I've Done It

When I knew that I was going to be heading into lockdown for an indefinite period of time I looked for a new hobby to keep me occupied and challenged during those long idle hours. Since I had always liked puzzles and ciphers, I decided that I might turn my mind and fingers towards lock picking.

I started out the same way that anyone learns any new skill nowadays - by watching videos on YouTube. These gave me some ideas of where to start. All I needed next were some suitable tools and practice locks. I was able to secure these items via Amazon (thus further adding to Jeff Bezos' massive fortune).

The next stage was to sit down with locks and picks and see just how the unlocking process works. I have to admit that the first time I opened a padlock, it really did give me quite a buzz. Then I opened it again, and again, and again. I looked for other locks of different shapes and sizes. No lock was safe while I was around. In each case the thrill was the same when it yielded for the first time.

As part of my progression, I ordered a set of "progressive locks" from Canada. These are a structured set of numbered locks, each one a little (or a lot) harder than the previous one. They say that, by the time you can open the final one, you can regard yourself as a moderately good lock picker.

A couple of days ago I succeeded in picking the full set and I have the photo to prove it. If you look closely you will see that it would be impossible to put the locks in that state without picking them. In case you are confused by that, the key would still be stuck in the core if I had unlocked them using the key. The fact that the keyway is clear shows that they were all picked.

Just in case you want to know something of the technical side of things, I can tell you that they were tensioned using the top of keyway method, a short hook was used and they were single pin picked.Read more