HOW TO OPEN A LOCK WITHOUT A KEY

This is how I approach new lock.

A beautiful, brand new ABUS padlock straight out of the box. Finding locks to pick as a beginner lock picker isn't easy, and can be expensive if you want pristine locks like this one. 

 

NOTE: These are the steps I take to ensure a lock is in a condition that makes lock picking an option. Many people skip these steps and open up a whole world of frustration for themselves. If your lock is new, and you have a key, you can go straight to this blog: The Absolute Beginners Guide to Lock Picking - but reading the following information will give you a better foundation upon which to build your skills, and you'll be prepared for when you don't have a key, and don't know if the lock is ready to be picked. 

 

Understanding the Basics of Lock Picking

Because Lock Pick World deals with beginners, professionals, and everyone in between, we get a lot of people who are totally new to the amazing art of picking locks, and so have absolutely no idea of how to approach a new lock. Even when one of our team of experts explains, some people come back and ask if we can take it right back to basics, and explain in ‘excessive detail’ (an actual quote!) or ‘think aloud’ how I approach a lock for the first time. I call it the initial encounter, for dramatic reasons, but it’s really just how to pick a lock I’ve never picked before. It might be a good idea to get your picks and a lock out and follow along with me. Let's go!

 

That's more like it! A beaten-up, old, well used and worn lock. These are the kind of locks beginners tend to find themselves picking. And why we need to perform the following checks.

 

Breaking Down the Lock Picking Process

I’ll break the process down into simple, easy-to-digest sections so you can understand everything that goes through my mind while attempting to get the lock open. Well, not everything, as that would be ridiculous, but certainly what you need to know to become a competent lock picker—and perhaps, in the future, a master! It might be a good idea to get your picks and a lock, and follow along with me.

Real-World Example: The beaten-up, old Lock

As I write this blog, I am actually picking a lock that was given (palmed off, lol) to me by a friend a few days ago. It’s a right mess, but that’s good for the blog, as most locks I pick have been used, probably for many years, have been battered and well used, and it will likely be the same for you. This is a bonus as older, worn, and possibly damaged locks create other challenges that aren’t strictly lock picking, but are definitely part of the lock picking process.

By the way, I was given the lock but not the key, a situation you’ll probably find yourself in many times. Used locks are easily sourced for next to nothing, and it makes sense to learn with them because most locks in the real world have a few years of wear behind them. Having never picked this lock I have no idea what the biting* is, and looking at the state of it, I’m not even certain if it’s still functional. We'll see. 

 

*What Is ‘Biting’?

If you don’t know, ‘biting’ is the word we use to describe the pinning situation of the lock. So if it’s a lot of high/low pins (which aren’t the easiest to pick,) we might say, “This lock has got quite gnarly biting”. That’s biting' as in bit, not bite. Each pin stack has two pins and a spring. So a five pin lock has five pin stack of two pins. The pins that contact the key are called Key Pins, the pins that contact the springs are called Driver Pins. In this diagram, the driver pins are pink and the key pins are green.

This diagram shows the 'Biting' of the lock with and without the key inserted. 'Biting' describes the different heights of the key pins in a lock. I'd say this lock has average Biting, mainly due to that high/low on the 5th pin, (counting from the keyway to the back of the lock). A high/low key pin next to each other is a classic biting issue, especially when you have a for instance high/low/high/low/high/low - the problem being, you drop previously set pins while trying to set the other ones.

 

Since we don’t know much about our 'new' lock the first thing I usually do is give it some lubricant to help ensure everything’s in working order.

Plenty of lubricants are available; most people will go for WD40 or similar liquid spray lubricants, but I prefer graphite. Liquid lubricants—in my experience—tend to attract dust, hair, and all sorts of muck over time, whereas a tiny amount of graphite seems to have no long-term negative effects, and works a treat in the short term. If you don't have any to hand, you can break a pencil down the middle and rub the graphite rod on some sandpaper, you only need a tiny amount to lubricate a standard pin cylinder. Fold it into a piece of paper and pour it into the keyway.

