paulchin20 LOCKPICKING TUTORIAL



DOOR KNOB LOCKS 
These are also 5-pin pin tumbler locks and are usually found on
bedroom doors. Office room doors sometimes have these as well.

These locks are difficult for the beginner because it is very, very
tricky. It is tricky because there are 2 levels of tension:

1.  The tension to pick the lock should be very,very,very light.
2.  The tension to actually turn the plug and open the door
    once you have successfully picked it, is slightly heavier.

Now, it is tricky because, very often a beginner doesn't realize that
he has already successfully picked the lock, and all that remains for him is to do
is to go to the next step, which is, to apply a slightly heavier pressure
on the tension wrench to turn the plug fully to open the door.

On the opposite extreme, a beginner applies TOO MUCH pressure on the tension wrench,
wrongly thinking that he has successfully picked the lock. 

Remember, the pressure on the tension wrench is almost ZERO.

A word of warning, out of frustration, you may bend your tension wrench out
of shape when picking this lock! Never mind, if it goes out of shape, just use
a plier to put right again.

The good news is, once you learn the correct pressure to apply and the correct
feel for the raking, you will ALMOST ALWAYS BE ABLE TO OPEN THIS LOCK WITHIN
SECONDS!! When I started with this lock, it took me 1 hour to open, sometimes 
never. Now, it only takes me about 15 seconds.

Surprisingly, this lock is very difficult to master, yet soooo easy to open
once you got it.





Remember, use featherlite touch on the tension wrench, and once the pins set,
use moderate pressure to turn the lock to open it. This is the only lock
I know of that has 2 different tensions. That's what makes it so difficult
for beginners. The raking action is repeated again and again. Insert all
the way, rake, reinsert, rake, reinsert rake.....

How would you know when the pin sets? This is the difficult part. When the pin
sets, you will feel the tension wrench rotate a little - just a very little. 
And the keyhole also might appear to have rotated a little. You need to have a
very sensitive feel with your left hand (the one holding the tension wrench).
Oops, sorry, I assume you are right handed. Now, once you feel the tension wrench
has budged a trifle, it means the lock has been successfully picked. You can now
remove the hook pick (or diamond pick, depending on which one you use). But the
door is still not open, because the bolt is still in the latch of the doorway. 
Therefore, you will need to gently INCREASE the pressure on the tension wrench.
This is the second level of tension which I was mentioning above. This increased
pressure will then turn the plug and actually open the door.


Upside Down door-knobs
It is very common to have door-knob locks installed with upside down keyholes.
This is because the same lock can be installed into right-handed or left-
handed doors, i.e. doors that open to the right or open to the left. 

In such a case the pins are all at the bottom. The tension wrench is inserted
at the top of the keyhold, and rotated in the proper direction (remember to
check with a key first), whilst the hook or diamond pick is inserted with the
hook or diamond facing downwards.  The raking action is the same.

One added advantage is: Once the pin sets, it stops being springy. Now compare
this with a door-knob with the keyway right side up - when the pins set, you
can't tell difference whether the pins are set, all pins will still feel springy
to the beginner. But for an upside down lock, once ALL the pins set, you will
suddenly find the absence of springiness when you rake. At the same time, the 
tension wrench will also rotate a little. Therefore, an upside down door-knob lock
is easier to pick.


Watch a video clip of me doing the raking technique on a doorknob door lock:

doorknobrake.wmv
(File size: 730 kB)

View from the Top: 

doorknobrake_topview.wmv
(File size: 686 kB)

In both the above videos, the doorknob lock is first locked by pressing the knob from
the rear. Then raking is done from the front.

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