MIT

Guide to
Lockpicking

Theodore T. Tool
Table of Contents:
I. It’s Easy ................................................................................. 4
II. How a Key Opens a Lock .................................................... 5
III. The Flatland Model ........................................................... 7
IV. Basic Picking & The Binding Defect .................................. 9
V. The Pin Column Model ..................................................... 11
VI. Basic Scrubbing ............................................................... 14
VII. Advanced Lock Picking .................................................. 17
7.1 Mechanical Skills
7.2 Zen and the Art of Lock Picking ................................... 18
7.3 Analytic Thinking
VIII. Exercises ........................................................................ 20
8.1 Exercise 1: Bouncing the pick
8.2 Exercise 2: Picking pressure .......................................... 21
8.3 Exercise 3: Picking Torque ............................................ 22
8.4 Exercise 4: Identifying Set Pins ..................................... 23
8.5 Exercise 5: Projection
IX. Recognizing & Exploiting Personality Traits .................. 25
9.1 Which Way To Turn
9.2 How Far to Turn .......................................................... 27
9.3 Gravity
9.4 Pins Not Setting
9.5 Elastic Deformation ..................................................... 28
9.6 Loose Plug ................................................................... 29
9.7 Pin Diameter ............................................................... 30
9.8 Beveled Holes and Rounded Pins
9.9 Mushroom Driver Pins ................................................. 32
9.10 Master Keys ............................................................... 34
9.11 Driver or Spacer Enters Keyway .................................. 36
9.12 Vibration Picking ....................................................... 37
9.13 Disk Tumblers
Final Remarks ........................................................................ 38
Appendix A. Tools .................................................................. 39
A.1 Pick Shapes
A.2 Street cleaner bristles .................................................... 40
A.3 Bicycle spokes .............................................................. 43
A.4 Brick Strap ................................................................... 44
Appendix B. Legal Issues ....................................................... 45
I. 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 concepts and definitions but the bulk
of the material consists of tricks for opening locks with particular
defects or characteristics. The organization of this manual reflects
this structure. The first few chapters present the vocabulary and basic
information about locks and lock picking. There is no way to learn lock
picking without practicing, so one chapter presents a set of carefully
chosen exercises that will help you learn the skills of lock picking. The
document ends with a catalog of the mechanical traits and defects
found in locks and the techniques used to recognize and exploit them.
The first appendix describes how to make lock picking tools. The other
appendix presents some of the legal issues of lock picking.
The exercises are important. The only way to learn how to recognize
and exploit the defects in a lock is to practice. This means practicing
many times on the same lock as well as practicing on many different
locks. Anyone can learn how to open desk and filing cabinet locks, but
the ability to open most locks 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 is just one way to bypass a lock, though
it does cause less damage than brute force techniques. In fact, it may
be easier to bypass the bolt mechanism than to bypass the lock. It may
also be easier to bypass some other part of the door or even avoid the
door entirely.

Remember: There is always another way, usually a better one.

4
II. How a Key
Opens a Lock
This chapter presents the basic workings of pin tumbler locks,
and the vocabulary used in the rest of this booklet. The terms used to
describe locks and lock parts vary from manufacture to manufacture
and from city to city, so even if you already understand the basic
workings of locks, you should look at figure 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 also need to know how a lock
responds to picking. Chapters 3 and 5 present models which will help
you understand a lock’s response to picking.
Figure 2.1 introduces the vocabulary of real locks. The key is
inserted into the keyway of the plug. The protrusions on the side of
the keyway are called wards. Wards restrict the set of keys that can be
inserted into the plug. The plug is a cylinder which can rotate when
the proper key is fully inserted. The non-rotating part of the lock is
called the hull. The first pin touched by the key is called pin one. The
remaining pins are numbered increasingly toward the rear of the lock.
The proper key lifts each pin pair until the gap between the key pin
and the driver pin reaches the sheer line. When all the pins are in this
position, the plug can rotate and the lock can be opened. An incorrect
key will leave some of the pins protruding between the hull and the
plug, and these pins will prevent the plug from rotating.

