Lockpicking is a cool hobby where you sit around opening locks you legally purchased. Also we can talk about home security, because that's an important thing and I want to learn more about it.
Locksport, sportLocksport is a term that a bunch of sweaty nerds came up with to describe opening locks with tools when you dropped your keys and still want to be able to use those keys later. It's a "sport" like bowling is a sport: you can drink a beer during it and not see a dip in your performance. Locksport does have actual competitions in which people race to open a challenge lock or a series of locks. The community is something akin to the speedrun community, doing a certain model of lock faster and faster.
Lockpicking as a hobby is something I dreamed about since being an edgy teenager. Now, as an edgy adult, I recognize it as a very relaxing and rewarding hobby. If you like puzzles, riddles, or puzzle games, I think you'd like it. We all know you like fantasy because this is a DF forum, so multi-class into rogue and get to pickin'.
Picks, the tools of the tradeTo get started, you need three things - a tensioner, a pick, and a lock.
Now, locks are the easiest thing to find. I'll go into more detail about the types of locks later, but it's worth noting that the cheaper the lock is, usually, the easier it is to pick. Most people recommend the Master Lock #3 as a beginner lock. It only has 4 pins, is cheap, but not so cheap that it'll break. Also, a see-through lock is a nice thing to have for understanding lock mechanics. If you can find one for a reasonable price, they're cool to have. The leap from being able to see inside a lock to doing everything by feel is pretty rough, so don't get too attached to it.
Picks may be illegal or restricted in your region.
Here is a list of the states plus a few countries. Generally, they're only used to prove premeditation on crimes, rather than owning them being illegal in its own right. But, uh...check first.
Picks will almost always come in a set. Most of these sets are bloated, as you really only need a standard pick and a tensioner to get started. I recommend a 8-12 piece set. I bought a 24-piece set and it came with stuff that I'll never use like tools for
breaking into legally unlocking cars. I recommend going cheap here. Not...mall-ninja cheap, but cheap enough that you won't feel frustrated if the hobby doesn't suit you. Pick sets come with a variety of rakes and other tools which are low-skill attacks on locks. These are useful for pragmatically opening a lock, but if you're trying to get good at picking locks, don't worry about them.
Tensioners (also called torsion wrenches and tension wrenches) are very important and I found that having several of them is very useful. Different keyways might need different sizes of tensioners to give your pick room to mess with the pins. A pick set that comes with 2-3 tensioners is great.
Locks, I mean they're just sitting there waiting to be openedIn my amateur opinion, there are basically 4 types of locks in common usage. I'm going to address them here in an incomprehensible order.
Disc tumbler/Disc detainer lock:
Common uses:
Bike locks, padlocks, "high security" locks
Benefits:
Cannot be bumped or raked. Requires a special pick.
A disc-detainer lock is something you should avoid as a beginner. In my local shops, almost all padlocks are this type, which has been a frustrating experience. They are pickable, but require a specific pick or incredible skill with regular tools. That said, all that makes them great for home security, such as locking a gate or shed.
Dimple lock:
Common uses:
House locks
Benefits:
The key looks cool.
Dimple locks are extremely common in Asia. The keyway looks similar to a "normal" pin-tumbler lock, but the key reveals the difference. Picking these locks is basically the same as a pin-tumbler, but the narrow profile can make moving your pick around pretty tough. A dimple pick is similar to a standard pick. The flag at the end is meant to be rotated to push up on the pins.
Wafer locks:
Common uses:
Furniture, security boxes, car doors
Benefits:
The wafer design allows tumblers on both sides of the key - making them more difficult to pick.
Wafer locks range from stupidly easy to open (an office desk drawer) to pretty tough (car locks). If your wafer lock has wafers on both sides the general method is to pick one side, keep tension on, then pick the other - which sounds a lot easier than it is. They don't need any more specific tools than pin-tumbler locks. They're also extremely cheap because they're in stuff like desks and lockable medicine cabinets. As such, people often lose the keys and throw these things out.
Pin-tumbler locks
Common uses:
Basically everything
Benefits:
Cheap.
The pin-tumbler lock is the "basic" lock. It's the one in fantasy books and it's the one your level 5 rogue can't mess up thanks to Expertise in Thieves' tools and +4 Dex. These are the bread and butter locks to practice on. The method for picking is that which is used for basically all locks - tension makes it so the tumblers will lock into place when pushed into position by a pick.
I would go into further detail as to how to pick a lock, but honestly, everything I have read hasn't been clear until I actually had a lock and pick in my hands.
Anyway, let's have fun and don't do crimesBuy a set of picks and while they're in the mail, buy a few locks. ReStore/Goodwill/any thrift store is likely to have a few locks lying around. Check your grand-dad's garage for some old ones he isn't using. Mess around with paper-clips and see if you can crack open your coworker's desk.
Check out LockpickingLawyer and BosnianBill on youtube for two pretty relaxing channels of skilled locksportists.
Remember: Never pick a lock you don't own (it's usually illegal) and don't pick a lock you intend to use (it's possible to break a lock while picking it, so don't lock yourself out of your house)
Advice on home security is welcome.
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Topic: Lockpicking and Security Thread: Raking and Entering (Read 2162 times)