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The MIT lockpicking guide in Word for windows form


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MIT Guide to Lock Picking

Ted the Tool

February 14, 1992



























Distribution

Copyright 1987, 1991 Theodore T. Tool. All right reserved.

Reset in Word for Windows type with pictures by
David L. Morrison
on January 27, 1994

Permission to reproduce this document on a non-profit basis
is granted provided that this copyright and distribution
notice is included in full. The information in this booklet is
provided for educational purposes only.

August 1991 revision.

Contents

1 It's Easy 4

2 How a Key Opens a Lock 5

3 The Flatland Model 7

4 Basic Picking & The Binding Defect 10

5 The Pin Column Model 11

6 Basic Scrubbing 17

7 Advanced Lock Picking 20
7.1 Mechanical Skills 20
7.2 Zen and the Art of Lock Picking 20
7.3 Analytic Thinking 21

8 Exercises 22
8.1 Exercise 1: Bouncing the pick 22
8.2 Exercise 2: Picking Pressure 23
8.3 Exercise 3: Picking Torque 23
8.4 Exercise 4: Identifying Set Pins 24
8.5 Exercise 5: Projections 24

9 Recognizing and Exploiting Personality Traits 25
9.1 Which Way To Turn 25
9.2 How Far to Turn 27
9.3 Gravity 27
9.4 Pins Not Setting 27
9.5 Elastic Deformation 27
9.6 Loose Plug 28
9.7 Pin Diameter 28
9.8 Beveled Holes and Rounded pins 30
9.9 Mushroom Driver Pins 30
9.10 Master Keys 33
9.11 Drivers or Spacer Enters Keyway 36
9.12 Vibration Picking 36
9.13 Disk Tumblers 37

10 Final Remarks 38

A Tools 39
A.1 Pick Shapes 39
A.2 Street cleaner bristles 40
A.3 Bicycle spokes 43
A.4 Brick Strap 44

Chapter 1

It's Easy

The big secret of lock picking is that it's easy. Anyone can learn how to pick locks.

The theory of lock picking is the theory of exploiting mechanical defects. There are a few basic copt and definitions but the bulk of the material consist of tricks for opening locks with particula eects or characteristics. The organization of this manual reflects this structure. The first few hates present the vocabulary and basic information about locks and lock picking. There is no way t lern ock picking without practicing, so one chapter presents a set of carefully chosen exercises hat ill elp you learn the skills of lock picking. The document ends with a catalog of the mechanicl trats an defects found in locks and the techniques used to recognize and exploit them. The firstappendx descibes how to make lock picking tools. The other appendix presents some of the legal isses of lck pickng.

The exercises are important. The only way to learn how to recognize and exploit the defects in a lois to practice. This means practicing many times on the same lock as well as practicing on many ifrent locks. Anyone can learn how to open desk and filing cabinet locks, but the ability to open os lcks in under thirty seconds is a skill that requires practice.

Before getting into the details of locks and picking, it is worth pointing out that lock picking isst one way to bypass a lock, though it does cause less damage than brute force techniques. In fact tmay be easier to bypass the bolt mechanism than to bypass the lock. It may also be easier to bypsssoe other part of the door or even avoid the door entirely. Remember: There is always another wa, uualy a better one.

Chapter 2

How a Key Opens a Lock

This chapter presents the basic workings of pin tumbler locks, and the vocabulary used in the rest this booklet. The terms used to describe locks and lock parts vary from manufacture to manufactureadfrom city to city, so even if you already understand the basic workings of locks, you should loo a fgure 2.1 for the vocabulary.

Knowing how a lock works when it is opened by a key is only part of what you need to know. You alsoed to know how a lock responds to picking. Chapters 3 and 5 present models which will help you undrtnd a lock's response to picking.

Figure 2.1 introduces the vocabulary of real locks. The key is inserted into the _keyway_ of the _g_. The protrusions on the side of the keyway are called _wards_. Wards restrict the set of keys ta an be inserted into the plug. The plug is a cylinder which can rotate when the proper key is fuly nsrted. The non-rotating part of the lock is called the _hull_. The first pin touched by the keyis alld pin one. The remaining pins are numbered increasingly toward the read of the lock.

The proper key lifts each pin pair until the gap between the _key pin_ and the _driver pin_ reachese _sheer line_. When all the pins are in this position, the plug can rotate and the lock can be opnd An incorrect key will leave some of the pins protruding between the hull and the plug, and thes pnswill prevent the plug from rotating.



Chapter 4

The Flatland Model

In order to become good at picking locks, you will need a detailed understanding of how locks worksd what happens as it is picked. This document uses two models to help you understand the behavior flcks. This chapter presents a model that highlights interactions between pin positions. Chapter 4uss his model to explain how picking works. Chapter 9 will use this model to explain complicated mchaica defects.

The "flatland" model of a lock is shown in Figure 3.1 This is not a cross section of a real lock. Is a cross section of a very simple kind of lock. The purpose of this lock is to keep two plates ofmtl from sliding over each other unless the proper key is present. The lock is constructed by playngth two plates over each other and drilling holes which pass through both plates. The figure show a wo ole lock. Two pins are placed in each hole such that the gap between the pins does not line p wih th gap between the plates. The bottom pin is called the _key pin_ because it touches the key The op pi is called the _driver pin_. Often the driver and the key pins are just called the drive and te pin.A protrusion on the underside of the bottom plate keeps the pins from falling out, anda sprin above he top plates pushed down on the driver pin.

If the key is absent, the plates cannot slide over each other because the driver pins pass through h plates. See Figure 3.3. That is, the key lifts the key pin until its top reaches the lock's shee ie. In this configuration the plates can slide past each other.