5
 Figure 2.1: Workings of pin tumbler locks

6
III. The Flatland Model
In order to become good at picking locks, you will need a detailed
understanding of how locks works and what happens as it is picked.
This document uses two models to help you understand the behavior
of locks. This chapter presents a model that highlights interactions
between pin positions. Chapter 4 uses this model to explain how
picking works. Chapter 9 will use this model to explain complicated
mechanical defects.
The “flatland” model of a lock is shown in Figure 3.1. This is not
a cross section of a real lock. It is a cross section of a very simple kind
of lock. The purpose of this lock is to keep two plates of metal from
sliding over each other unless the proper key is present. The lock is
constructed by placing the two plates over each other and drilling holes
which pass through both plates. The figure shows a two hole lock. Two
pins are placed in each hole such that the gap between the pins does
not line up with the gap between the plates. The bottom pin is called
the key pin because it touches the key. The top pin is called the driver
pin. Often the driver and key pins are just called the driver and the
pin. A protrusion on the underside of the bottom plate keeps the pins
from falling out, and a spring above the top plate pushes down on the
driver pin.
If the key is absent, the plates cannot slide over each other because
the driver pins pass through both plates. The correct key lifts the pin
pairs to align the gap between the pins with the gap between the plates.
See Figure 3.3. That is, the key lifts the key pin until its top reaches
the lock’s sheer line. 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 allowance. That is, any parts which slide

7
past each other must be separated by a gap. The gap between the top
and bottom plates allows a range of keys to open the lock. Notice that
the right key pin in Figure 3.3 is not raised as high as the left pin, yet
the lock will still open.

Figure 3.1: Flatland model of a lock

Figure 3.2: (a) Flatland key raises pins

Figure 3.3: (b) Proper key allows plates to slide

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IV. Basic Picking
& The Binding Defect
The flatland model highlights the basic defect that enables lock
picking to work. This defect makes it possible to open a lock by lifting
the pins one at a time, and thus you don’t need a key to lift all the pins
at the same time. Figure 4.3 shows how the pins of a lock can be set
one at a time. The first step of the procedure is to apply a sheer force
to the lock by pushing on the bottom plate. This force causes one or
more of the pins to be scissored between the top and bottom plate. The
most common defect in a lock is that only one pin will bind. Figure
4.3a shows the left pin binding. Even though a pin is binding, it can
be pushed up with a picking tool, see Figure 4.3b. When the top of
the key pin reaches the sheer line, the bottom plate will slide slightly. If
the pick is removed, the driver pin will be held up by the overlapping
bottom plate, and the key pin will drop down to its initial position, see
Figure 4.3c. The slight movement of the bottom plate causes a new pin
to bind. The same procedure can be used 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 which is binding the most, and push it up.
When the top of the key pin reaches the sheer line, the moving portion
of the lock will give slightly, and driver pin will be trapped above the
sheer line. This is called setting a pin.
Chapter 9 discusses the different defects that cause pins to bind
one at a time.
Table 4.1; Figure 5:
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.
9
 Figure 4.1: (a) Sheer force causes driver to bind

Figure 4.2: (b) Pick lifts the binding pin

Figure 4.3: (c) Left driver sets and right driver binds

10
V. The Pin Column Model
The flatland model of locks can explain effects that involve more
than one pin, but a different model is needed to explain the detailed
behavior of a single pin. See Figure 5.1. The pin- column model
highlights the relationship between the torque applied and the amount
of force needed to lift each pin. It is essential 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 effect by the torque applied by your
torque wrench (tensioner) and the pressure applied by your pick. A
good way to represent this understanding is a graph that shows the
minimum pressure needed to move a pin as a function of how far the
pin has been displaced from its initial position. The remainder of this
chapter 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 of the driver pin are the friction from
the sides, the spring contact force from above, and the contact force
from the key pin below. The amount of pressure you apply to the pick
determines the contact force from below.
The spring force increases as the pins are pushed into the hull,
but the increase is slight, so we will assume that the spring force is
constant over the range of displacements we are interested in. The pins
will not move unless you apply enough pressure to overcome the spring
force. The binding friction is proportional to how hard the driver pin
is being scissored between the plug and the hull, which in this case is
proportional to the torque. The more torque you apply to the plug, the
harder it will be to move the pins. To make a pin move, you need to
apply a pressure that is greater than the sum of the spring and friction
forces.

