lifting
and
low
ering
the
tip,
by
tilting
it
bac
k
and
forth,
and
by
using
either
to
top
or
b ottom
of
the
tip.
Y
ou
should
use
mo
derate
to
heavy
torque
with
a
snake
pick
to
allow
several
pins
to
bind
at
the
same
time.
This
style
of
pic
king
is
faster
than
using
a
rake
and
it
leav
es
as
little
evidence.
A.2
Street
cleaner
bristles
The
spring
steel
bristles
used
on
street
cleaners
make
excellent
to ols
for
lo ck
picking.
The
bristles
hav
e
the
right
thickness
and
width,
and
they
are
easy
to
grind
into
the
desired
shap e.
The
resulting
to ols
are
springy
and
strong.
Section
A.3
describ es
how
to
make
to
ols
that
are
less
springy
.
The
rst
step
in
making
to
ols
is
to
sand
o
any
rust
on
the
bristles.
Course
grit
sand
pap er
works
ne
as
do es
a
steel
wool
cleaning
pad
(not
copp er
wool).
If
the
edges
or
tip
of
the
bristle
are
w
orn
do
wn,
use
a
le
to
mak
e
them
square.
A
torque
wrench
has
a
head
and
a
handle
as
shown
in
gure
A.2.
The
head
is
usually
1/2
to
3/4
of
an
inch
long
and
the
handle
v
aries
from
2
to
4
inc
hes
long.
The
head
and
the
handle
are
separated
by
a
b
end
that
is
ab
out
80
degrees.
The
head
m
ust
b
e
long
enough
to
reac
h
o
v
er
an
y
protrusions
(such
as
a
grip-pro of
collar)
and
rmly
engage
the
plug.
A
long
handle
allo
ws
delicate
control
o
v
er
the
torque,
but
if
it
is
to o
long,
it
will
bump
against
the
do orframe.
The
handle,
head
and
b end
angle
can
b e
made
quite
small
if
you
wan
t
to
make
to ols
that
are
easy
to
conceal
(e.g.,
in
a
p
en,
ashlight,
or
b elt
buckle).
Some
torque
wrenches
ha
v
e
a
90
degree
twist
in
the
handle.
The
twist
makes
it
easy
to
con
trol
the
torque
by
controlling
ho
w
far
the
handle
has
b een
de ected
from
its
rest
p osition.
The
handle
acts
as
a
spring
which
sets
the
torque.
The
disadv
an
tage
of
this
metho
d
of
setting
the
torque
is
that
y
ou
get
less
feedback
ab out
the
rotation
of
the
plug.
T
o
pick
dicult
lo
c
ks
you
will
need
to
learn
ho
w
to
apply
a
steady
torque
via
a
sti
handled
torque
wrench.
The
width
of
the
head
of
a
torque
wrench
determines
ho
w
well
it
will
t
the
keyw
a
y
.
Lo cks
with
narro
w
keyw
a
ys
(e.g.,
desk
lo cks)
need
torque
wrenches
with
narrow
heads.
Before
b ending
the
bristle,
le
the
head
to
the
desired
width.
A
general
purp
ose
wrench
can
b e
made
b
y
narrowing
the
tip
(ab out
1/4
inc
h)
of
the
head.
The
tip
ts
small
k
eyw
a
ys