Figure 3.3 also illustrates one of the important features of real locks. There is always a sliding owance. That is, any parts which will slide past each other must be separated by a gap. The gap bewe the top and bottom plates allows a range of keys to open the lock. Notice that the right key pi i Fgure 3.3 is not raised as high as the left pin, yet the lock will still open.



Chapter 4

Basic Picking & The Binding Defect

The flatland model highlights the basic defect that enables lock picking to work. This defect makes possible to open a lock by lifting the pins one at a time, and thus you don't need a key to lift l he pins at the same time. Figure 4.3 shows how the pins of a lock can be set one at a time. The irt tep of the procedure is to apply a sheer force to the lock by pushing on the bottom plate. Thi foce aused one or more the of pins to be scissored between the top and bottom plate. The most comon dfectin a lock is that only one pin will bind. Figure 4.3a shows the left pin binding. Even thogh a in isbinding, it can be pushed up with a picking tool, see Figure 4.3b. When the top of the ky pin eachesthe sheer line, the bottom plate will slide slightly. If the pick is removed the drive pin wil be hep up by the overlapping bottom plate, and the key pin will drop down to its initial osition,see Figue 4.3c. The slight movement of the bottom plate causes a new pin to bind. The sameprocedurecan be usd to set the new pin.

Thus, the procedure for _one pin at a time picking_ a lock is to apply a sheer force, find the pin ch is binding the most and push it up. When the top of the key pin reaches the sheer line, the movn ortion of the lock will give slightly, and driver pin will be trapped above the sheer line. Thisiscaled _setting_ a pin.

Chapter 9 discusses the different defects that cause pins to bind one at a time.

1. Apply a sheer force.

2. Find the pin that is binding the most.

3. Push that pin up until you feel it set at the sheer line.

4. Go to step 2.

Table 4.1: Figure 5: Picking a lock one pin at a time.


Chapter 5

The Pin Column Model

The flatland model of locks can explain effects that involve more than one pin, but a different modis needed to explain the detailed behavior of a single pin. See Figure 5.1. The pin-column model hglghts the relationship between the torque applied and the amount of force needed t lift each pin.ITisessential that you understand this relationship.

In order to understand the "feel" of lock picking you need to know how the movement of a pin is eff by the torque applied by your torque wrench (tensioner) and the pressure applied by your pick. A odway to represent this understanding is a graph that shows the minimum pressure needed to move a inasa function of how far the pin has been displaced from its initial position. The remainder of tis haper will derive that force graph from the pin-column model.

Figure 5.2 shows a single pin position after torque has been applied to the plug. The forces acting the driver pin are the friction from the sides, the spring contact force from above, and the contc orce from the key pin below. The amount of pressure you apply to the pick determines the contactfocefrom below.

The spring force increases as the pins are pushed into the hull, but the increase is slight, so we l assume that the spring force is constant over the range of displacements we are interested in. Tepns will not move unless you apply enough pressure to overcome the spring force. The binding fricio i proportional to how hard the driver pin is being scissored between the plug and the hull, whih i ths case is proportional to the torque. The more torque you apply to the plug, the harder it wll b to ove the pins. To make a pin move, you need to apply a pressure that is greater than the su of te sprng and friction forces.

When the bottom of the driver pin reaches the sheer line, the situation suddenly changes. See Figur.3. The friction binding force drops to zero and the plug rotates slightly (until some other pin bns. Now the only resistance to motion is the spring force. After the top of the key pin crosses th gp etween the plug and the hull, a new contact force arises from the key pin striking the hull. Tis orc can be quite large, and it causes a peak in the amount of pressure needed to move a pin.

If the pins are pushed further into the hull, they key pin acquires a binding friction like the dri pin had in the initial situation. See Figure 5.4. Thus, the amount of pressure needed to move thepn before and after the sheer line is about the same. Increasing the torque increases the requiredprssre. At the sheer line, the pressure increases dramatically due to the key pin hitting the hill Ths aalysis is summarized graphically in figure 5.5.

Figure 5.1
Figure 5.2
Figure 5.3

Chapter 6

Basic Scrubbing

At home you can take your time picking a lock, but in the field, speed is always essential. This cher presents a lock picking technique called _scrubbing_ that can quickly open most locks.

The slow step in basic picking (chapter 4) is locating the pin which is binding the most. The forceagram (Figure 5.5) developed in chapter 5 suggests a fast way to select the correct pin to lift. Asm that all the pins could be characterized b the same force diagram. That is, assume that they al bndat once and that they all encounter the same friction. Now consider the effect of running the ickove all the pins with a pressure that is great enough to overcome the spring and friction force butnot reat enough to overcome the collision force of the key pin hitting the hill. Any pressure hat i abov the flat portion of the force graph and below the top of the peak will work. As the pic passe over pin, the pin will rise until it hits the hull, but it will not enter the hull. See Fiure 5.3 the colision force at the sheer line resists the pressure of the pick, so the pick rides oer the pn withou pressing it into the hill. If the proper torque is being applied, the plug will rtate sligtly. As te pick leaves the pin, the key pin will fall back to its initial position, but te driver pn will cath on the edge of the plug and stay above the sheer line. See figure 6.1. In thory one strke of the pck over the pins will cause the lock to open.

In practice, at most one or two pins will set during a single stroke of the pick, so several strokere necessary. Basically, you use the pick to scrub back and forth over the pins while you adjust teaount of torque on the plug. The exercises in chapter 8 will teach you how to choose the correct orueand pressure.

You will find that the pins of a lock tend to set in a particular order. Many factors effect this or (See chapter 9), but the primary cause is a misalignment between the center axis of the pug and h xis on which the holes were drilled. See figure 6.2. If the axis of the pin holes is skewed fromth cnter line of the plug, then the pins will set from back to front if the plug is turned one way an frm front to back if the plug is turned one way, and from front to back if the plug is turned he oher ay. Many locks have this defect.

