The CIA Lockpicking Manual

INTRODUCTION

There has been much opinion and little fact written on the subject of lock picking. It will be my purpose to clarify the facts about this process and at the same time train you in proper procedure so that before you leave this class today, you will at least have picked one lock. Please note that to become truly proficient you must devote much time and patience in the future.

In this volume we will discuss not only the fundamental theories of lock picking but proper terminology, the importance of tool design (using the right tool for the right job), the effects of tolerances, and finally the techniques most commonly used by locksmiths to successfully pick the vast majority of standard pin and wafer tumbler locks.

CHAPTER ONE

BASIC LOCK PICKING

First of all, lock picking must be divided into two categories which are commonly confused:

The first category is picking (the act of carefully manipulating one pin at a time for the expressed purpose of duplicating the action of the proper cut key in a given cylinder, by something other than the proper cut key itself).

The second category is raking (the less specific act of taking a raking instrument for the expressed purpose of gliding the tool across tumblers of approximately the same depth in a general yet sequential fashion).

Either of these techniques is intended to be a method of convenience for opening locks in emergency type situations. Obviously, the method for making keys referred to as impressioning would be far more desirable since both processes take about the same time and only one