Preparing the Lock for Actual Picking

Before diving in, I’ll drag a pick over the pins a few times, turning the lock upside down and drag a pick over the pins again, to distribute the lubricant throughout the pin stacks and springs. Then, I’ll put it in a vice. Rubber teeth vices or specialist lock picking vices are essential. I’ve known many people who have damaged locks through over-tightening metal-toothed vices or even obstructed the cam, meaning however much you pick the lock, the core won’t be able to turn, leading you to believe you’ve not picked it—even when all the pins are set! Frustration is one of the many enemies of lock picking, so it's best to keep it to a minimum.

 

This dedicated lock picking vice is perfect for the job. It will hold the majority of locks in place without causing damage or obstruction. I've had one of these for over ten years now and it's the perfect vice for lock picking. Most beginner lock pickers start by holding the lock in their hand, but I advise against that because you develop skills which are great for picking locks in your hand, but if you ever want to be a locksmith, then transferring those skills to locks installed in doors is almost like relearning the skill, whereas a lock pickers vice can replicate a lock in a door, so you're learning the right way from the very start of your journey.

 

Checking for Core Damage and Functionality

The next thing I want to check is that the core (sometimes called the ‘plug’) still turns smoothly. I’ll insert a tension wrench just to see if there’s a small amount of travel each way usually just around a millimeter more or less. It looks like the core still turns, so that shouldn't be an issue. If the core doesn't turn I'll try more lube, and even a bit of force, but if it's seized-up, I'll usually dump it. No movement on the core is probably a waste of time, especially for beginners.

 

Here's the inside of a brand new lock. See how precise and integral all the parts have to be to correctly engage? A small bit of fluff, too much dust, even some hair could cause problems with picking this lock. That's why we go through these stages of checking everything is in order before attempting to open the lock. 

 

Checking for Foreign Objects in the Lock

I want to check if anyone did something foolish, like breaking off a tool inside the lock. Do this with all locks, as a broken key, a broken pick, or any foreign object really can make life difficult later, so it’s best to be sure before wasting time picking a lock with anything from a ball-bearing to some chewing gum causing you problems. I’ll push my pick in and see if it reaches the back. Wiggle it around a bit, like the dentist does with his picks in your mouth, but without the feeling of impending terror, of course.

Testing the Pins

Now, I’ll run the pick over the pins to ensure they’re all spring-loaded. A damaged spring or pin isn’t something you’re going to want to deal with. So let’s put our pick—a half-diamond works well for this—to the back of the lock, lift it up if the pins are above the keyway (or down if they’re below the keyway, although most locksporters pick locks with the pins above the keyway, so we’re doing that now), and gently drag the pick back towards the keyway, listening for the pins being pushed back down and feeling for anything out of the ordinary. It would be frustrating to start picking only to realize one of the pins is stuck or jammed. If you don’t know how many pins the lock has (not including the driver pins, just the key pins—the ones that touch the key, and the ones we’ll be lifting with our pick), you can also use this time to count them as you drag your pick out of the lock. Do this a couple of times to be sure there’s nothing unwanted in there, everything’s working, and you know how many pins you’ll have to pick.

Beginning the Raking Process

With a clear keyway, my first approach is usually raking. I’ll usually start with my most beloved rake, the city rake, named after the fact it looks like a city skyline, but it also looks like many keys, and since I use a raking technique called ‘Rocking’, it’ll mimic even more keys biting, which is why it’s such a successful rake.

 

An Eight Piece selection of Top of Keyway tension tools (also known as Tension Wrenches, or Tensioners). They come in different gauges for different keyway widths. More aggressive raking techniques, such as zipping or scrubbing are far too kinetic to use a Top of Keyway wrench (Top of Keyway is often shortened to TOK, and Bottom of Keyway to BOK) but for bouncing, these - for me anyway - are better.