Scrubbing is fast because you don't need to pay attention to individual pins. You only need to finde correct torque and pressure. Figure 6.1 summarizes the steps of picking a lock by scrubbing. Theeecises will teach you how to recognize when a pin is set and how to apply the correct forces. If lckdoesn't open quickly, then it probably has one of the characteristics described in chapter 9 ad yu wll have to concentrate on individual pins.


1. Insert the pick and torque wrench. Without applying any torque pull the pick out to get a feel fohe stiffness of the lock's springs.

2. Apply a light torque. Insert the pick without touching the pins. As you pull the pick out, apply ssure to the pins. The pressure should be slightly larger than the minimum necessary to overcome tesring force.

3. Gradually increase the torque with each stroke of the pick until pins begin to set.

4. Keeping the torque fixed, scrub back and fourth over the pins that have not set. If additional pido not set, release the torque and start over with the torque found in the last step.

5. Once the majority of the pins have been set, increase the torque and scrub the pins with a slightlarger pressure. This will set any pins which have not set low due to beveled edges, etc.

Table 6.1: Figure 13 - Basic scrubbing












Chapter 7

Advanced Lock Picking

Simple lock picking is a trade that anyone can learn. However, advanced lock picking is a craft thaequires mechanical sensitivity, physical dexterity, visual concentration and analytic thinking. Ifyustrive to excel at lock picking, you will grow in many ways.

7.1 Mechanical Skills

Learning how to pull the pick over the pins is surprisingly difficult. The problem is that the mechcal skills you learned early in life involved maintaining a fixed position or fixed path for your ad independent of the amount of force required. IN lock picking, you must learn how to apply a fixd ore independent of the position of you hand. As you pull the pick out of the lock you want to aplya fxed pressure on the pins. The picks should bounce up and down in the keyway according to theresitanc offered by each pin.

To pick a lock you need feedback about the effects of your manipulations. To get the feedback, you t train yourself to be sensitive the sound and the feel of the pick passing over the pins. This i echanical skill that can only be learned with practice. The exercises will help you recognize th ipotant information coming from your fingers.

7.2 Zen and the Art of Lock Picking

In order to excel at lock picking, you must train yourself to have a visually re constructive imagiion. The idea is to use information from all your senses to build a picture of what is happening isd the lock as you pick it. Basically, you want to project your senses into the lock to receive a ul pcture of how it is responding to your manipulations. Once you have learned how to build this pctue, t is easy to choose manipulations that will open the lock.

All your senses provide information about the lock. Touch and sound provide the most information, bthe other senses can reveal critical information. For example, your nose can tell whether a lock hsben lubricated recently. As a beginner, you will need to use your eyes for hand-eye coordination,bu a you improve you will find it unnecessary to look at the lock. In fact, it is better to ignoreyou eys to your sight to build an image of the lock based on the information you receive from yourfingrs ad ears.

The goal of this mental skill is to acquire a relaxed concentration on the lock. Don't force the centration. Try to ignore the sensations and thoughts that are not related to the lock. Don't try t ous on the lock.

7.3 Analytic Thinking

Each lock has it's own special characteristics which make picking harder or easier. If you learn tocognize and exploit the "personality traits" of locks, picking will go much faster. Basically, youwn to analyze the feedback you get from the lock to diagnose it's personality traits and then use ou eperience to decide on an approach to open a lock. Chapter 9 discusses a large number of commontrats nd ways
to exploit or overcome them.

People underestimate the analytic involved in lock picking. They think that the picking tool opens lock. To them the torque wrench is a passive tool that just puts the lock under the desired stres.Lt me propose another way to view the situation. The pick is just running over the pins to get inoraton about the lock. Based on an analysis that information the torque is adjusted to make the pis st a the sheer line. It's the torque wrench that opens the lock.

Varying the torque as the picks moves in and out of the keyway is a general trick that can be used get around several picking problems. For example, if the middle pins are set, but the ends pins ar o, you can increase the torque as the pick moves over the middle pins. This will reduce the chancs f isturbing the correctly set pins. If some pin doesn't seem to lift up far enough as the pick psse ovr it, then try reducing the torque on the next pass.

The skill of adjusting the torque while the pick is moving requires careful coordination between yohands, but as you become better at visualizing the process of picking the lock, you will become betrat this important skill.

Chapter 8

Exercises

This chapter presents a series of exercises that will help you learn the basic skill of lock pickinSome exercises teach a single skill, while others stress the coordination of skills.

When you do these exercises, focus on the skills, not on opening the lock. If you focus on opening lock, you will get frustrated and your mind will stop learning. The goal of each exercise is to lansomething about the particular lock you are holding and something about yourself. If a lock happnstoopen, focus on the memory of what you were doing and what you felt just before it opened.

These exercises should be practiced in short sessions. After about thirty minutes you will find thyour fingers become sore and your mind looses its ability to achieve relaxed concentration.

8.1 Exercise 1: Bouncing the pick

This exercise helps you learn the skill of applying a fixed pressure with the pick independent of hthe pick moves up and down in the lock. Basically you want to learn how to let the pick bounce up n own according to the resistance offered by each pin.

How you hold the pick makes a different on how easy it is to apply a fixed pressure. You want to hoit in such a way that the pressure comes from your fingers or your wrist. Your elbow and shoulder ont have the dexterity required to pick locks. While you are scrubbing a lock notice which of yourjont are fixed, and which are allowed to move. The moving joints are providing the pressure.

One way to hold a pick is to use two fingers to provide a pivot point while another finger levels tpick to provide the pressure. Which fingers you use is a matter of personal choice. Another way tohl the pick is like holding a pencil. With this method, your wrist provides the pressure. If your rit s providing the pressure, your shoulder and elbow should provide the force to move the pick inandoutof the lock. Do not use your wrist to both move the pick and apply pressure.

