Lock Picking

Tony Jones • Jul 17, 2023

By far, one of the most common reasons for people requiring the services of a locksmith:

is being locked out of their home or business. It could be a case of them leaving the keys inside and the door closing behind them or they could have lost their keys completely. Whatever the reason most good locksmiths will choose the method of lock picking in order to gain entry to a property.

By far, one of the most common reasons for people requiring the services of a locksmith is being locked out of their home or business. It could be a case of them leaving the keys inside and the door closing behind them or they could have lost their keys completely. Whatever the reason most good locksmiths will choose the method of lock picking in order to gain entry to a property.

Lockpicking Locksmith

When picking a lock, a locksmith will use special tools to manipulate the components within a lock allowing them to open the door without the use of a key. The main reason locksmiths tend to favor this method is that it allows them to gain entry to the property without causing any damage to the lock or door. In some cases, if the lock has been damaged in some way and can’t be picked a locksmith will have to drill the lock, which means that it would cost the customer more as the lock would need replacing but on the other hand a damaged lock would need to be replaced anyway.

Lock picking is a skill that has been around for centuries, some of the first locks were invented in the 1700’s when Robert Barron invented the double acting tumbler lock. Before this, skeleton keys were used to open warded locks, they worked by bypassing the wards inside the lock. After Barron gained the patent on the double acting movable detainer lock, the method of lock picking was born.

In order to pick a lock, you will require two tools, one will be used to apply pressure and the other used to move the teeth within the lock that stop the bolt from moving. It is possible to do this as each component it slightly different in size, shape and alignment. Different types of locks will require different lock picking methods.

Lock Picking Methods

There are a vast range of lock picking methods that are all required for different types of locks, the most common of which are:

Single Component Picking – For this method of lock picking a hook shaped pick is used and it is focused on finding the differences in each of the pins to determine what order and position each component is in.

Raking – This lock picking method uses picks called rakes, they are specifically designed to manipulate most if not all of the components within the lock at the same time by differentiating between the different variations of each component and imitating a range of key depths.

Comb Picks – A pin – tumbler pick is used in this lock picking method. It is designed to move all of the pins within the lock from their blocking position. This is done by pushing all of the pins into the cylinder chambers allowing the plug to turn freely.