Some Precautions

If you are reading this to learn how to pick locks in order to become a more efficient burglar, then there is not a whole lot I can say or do to stop you. But I must say this: the locks used in prisons are nearly impossible to pick even if you get or make the right tools. They are usually electrically controlled from an external station.

Do not carry lock picks on your person. If you get caught with them, you could get nailed for most any professional job in town for the last seven years. If you must carry them, as in the case of rescue workers, etc., please consult your local authorities about details and ask about registering with them. As a former locksmith, I do not have that problem.

I advise that you do not teach your friends how to pick locks. The choice is yours, of course. You paid the price of this book and the knowledge is yours-be selfish with it. It is for your own protection as well. The fewer people who know you have this skill, the better. Getting blamed for something you didn't do is unfair and a hassle.

When you become proficient at picking locks, you may decide to get a job as a locksmith. But believe me, there is more to being a locksmith than being able to pick locks. You have to be a good carpenter as well as a fair mechanic. But you may want to approach the owner of a lock shop and ask if you could get on as an apprentice.

Nobody's Perfect

There isn't a locking device on earth that cannot be opened with means other than its key or code. It's just that some are easier to open than others. Anything with a keyhole, dial, or access port is subject to being opened with alternate means, though some of the newer electronic and computer-controlled security devices would be a nightmare even if you had extensive knowledge of electronics and electromagnetics. Some devices also use palm prints as a readout to allow entry.

On the mechanical side, there are locks that have normal pin tumblers, but they are situated in various places 360 degrees around the cylinder. Some locks use pin tumblers that not only have to be aligned vertically within the cylinder, but also have to "twist" or turn a certain number of degrees to allow the cylinder to open. This is because the pins' shear line is cut at an angle. These locks are made by Medeco.

I have witnessed only one Medeco lock being picked by a fellow locksmith. We both spent hours trying to pick it again, but it was futile. We estimated the chances of opening it again to be one out of 10,000. They are excellent security devices, but their price keeps them limited to areas prone to security problems such as isolated vending machines and for government use. The only one I have been successful at opening (after an hour of picking) was one I drilled. By the way, they are easy to drill because the brass that's used is soft.

Learning To Touch And Feel

Most of us know how to touch. We touch objects every day, and yet we do not truly feel them. It seems so commonplace that we forget that we are actually feeling while we touch.

Here is an exercise that will develop a delicate touch. Gently rub and massage your hands and fingers - preferably with hand lotion. Do this for five minutes. Once the lotion has evaporated, shake your hands and fingers so that they flop loosely. Gently pull each finger to relax each joint.

Now with a piece of fine sandpaper, gently draw the tips of your fingers across it. Try to feel the texture of the grains on its surface. Relax your fingers, hands, forearms, shoulders, and chest. Take your time. Do this for several minutes.

After a few weeks of practice, you will be able to feel each individual grain of sand on the sandpaper. This allows you to feel the slightest sensation vibrate through your bones.

Try to remember to practice touching and feeling during your everyday experiences. Practice feeling wood, metal, and various other objects. Play with the feel of mechanical vibrations, even your television set. Try to sense the world around you as a source of information. This could and will open a whole new horizon of experience.

After a while, you will be able to feel or sense the movement of the tumblers of a Sargeant and Greenleaf safe. My first safe opened in three minutes because of that technique that took me years to discover.

Visualization

If you respect the security of the lock and do not become overconfident, you will never become disappointed if you fail to open it. You also increase your chances of opening the lock because you personally have nothing to gain or lose by opening it. Give up trying to be an expert and just pick the lock.

With such an attitude, you may find the lock will usually pop right open. I never received a trophy for being the best lock picker in the state. My satisfaction is in knowing that I am never helpless in a lockout situation. The quality of your success is almost romantic; it involves sensitivity and compassion in the face of curiosity as a means to help others.

Visualization and imagination are important to the lock picker. I've noticed that people who have the ability to visualize the internal parts of the lock that they are picking seldom fail to open it in moments. Anyone can learn to do this by simply remembering to do it while picking a lock. Since sight, sound, and touch are involved with the process, visualization is very easy to do. Try to keep all of your attention on the lock during the picking process. This will help you to learn how to use heightened sensitivity for picking locks.

So in that respect, an unopened lock is like a new and unexplored lover. You imagine all of the qualities of an attractive person whom you've just met and apply that feeling to the lock that you are picking. Use visualization. It will help immensely.

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