A good way to get used to the feel of the pick bouncing up and down in the keyway is to try scrubbiover the pins of an open lock. The pins cannot be pushed down, so the pick must adjust to the heigt f the pins. Try to feel the pins rattle as the pick moves over them. If you move the pick quickl, oucan hear the rattle. This same rattling feel will help you recognize when a pin is set correcty. f apin appears to be set but it doesn't rattle, then it is false set. False set pins can be fixd bypushng them down farther, or by releasing torque and letting them pop back to their initial poition
One last word of advice. Focus on the tip of the pick. Don't think about how you are moving the hae; think about how you are moving the tip of the pick.

8.2 Exercise 2: Picking pressure

This exercise will teach you the range of pressures you will need to apply with a pick. When you artarting, just apply pressure when you are drawing the pick out of the lock. Once you have masteredta, try applying pressure when the pick is moving inward.

With the flat side of your pick, push down on the first pin of a lock. Don't apply any torque to thock. The amount of pressure you are applying should be just enough to overcome the spring force. Ti orce gives you an idea of the minimum pressure you will apply with a pick.

The spring force increases as you push the pin down. See if you can feel this increase.

Now see how it feels to push down the other pins as you pull the pick out of the lock. Start out wiboth the pick and torque wrench in the lock, but don't apply any torque. As you draw the pick out fte lock, apply enough pressure to push each pin all the way down.

The pins should spring back as the pick goes past them. Notice the sound that the pins make as theyring back. Notice the popping feel as a pick goes past each pin. Notice the springy feel as the pikpshes down on each new pin.

To help you focus on these sensations, try counting the number of pins in the lock. Door locks, at have seven pins, padlocks usually have four.

To get an idea of the maximum pressure, use the flat side of your pick to push down all the pins ine lock. Sometimes you will need to apply this much pressure to a single pin. If you encounter a ne id of lock, perform this exercise to determine the stiffness of its springs.

8.3 Exercise 3: Picking Torque

This exercise will teach you the range of torque you will need to apply to a lock. It demonstrates interaction between the torque and pressure which was described in chapter 5.

The minimum torque you will use is just enough to overcome the friction of rotating the plug in thell. Use your torque wrench to rotate the plug until it stops. Notice how much torque is needed to oethe plug before the pins bind. This force can be quite high for locks that have been left out inth rin. The minimum torque for padlocks includes the force of a spring that is attached between th plg ad the shackle bolt.

To get a feel for the maximum value of torque, use the flat side of the pick to push all the pins d, and try applying enough torque to make the pins stay down after the pick is removed. If your toru rench has a twist in it, you may not be able to hold down more than a few pins.

If you use too much torque and too much pressure you can get into a situation like the one you justeated. The key pins are pushed too far into the hull and the torque is sufficient to hold them thee

The range of picking torque can be found by gradually increasing the torque while scrubbing the pinith the pick. some of the pins will become harder to push down. Gradually increase the torque unti oe of the pins set. These pins will loose their springiness. Keeping the torque fixed,

use the pick to scrub the pins a few times to see if other pins will set.

The most common mistakes of beginners is to use too much torque. Use this exercise to find the mini torque required to pick the lock.

8.4 Exercise 4: Identifying Set Pins

While you are picking a lock, try to identify which pins are set. You can tell a pin is set because will have a slight give. That is, the pin can be pushed down a short distance with a light pressue ut it becomes hard to move after that distance (see chapter 6 for an explanation). When you remoe helight pressure, the pin springs back up slightly. Set pins also rattle if you flick them with he ick Try listening for that sound.

Run the pick over the pins and try to decide whether the set pins are in the front or back of the l (or both). Try identifying exactly which pins are set. Remember that pin one is the front most pi ie., the pin that a key touches first). The most important skill of lock picking is the ability t rconize correctly set pins. This exercise will teach you that skill.

Try repeating this exercise with the plug turning in the other direction. If the front pins set whehe plug is turned one way, the back pins will set when the plug is turned the other way. See Figur . for an explanation.

One way to verify how many pins are set is to release the torque, and count the clicks as the pins p back to their initial position. Try this. Try to notice the difference in sound between the snapo single pin and the snap of two pins at once. A pin that has been false set will also make a snapig ound.

Try this exercise with different amounts of torque and pressure. You should notice that a larger toe requires a larger pressure to make pins set correctly. If the pressure is too high, the pins wil ejammed into the hull and stay there.

8.5 Exercise 5: Projection

As you are doing the exercises try building a picture in your mind of what is going on. The picturees not have to be visual, it could be a rough understanding of which pins are set and how much ressace you are encountering from each pin. One way to foster this picture building is to try to remebe yur sensations and beliefs about a lock just before it opened. When a lock opens, don't thing "hats oer", think "what happened".

This exercise requires a lock that you find easy to pick. It will help you refine the visual skillsu need to master lock picking. Pick the lock, and try to remember how the process felt. Rehearse i or mind how everything feels when the lock is picked properly. Basically, you want to create a moietht records the process of picking the lock. Visualize the motion of your muscles as they apply he orrct pressure and torque, and feel the resistance encountered by the pick. Now pick the lock aain ryin to match your actions to the movie.

By repeating this exercise, you are learning how to formulate detailed commands for your muscles anow to interpret feedback from your senses. The mental rehearsal etches you how to build a visual udrtanding of the lock and how to recognize the major steps of picking it.

Chapter 9

Recognizing and Exploiting
Personality Traits

Real locks have a wide range of mechanical features and defects that help and hinder lock picking. a lock doesn't respond to scrubbing, then it probably has one of the traits discussed in this chape.To open the lock, you must diagnose the trait and apply the recommended technique. The exerciseswil elp you develop the mechanical sensitivity and dexterity necessary to recognize and exploit th difernt traits.