11
 When the bottom of the driver pin reaches the sheer line, the
situation suddenly changes. See Figure 5.3. The friction binding force
drops to zero and the plug rotates slightly (until some other pin binds).
Now the only resistance to motion is the spring force. After the top
of the key pin crosses the gap between the plug and the hull, a new
contact force arises from the key pin striking the hull. This force 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, the key pin acquires
a binding fiction like the driver pin had in the initial situation. See
Figure 5.4. Thus, the amount of pressure needed to move the pins
before and after the sheer line is about the same. Increasing the torque
increases the required pressure. At the sheer line, the pressure increases
dramatically due to the key pin hitting the hull. This analysis is
summarized graphically in figure 5.5.

Figure 5.1:
The pin-column mode

Figure 5.2:
Binding in the pin-column model
12
Figure 5.3: Pins at the sheer line

Figure 5.4: Key pin enters hull

Figure 5.5: Pressure required to move pins

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VI. Basic Scrubbing
At home you can take your time picking a lock, but in the field,
speed is always essential. This chapter 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 force diagram (Figure 5.5) developed
in chapter 5 suggests a fast way to select the correct pin to lift. Assume
that all the pins could be characterized by the same force diagram. That
is, assume that they all bind at once and that they all encounter the
same friction. Now consider the effect of running the pick over all the
pins with a pressure that is great enough to overcome the spring and
friction forces but not great enough to overcome the collision force of
the key pin hitting the hull. Any pressure that is above the flat portion
of the force graph and below the top of the peak will work. As the
pick passes over a pin, the pin will rise until it hits the hull, but it will
not enter the hull. See Figure 5.3. The collision force at the sheer line
resists the pressure of the pick, so the pick rides over the pin without
pressing it into the hull. If the proper torque is being applied, the plug
will rotate slightly. As the pick leaves the pin, the key pin will fall back
to its initial position, but the driver pin will catch on the edge of the
plug and stay above the sheer line. See figure 6.1. In theory one stroke
of the pick 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 strokes are necessary. Basically, you use the pick
to scrub back and forth over the pins while you adjust the amount of
torque on the plug. The exercises in chapter 8 will teach you how to
choose the correct torque and pressure.
You will find that the pins of a lock tend to set in a particular order.
Many factors effect this order (see chapter 9), but the primary cause
is a misalignment between the center axis of the plug and the axis on
14
which the holes were drilled. See figure 6.2. If the axis of the pin holes
is skewed from the center line of the plug, then the pins will set from
back to front if the plug is turned one way, and from front to back if
the plug is turned the other way. Many locks have this defect.
Scrubbing is fast because you don’t need to pay attention to
individual pins. You only need to find the correct torque and pressure.
Figure 6.1 summarizes the steps of picking a lock by scrubbing. The
exercises will teach you how to recognize when a pin is set and how to
apply the correct forces. If a lock doesn’t open quickly, then it probably
has one of the characteristics described in chapter 9 and you will have
to concentrate on individual pins.

Figure 6.1:
Driver pin catches on plug

Figure 6.2:
Alignment of plug holes

15
 Table 6.1; Figure 13: Basic Scrubbing
1.Insert the pick and torque wrench. Without applying
any torque pull the pick out to get a feel for the 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 pressure to the pins.
The pressure should be slightly larger than the minimum
necessary to overcome the spring 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 forth over the
pins that have not set. If additional pins do 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 slightly larger pressure. This
will set any pins which have set low due to beveled edges, etc.

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VII. Advanced
Lockpicking
Simple lock picking is a trade that anyone can learn. However,
advanced lock picking is a craft that requires mechanical sensitivity,
physical dexterity, visual concentration and analytic thinking. If you
strive 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 mechanical skills you learned early in life
involved maintaining a fixed position or fixed path for your hands
independent of the amount of force required. In lock picking, you
must learn how to apply a fixed force independent of the position of
your hand. As you pull the pick out of the lock you want to apply a
fixed pressure on the pins. The pick should bounce up and down in the
keyway according to the resistance offered by each pin.
To pick a lock you need feedback about the effects of your
manipulations. To get the feedback, you must train yourself to be
sensitive to the sound and feel of the pick passing over the pins.
This is a mechanical skill that can only be learned with practice. The
exercises will help you recognize the important information coming
from your fingers.