 

Using the Tension Tool Correctly

I’m going to use a top-of-keyway (AKA: TOK) tension tool for this technique. You’d usually not use a TOK tensioner for raking, but since rocking doesn’t use the more traditional raking techniques of moving in and out of the lock, it gives me more room at the bottom of the lock, which lends itself to my rocking technique. Bottom-of-keyway tensioners, (AKA: BOK) are better for the other types of raking as I tend to lift the rake more and so don’t need so much space in the bottom of the lock. NOTE: There’s no right or wrong way of doing any of this; there’s what’s right for the lock and what’s right for what you feel more comfortable with as you develop your skills. This is just what I do.

 

This padlock diagram shows a typical arrangement of the pins stacks, springs, and how the key aligns the split between the driver pins and key pins which allows the core to turn and the lock to open. Most pin cylinders, such as eurocylinders, rim cylinders, and of course padlocks, follow these principles.

 

Rocking the City Rake

I’ll take the City Rake, insert it, and slowly and gently rock it up and down, as if it’s on a fulcrum in the middle of the lock. I am not raking it in and out like a traditional rake. Although it’s called a rake, we’re trying to simulate the key, so it engages the biting and lifts the pins to the correct height to set them on the shearline. If you don’t know, the shearline is what makes most pin-cylinder lock picking possible. It’s a small ledge created in the lock between the housing and the core due to the small amount of pressure we’re putting on the tensioner. It’s this manufacturing deficiency that allows us to pick locks, and the better the build quality, or ‘tolerances’ of the lock, the finer the shearline, and all the other exploits that make locks vulnerable to being opened without the key.

 

A City Rake, a classic rake that every set of picks should have. Although others would disagree! The only way to find out, is  to try!

 

What If Raking Fails?

Let’s assume the City Rake doesn’t work. Usually, I give it two or three tries, and if it fails, I switch to my go-to pick, the flat head No2 hook from the Dangerfield Praxis set. This one has a slight curve. I’ll continue to rock it, moving it up and down, but also slowly in and out. Because the city rake can pretty much engage all the pins at once, certainly on a five-pin-lock, I don’t really need to move it in and out more than a few millimeters, but since this is a hook, I move it the entire length of the pin-stacks while I’m rocking, to locate any pins that are higher.

Trying Alternative Rakes

If rocking doesn’t work, I move on to other rakes. More traditional rakes that use one of the many more traditional raking techniques. Christina Palmer is my go-to girl for raking and she describes many techniques on her Elvencraft page, such as ripping, scrubbing, oscillating, modulating, and of course, a combination of all of those: mixing! I have several options depending on the size of the keyway and my preference at the moment. The most familiar one is the Bogota, a great piece of kit invented by Raimundo, and named after the mountain peaks of his home, Bogota, Colombia.

This amazing raking animation by lock picking wizard Christina Palmer (more of her great lock picking advice can be found on her Elvencraft.com website) demonstrates various raking techniques. Christina is one of the true legends on the lock picking scene and can tell a great story too. Definitely worth checking out.

 

The Cycloid Wave Rake

But I also absolutely adore a Cycloid Wave Rake (pictured below) based on Christina Palmer's original Quint Sinusoidal waves modeled by Christina and her team using advanced knowledge, software, and most of all passion to create an awesome rake. Probably the best rake I own.

 

 

The Ripping or Zipping Technique

Sometimes, none of these raking methods are effective, and that’s when I switch to ripping, AKA ‘zipping’. This is a kinetic approach where you push against the pins and, while applying a small amount of tension (not too much or you’ll bind the pins and they’ll not be able to move, resulting in, at best, the lock not opening, at worst, the rake, or even the lock, breaking!) pull the pick/rake out rapidly, hoping to bounce the pins into place, which is sitting on the shearline ledge. For this, you can use a Bogota, a Sinusoid, or other specialist rakes. But you can also use a hook or a half diamond. You’ll be engaging every pin on the way back to the keyway, it’s just more a question of getting the timing right when not using a dedicated rake.