9.1 Which Way To Turn

It can be very frustrating to spend a long time picking a lock and then discover that you turned thlug the wrong way. If you turn a plug the wrong way it will rotate freely until it hits a stop, orutl it rotates 180 degrees and the drivers enter the keyway (see section 9.11). Sections 9.11 alsoexlans how to turn the plug more than 180 degrees if that is necessary to fully retract the bolt. hentheplug is turned in the correct direction, you should feel an extra resistance when the plug cm enagesthe bolt spring.

The direction to turn the plug depends on the bolt mechanism, not on the lock, but here are some geal rules. Cheap padlocks will open if the plug is turned in either direction, so you can chose thedrction which is best for the torque wrench. WAll padlocks made by the Master company can be opene i ether direction. Padlocks made by Yale will only open if the plug is turned clockwise. The doube pug ale cylinder locks generally open by turning the bottom of the keyway (i.e., the flat edge o thekey)away from the nearest door frame. Single plug cylinder locks also follow this rule. See Fiure 91. Loks built into the doorknob usually open clockwise. Desk and filing cabinet locks also ted to oen clokwise.

When you encounter a new kind of lock mechanism, try turning the plug in both directions. In the coct direction, the plug will be stopped by the pins, so the stop will feel mushy when you use heavytrue. In the wrong direction the plug will be stopped by a metal tab, so the stop will feel solid.

9.2 How Far to Turn

The companion question to which way to turn a lock is how far to turn it. Desk and filing cabinet ls generally open with less than a quarter turn. Locks which are separate from the doorknob tend torqire a half turn to open. Deadbolt lock mechanisms can require almost a full turn to open.

Turning a lock more than 180 degrees is a difficult because the drivers enter the bottom of the key. See section 9.11.

9.3 Gravity

Picking a lock that has the springs at the top is different than picking one with the springs at thottom. It should be obvious how to tell the two apart. The nice feature of a lock with the springsa he bottom is that gravity holds the key pins down once they set. With the set pins out of the wa, t s easy to find and manipulate the remaining unset pins. It is also straight forward to test fo th slght give of a correctly set pin. When the springs are on top, gravity will pull the key pinsdownafte the driver pin catches at the sheer line. In this case, you can identify the set pins by oticig tha the key pin is easy to lift and that it does not feel springy. Set pins also rattle as ou dra the pck over them because they are not being pushed down by the driver pin.

9.4 Pins Not Setting

If you scrub a lock and pins are not setting even when you apply the torque, then some pin has a fa set and it is keeping the rest of the pins from setting. Consider a lock whose pins prefer to setfo back to front. If the back most pin false sets high or low (see Figure 9.2), then the plug cannt otte enough to allow the other bins to bind. It is hard to recognize that a pin has false set beaus th springiness of the front pins makes it hard to sense the small give of a correctly set backpin.The ain symptom of this situation is that the other pins will not set unless a very large torqe is pplie.

When you encounter this situation, release the torque and start over by concentrating on the back p. Try a light torque and moderate pressure, or heavy torque and heavy pressure. Try to feel for th lck that happens when a pin reaches the sheer line and the plug rotates slightly. The click will e aser to feel if you use a stiff torque wrench.

9.5 Elastic Deformation

The interesting events of lock picking happen over distances measured in thousandths of an inch. Ovsuch short distances, metals behave like springs. Very little force is necessary to deflect a piec eal over those distances, and when the force is removed, the metal will spring back to its originl ostion.

Deformation can be used to your advantage if you want to force several pins to bind at once. For exle, picking a lock with pins that prefer to be set from front to back is slow because the pins setoeat a time. This is particularly true if you only apply pressure as the pick is drawn out of
the lock. Each pass of the pick will only set the front most pin that is binding. Numerous passes arequired to set all the pins. IF the preference for setting is not very strong(i.e. the axis of th lg holes is only slightly skewed from the plug's center line), then you can cause additional pinstobid by applying extra torque. Basically, the torque puts a twist in the pug that causes the fron oftheplug to be deflected further than the back of the plug. With light torque, the back of the pug says n its initial position, but with medium to heavy torque, the front pin columns bend enoughto alow th back of the plug to rotate and thus cause the back pins to bind. With the extra torque a sinle strke of the pick can set several pins, and the lock can be opened quickly. Too much torqe cause its ow problems.

When the torque is large, the front pins and plug holes can be deformed enough to prevent the pins m setting correctly. In particular, the first pin tends to false set low. Figure 9.2 shows how excs orque can deform the bottom of the driver pin and prevent the key pin from reaching the sheer lie.Ths situation can be recognized by the lack of give in the first pin. Correctly set pins feel sping ifthey are pressed down slightly. A falsely set pin lacks this springiness. The solution is topres dow hard on the first pin. You may want to reduce the torque slightly, but if you reduce torqe toomuch hen the other pins will unset as the first pin is being depressed.

It is also possible to deform the top of the key pin. The key pin is scissored between the plug ande hull and stays fixed. When this happens, the pin is said to be false set high.

9.6 Loose Plug

The plug is held into the hull by being wider at the front and by having a cam on the back that is ger than the hole drilled into the hull. If the cam is not properly installed, the plug can move i n out of the lock slightly On the outward stroke of the pick, the plug will move forward, and in ndou of the lock slightly. On the outward stroke of the pick, the plug will move forward, and if yu aplypressure on the inward stroke, the plug will be pushed back.

The problem with a loose plug is that the driver pins tend to set on the back of the plug holes rat than on the sides of the holes. When you push the plug in, the drivers will unset. You can use thsdfect to your advantage by only applying pressure on the outward or inward stroke of the pick. Aleratvely, you can use your finger or torque wrench to prevent the plug from moving forward.

9.7 Pin Diameter

When the pair of pins in a particular column have different diameters, that column will react strany to the pressure of the pick.

The top half of Figure 9.3 shows a pin column with a driver pin that has a larger diameter than they pin. As the pins are lifted, the picking pressure is resisted by the binding friction and the spigforce. Once the driver clears the sheer line, the plug rotates (until some other pin binds) and heony resistance to motion is the spring force. If the key pin is small enough and the plug did no roatevery far, the key pin can enter the hull without colliding with the edge of the hull. Some oher in i binding, so again the only resistance to motion is the spring force. This relationship isgraphd in he bottom half of the Figure. Basically, the pins feel normal at first, but then the loc click and te pin becomes springy. The narrow key pin can be pushed all the way into the hull withut loosng its pringiness, but when the picking pressure is released, the key pin will fall back toits inital positon while the large driver catches on the edge of the plug hole.

The problem with a large driver pin is that the key pin tends to get in the hull when some other sets. Imagine that a neighboring pin sets and the plug rotates enough to bind the narrow key pin.I he pick was pressing down on the narrow key pin at the same time as it was pressing down on the intht set, then the narrow key pin will be in the hull and it will get stuck there when the plug rtats.

The behavior of a large key pin is left as an exercise for the reader.

9.8 Beveled Holes and Rounded pins

Some lock manufacturers (e.g., Yale) bevel the edges of the plug holes and/or round off the ends ofe key pins. This tends to reduce the wear on the lock and it can both help and hinder lock picking o can recognize a lock with these features by the large give in set pins. See figure 9.4. that is te istance between the height at which the driver pin catches on the edge of the plug hole and th heghtat which the driver pin catches on the edge of the plug hole and the height at which the keypin its he hull is larger (sometimes as large as a sixteenth of an inch) when the plug holes are evele or te pins are rounded. While the key pin is moving between those two heights, the only resitance o motin will be the force of the spring. There won't be any binding friction. This correspons to th dip inthe force graph shown in Figure 5.5

A Lock with beveled plug holes requires more scrubbing to open than a lock without beveled holes bese the driver pins set on the bevel instead of setting on the top of the plug. The plug will not tr f one of the drivers is caught on a bevel. The key pin must be scrubbed again to push the driverpi u and off the bevel. The left driver pin in Figure 9.6a is set. The driver is resting on the beel an the bottom plate has moved enough to allow the right driver to bind. Figure 9.6b shows wha hapens fter the right driver pin sets. The bottom plate slides further to the right and now the lft drver pn is scissored between the bevel and the top plate. It is caught on the bevel. To open te lock the lft driver pin must be pushed up above the bevel. Once that driver is free, the bottom late ca slide nd the right driver may bind on its bevel.

If you encounter a lock with beveled plug holes, and all the pins appear to be set but the lock is opening, you should reduce torque and continue scrubbing over the pins. The reduced torque will mk t easier to push the drivers off the bevels. If pins unset when you reduce the torque, try incresig he torque and picking pressure. The problem with increasing the force is that you may jam somekeypin into the hull.

9.9 Mushroom Driver Pins

A general trick that lock makers use to make picking harder is to modify the shape of the driver pithe most popular shapes are mushroom, spool and serrated, see Figure 9.7. The purpose of these shae s to cause the pins to false set low. These drivers stop a picking technique called vibration pikig see section 9.12), but they only slightly complicate scrubbing and one-pin-at-a-time picking (ee haper 4).

If you pick a lock and the plug stops turning after a few degrees and none of the pins can be pushep any further, then you known that the lock has modified drivers. Basically, the lip of the driverhscaught at the sheer line. See the bottom of Figure 9.7. Mushroom and spool drivers are often foud n usswin locks, and locks that have several spacers for master keying.

You can identify the positions with the mushroom drivers by applying a light torque and pushing p on each pin. The pins with mushroom drivers will exhibit a tendency to bring the plug back to th uly locked position. By pushing the key pin up you are pushing the flat top of the key pin agains te ilted bottom of the mushroom driver. this causes the drive to straighten up which in turn causs te pug to unrotate. You can use this motion to identify the columns that have mushroom drivers. ush hosepins up to sheer line; even if you lose some of the other pins in the process they will beeasie to r-pick than the pins with mushroom drivers. Eventually all the pins will be correctly setat thesheer ine.

One way to identify all the positions with mushroom drivers is to use the flat of your pick to pushl the pins up about halfway. This should put most of the drivers in their cockable position and yo a feel for them.

To pick a lock with modified drivers, use a lighter torque and heavier pressure. you want to error the side of pushing the key pins too far into the hull. In fact, another way to pick these locks i ouse the flat side of your pick to push the pins up all the way, and apply very heavy torque to hldthm there. Use a scrubbing action to vibrate the key pins while you slowly reduce the torque. Reucig te torque reduces the binding friction on the pins. The vibration and spring force cause the ey pns t slide down to the sheer line.

The key to picking locks with modified drivers is recognizing incorrectly set pins. A mushroom drivset on its lip will not have the springy give of a correctly set driver. Practice recognizing the ifrence.

9.10 Master Keys

Many applications require keys that open only a single lock and keys that opens group of locks. theys that open a single lock are called _change keys_ and the keys that open multiple locks are calld_aster keys_. To allow both the change key and the master key to open the same lock, a locksmith dd a extra pin called a _spacer_ to some of the pin columns. See Figure 9.8. The effect of the spaer s t create two gaps in the pin column that could be lined up with the sheer line. Usually the hang keyaligns the top of the spacer with the sheer line, and the master key aligns the bottom of he spcer wth the sheer line (the idea is to prevent people from filing down a change key to get a aster ey.) I either case the plug is free to rotate.