Light Tension and the Bouncing Technique

So, apply light tension, put the rake (or pick) to the back of the lock, and rip it out, and try different levels of upward force. If there are no security pins, this method is usually quite effective. If zipping doesn’t work, I move on to the next raking technique called ‘bouncing’.

The Bouncing Technique Explained

Bouncing is a fairly aggressive technique, you might end up damaging the lock and/or the pick, so when I’m bouncing I tend to use my thickest pick, a 0.024” is ideal. Calling it a technique is quite generous, and it’s as near to what YouTube legend Bosnian Bill once described as ‘Bi**h-Picking’, just pushing the pins up into the bible in no particular order and just kind of hoping! The ‘bible’ is the part of a lock that contains the springs and the driver pins. Why it’s called that has been the subject of much discussion on lock picking forums, but I’m still not convinced by any of the reasons I’ve read. But it’s worth a few tries, and always my next step on a new lock if raking hasn’t worked.

 

This is a repinnable and cut-away practice lock. It comes in a boxed-set with spare pins (including security pins) and can be repinned in a matter of minutes, giving you thousands of different bitings to practice your new found lock picking skills on. And because it's a cut-away lock, you can see how your lock picks affect the pins, and what's happening inside the lock. I've taught hundreds of people how to pick locks and these and the clear locks are great learning aids for beginners.

 

Bouncing for Quick Results

For bouncing, I apply moderate tension and tap around inside the lock like a madman, hoping to hit the right pins in the right order with the right amount of pressure. It’s a quick and forceful method, but it can work. If not, I try again with a gentler approach, and if it still hasn’t worked, I’ll mix up heavy and light bounces. You may be frowning now, but I’ve opened LOADS of locks bumping pins with a pick, so it’s definitely worth a try. If bouncing doesn’t succeed, we’ve reached the last resort: The time- and labor-intensive lock picking method, which is proper lock picking: single pin picking.

Single Pin Picking as a Last Resort

Single-pin picking is slow and time-consuming, so I avoid it when possible. But out of all the techniques available, the Lishi pin-cylinder picks, specialist tools made for one lock type, and all that jazz, single pin picking, or SPP will still open the most locks, and cope with the most security features, such as security pins, sliders, trap pins, ultra paracentric or tight keyways. There’s no doubt about it, single pin picking might seem daunting to a beginner, but you’ll have to learn it at some time if you really want to get the most from lock picking. Just don’t rush it, we all started at the beginning!

When All Else Fails: The Enemy Locks Box

If I end up spending more than thirty minutes single pin picking a lock and I’m not making any progress, I reluctantly (but thankfully) chuck it in my ‘enemy locks box’ never to be seen again. Not really. Being somewhat of a masochist, I’ll occasionally dip my hand into the box and grab one to have a play with, usually regretting it instantly when I remember why it was so frustrating the last time I failed to pick it. But challenging yourself is the best way to improve your skills. And at some point I will open one of my enemy locks, just as you’ll rake your first lock, single pin pick your first lock, or open locks for the first time with one of the many other amazing lock picking techniques, such as impressioning, or bumping to name but two.

And that, my lock picking friends, is how I approach a new and previously unseen lock. If you want to take the next step and learn the basics of lock picking, this blog, The Absolute Beginners Guide to Lock Picking is the perfect next step.

I hope you enjoyed that and learned some useful information. There’s no real rules, or right way or wrong way to approach a new lock. This is just my way, and if you learned something that helps you become a better lock picker, I’m happy.

Remember, don’t pick locks you have in use - like your front door locks (many do it - most regret it.) Stay legal, and remember to reach out to your supplier if you have any lock picking questions. A lock pick supplier with a good reputation will be more than happy to spend time assisting you with any questions you have, including linking you to blogs, YouTube videos, and other resources concerning the lock picking problem you’ve encountered. If they don’t want to help, maybe find someone else to supply your lock picking kit.

Best wishes - Chris Dangerfield.