In general, spacers make a lock easier to pick. They increase the number of opportunities to set eapin, and they make it more likely that the lock can by opened by setting all the pins at about thesm height. In most cases only two or three positions will have spacers. You can recognize a positin it a spacer by the two clicks you feel when the pin is pushed down. If the spacer has a smaller iamterthan the driver and key pins, then you will feel a wise springy region because the spacer wil no bin as it passes through the sheer line. It is more common for the spacer to be larger than te drier pi. You can recognize this by an increase in friction when the spacer passes through the seer lie. Sine the spacer is larger than the driver pin, it will also catch better on the plug. If ou pushthe spaer further into the hull, you will feel a strong click when the bottom of the spacerclears te sheer ine.

Thin spacers can cause serious problems. If you apply heavy torque and the plug has beveled holes, spacer can twist and jam at the sheer line. It is also possible for the spacer to fall into the kya if the plug is rotated 180 degrees. See section 9.11 for the solution to this problem.

9.11 Driver or Spacer Enters Keyway

Figure 9.9 shows how a spacer or driver pin can enter the keyway when the plug is rotated 180 degre You can prevent this by placing the flat side of your pick in the bottom of the keyway BEFORE youtr the plug too far. If a spacer or driver does enter the keyway and prevent you from turning the lu, se the flat side of your pick to push the spacer back into the hull. You may need to use the trqu wrnch to relieve any sheer force that is binding the spacer or driver. If that doesn't work tr rakng oer the drivers with the pointed side of your pick. If a spacer falls into the keyway compltely,the oly option is to remove it. A hook shaped piece of spring steel works well for this, thouh a bet pape clip will work just as well unless the spacer becomes wedged.

9.12 Vibration Picking

Vibration picking works by creating a large gap between the key and driver pins. The underlying priple is familiar to anyone who has played pool. When the queue ball strikes another ball
squarely, the queue ball stops and the other ball heads off with the same speed and direction as thueue ball. Now imagine a device that kicks the tips of all the key pins. The key pins would transfrteir momentum to the driver pins which would fly up into the hull. If you are applying a light toqu wen this happens, the plug will rotate when all the drivers are above the sheer line.

9.13 Disk Tumblers

The inexpensive locks found on desks use metal disks instead of pins. Figure 9.10 shows the basic wings of these locks. the disks have the same outline but differ in the placement of the rectangula u.

These locks are easy to pick with the right tools. Because the disks are placed close together a haround pick works better than a half-diamond pick (see Figure A.1}. you may also need a torque wrenhwth a narrower head. Use moderate to heavy torque.

Chapter 10

Final Remarks

Lock picking is a craft, not a science. This document presents the knowledge and skills that are estial to lock picking, but more importantly it provides you with models and exercises that will hel o study locks on your own. To excel at lock picking, you must practice and develop a style which it yu personally. Remember that the best technique is the one that works best for you.

Appendix A

Tools

This appendix describes the design and construction of lock picking tools.

A.1 Pick Shapes

Picks come in several shapes and sizes. Figure A.1 shows the most common shapes. The handle and tanf a pick are the same for all picks. The handle must be comfortable and the tang must be thin enouht avoid bumping pins unnecessarily. If the tang is too thing, then it will act like a spring and ouwil loose the feel of the tip interacting with the pins. The shape of the tip determines how easly he ick passes over the pins and what kind of feedback you get from each pin.

The design of a tip is a compromise between the ease of insertion, ease of withdrawal and feel of tinteraction. The half diamond tip with shallow angles is easy to insert and remove, so you can appypessure when the pick is moving in either direction. It can quickly pick a lock that has little vritin in the lengths of the key pins. If the lock requires a key that has a deep cut between two sallw cts, the pick may not be able to push the middle pin down far enough. The half diamond pick wth seep ngles could deal with such a lock, and in general steep angles give you better feedback abut th pins Unfortunately, the steep angles make it harder to move the pick in the lock. A tip thathas a hallowfront angle and a steep back angle works well for Yale locks.

The half round tip works well in a disk tumbler lock. See section 9.13. The full diamond and full rd tips are useful for locks that have pins at the top and bottom of the keyway.

The rake tip is designed for picking pins one by one. It can also be used to rake over the pins, buhe pressure can only be applied as the pick is withdrawn. The rake tip allows you to carefully fee ah pin and apply varying amounts of pressure. Some rake tips are flat or dented on the top to mak i esier to align the pick on the pin. The primary benefit of picking pins one at a time is that yu aoidscratching the pins. Scrubbing scratches the tips of the pins and the keyway, and it spreadsmeta dus throughout the lock. If you want to avoid leaving traces, you must avoid scrubbing.

The snake tip can be used for scrubbing or picking. when scrubbing, the multiple bumps generate morction than a regular pick. The snake tip is particularly good at opening five pin household locks.We a snake tip is used for picking, it can set tow or three pins at once. Basically, the snake pic atslike a segment of a key which can be adjusted by lifting and lowering the tip, by tilting it bck nd orth, and by using either the top or bottom of the tip. You should use moderate
to heavy torque with a snake pick to allow several pins to bind at the same time. This style of picg is faster than using a rake and it leaves as little evidence.

A.2 Street Cleaner Bristles

The spring steel bristles used on street cleaners make excellent tools for lock picking. The bristlhave the right thickness and width, and they are easy to grind into the desired shape. The resultigtols are springy and strong. Section A.3 describes how to make tools that are less springy.

The first step in making tools is to sand off any rust on the bristles. Course grit sand paper workine as does steel wool cleaning pad (not copper wool). If the edges or tip of the bristle are worndw, use a file to make them square.

A torque wrench has a head and a handle as shown in figure A.2. the head is usually 1/2 to 3/4 if anch long and the handle varies from 2 to 4 inches long. The head and the handle are separated by abn that is about 80 degrees. The head must be long enough to reach over any protrusions (such as agrp-roof collar) and firmly engage the plug. A long handle allows delicate control over torque, bu ifit s too long, it will bump against the door frame. The handle, head and bend angle can be madequit smal if you want to make tools that are easy to conceal (e.g., in a pen, flashlight or belt bckle) Sometorque wrenches have a 90 degree twist in the handle. The twist makes it easy to controlthe toque bycontrolling how far the handle has been deflected from its rest position. The handle ats as aspring hich sets the torque. The disadvantage of this method of setting the torque is that ou get lss feedbck about the rotation of the plug. To pick difficult locks you will need to learn ow to appy a stead torque via a stiff handled torque wrench.

The width of the head of a torque wrench determines how well it will fit the keyway. Locks with nar keyways (e.g. desk locks) need torque wrenches with narrow heads. Before bending the bristle, fil h head to the desired width. A general purpose wrench can be made by narrowing the tip (about 1/4inh)of the head. The tip fits small keyways while the rest of the head is wide enough to grab a nomalkeyay.

The hard part of making a torque wrench is bending the bristle without cracking it. To make the 90 ree handle twist, clamp the head of the bristle (about one inch) in a vise and use pliers to grasptebristle about 3/8 of an inch above its vise. You can use another pair of pliers instead of a vis. ppy a45 degree twist. Try to keep the axis of the twist lined up with the axis of the bristle. Nw mve he pliers back another 3/8 inch and apply the remaining 45 degrees. You will need to twist te brstlemore than 90 degrees in order to set a permanent 90 degree twist.

To make the 80 degree head bend, lift the bristle out of the vise by about 1/4 inch (so 3/4 inch isill in the vise). Place the shank of a screw driver against the bristle and bend the spring steel rud it about 90 degrees. This should set a permanent 80 degree bend in the metal. Try to keep the xi o the bend perpendicular to the handle. The screwdriver shank ensures that the radius of curvatre illnot be too small. Any rounded object will work (e.g. drill bit, needle nose plies, or a pen ap).If yu have trouble with this method, try grasping the bristle with two pliers separated by abot 1/2inch nd bend. This method produces a gentle curve that won't break the bristle.

A grinding wheel will greatly speed the job of making a pick. It takes a bit of practice to learn hto make smooth cuts with a grinding wheel, but it takes less time to practice and make two or thre iks than it does to hand file a single pick. The first step is to cut the front angle of the pick Ue he front of the wheel to do this. Hold the bristle at 45 degrees to the wheel and move the britlesid to side as you grind away the metal. Grind slowly to avoid overheating the metal,

which makes it brittle. If the metal changes color (to dark blue), you have overheated it, and you sld grind away the colored portion. Next, cut the back angle of the tip using the corner of the whel sually one corner is sharper than the other, and you should use that one. Hold the pick at the dsiedangle and slowly push it into the corner of the wheel. The side of the stone should cut the bak agle Be sure that the tip of the pick is supported. If the grinding wheel stage is not close enogh t thewheel to support the tip, use needle nose pliers to hold the tip. The cut should pass throgh abut 2/ of the width of the bristle. If the tip came out well, continue.

Otherwise break it off and try again. You can break the bristle by clamping it into a vice and bend it sharply.

The corner of the wheel is also used to grind the tang of the pick. Put a scratch mark to indicate far back the tang should go. The tang should be long enough to allow the tip to pass over the bac i of a seven pin lock. Cut the tang by making several smooth passes over the corner. Each pass strt a the tip and moves to the scratch mark. Try to remove less than a 1/16th of an inch of metal wth achpass. I use two fingers to hold the bristle on the stage at the proper angle while my other and ushe the handle of the pick to move the tang along the corner. Use whatever technique works bet foryou.

Use a hand file to finish the pick. It should feel smooth if you run a finger nail over it. Any rouess will add noise to the feedback you want to get from the lock.

The outer sheath of phone cable can be used as a handle for the pick. Remove three or four of the ws from a length of cable and push it over the pick. If the sheath won't stay in place, you can putsm epoxy on the handle before pushing the sheath over it.

A.3 Bicycle Spokes

An alternative to making tools out of street cleaner bristles is to make them out of nail and bicycspokes. These materials are easily accessible and when they are heat treated, they will be stronge hn tools made from the bristles.

A strong torque wrench can be constructed from an 8-penny nail (about .1 inch diameter). First heat the point with a propane torch until it glows red, slowly remove it from the flame, and let it ai ol; this softens it. The burned of a gas stove can be used instead of a torch. Grind it down int te hape of a skinny screwdriver blade and bend it to about 80 degrees. The bend should be less thn arigt angle because some lock faces are recessed behind a plate. (called an escutcheon) and you ant he had of the wrench to be able to reach about half an inch into the plug. Temper (harden) thetorqu wrenh by heating to bright orange and dunking it into ice water. You will wind up with a virually ndestrctible bent screwdriver that will last for years under brutal use.

Bicycle spokes make excellent picks. Bend one to the shape you want and file the side of the busineend flat such that it's strong in the vertical and flex in the horizontal direction. Try a right-agehunk about an inch long for a handle. For smaller picks, which you need for those really tiny kewas,find any large-diameter spring and unbend it. If your careful you don't have to play any metalurgcalgames.

A.4 Brick Strap

For perfectly serviceable key blanks that you can't otherwise find at the store, use the metal strahey wrap around bricks for shipping. It's wonderfully handy stuff for just about anything you wantt anufacture. To get around side wards in the keyway, you can bend the strap lengthwise by clampin i i a vice and tapping on the protruding part to bend the piece to the required angle.

Brick strap is very hard. It can ruin a grinding wheel or key cutting machine. A hand file is the rmmended tool for milling brick strap.
MIT Guide To Lock Picking - PAGE10



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