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 7.2 Zen and the Art of Lock Picking
In order to excel at lock picking, you must train yourself to have a
visually reconstructive imagination. The idea is to use information from
all your senses to build a picture of what is happening inside the lock
as you pick it. Basically, you want to project your senses into the lock
to receive a full picture of how it is responding to your manipulations.
Once you have learned how to build this picture, it 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, but the other senses can reveal
critical information. For example, your nose can tell you whether a
lock has been lubricated recently. As a beginner, you will need to use
your eyes for hand-eye coordination, but as you improve you will find
it unnecessary to look at the lock. In fact, it is better to ignore your
eyes and use your sight to build an image of the lock based on the
information you receive from your fingers and ears.
The goal of this mental skill is to acquire a relaxed concentration
on the lock. Don’t force the concentration. Try to ignore the sensations
and thoughts that are not related to the lock. Don’t try to focus on
the lock.

7.3 Analytic Thinking

Each lock has its own special characteristics which make picking
harder or easier. If you learn to recognize and exploit the “personality
traits” of locks, picking will go much faster. Basically, you want to
analyze the feedback you get from a lock to diagnose its personality
traits and then use your experience to decide on an approach to open
the lock. Chapter 9 discusses a large number of common traits and
ways to exploit or overcome them.
People underestimate the analytic skills involved in lock picking.
They think that the picking tool opens the lock. To them the torque
wrench is a passive tool that just puts the lock under the desired stress.
Let me propose another way to view the situation. The pick is just
running over the pins to get information about the lock. Based on an
analysis that information the torque is adjusted to make the pins set at
the sheer line. It’s the torque wrench that opens the lock.

18
 Varying the torque as the pick moves in and out of the keyway is a
general trick that can be used to get around several picking problems.
For example, if the middle pins are set, but the end pins are not, you
can increase the torque as the pick moves over the middle pins. This
will reduce the chances of disturbing the correctly set pins. If some pin
doesn’t seem to lift up far enough as the pick passes over 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 your hands, but as you become better at
visualizing the process of picking a lock, you will become better at this
important skill.

19
VIII. Exercises
This chapter presents a series of exercises that will help you learn
the basic skill of lock picking. Some 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 the lock, you will get frustrated
and your mind will stop learning. The goal of each exercise is to learn
something about the particular lock you are holding and something
about yourself. If a lock happens to open, 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 that your 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 how the pick moves up and down in the
lock. Basically you want to learn how to let the pick bounce up and
down according to the resistance offered by each pin.
How you hold the pick makes a difference on how easy it is to apply
a fixed pressure. You want to hold it in such a way that the pressure
comes from your fingers or your wrist. Your elbow and shoulder do
not have the dexterity required to pick locks. While you are scrubbing
a lock notice which of your joints 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 levers the pick to provide the pressure. Which
fingers you use is a matter of personal choice. Another way to hold the
pick is like holding a pencil. With this method, your wrist provides
20
the pressure. If your wrist is providing the pressure, your shoulder and
elbow should provide the force to move the pick in and out of 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 scrubbing over the pins of an open lock.
The pins cannot be pushed down, so the pick must adjust to the heights
of the pins. Try to feel the pins rattle as the pick moves over them. If
you move the pick quickly, you can hear the rattle. This same rattling
feel will help you recognize when a pin is set correctly. If a pin appears
to be set but it doesn’t rattle, then it is false set. False set pins can be
fixed by pushing them down farther, or by releasing torque and letting
them pop back to their initial position.
One last word of advice. Focus on the tip of the pick. Don’t think
about how you are moving the handle; 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 are starting, just apply pressure when you
are drawing the pick out of the lock. Once you have mastered that, 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 the lock. The amount of pressure you
are applying should be just enough to overcome the spring force. This
force gives you an idea of 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 with both the pick and torque wrench in
the lock, but don’t apply any torque. As you draw the pick out of the
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 they spring back. Notice the popping feel
as a pick goes past each pin. Notice the springy feel as the pick pushes
down on each new pin.
To help you focus on these sensations, try counting the number
of pins in the lock. Door locks at MIT have seven pins, padlocks
usually have four.
21
 To get an idea of the maximum pressure, use the flat side of your
pick to push down all the pins in the lock. Sometimes you will need to
apply this much pressure to a single pin. If you encounter a new kind
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 demon- strates the interaction between torque and
pressure which was describe in chapter 5.
The minimum torque you will use is just enough to overcome the
fiction of rotating the plug in the hull. Use your torque wrench to
rotate the plug until it stops. Notice how much torque is needed to
move the plug before the pins bind. This force can be quite high for
locks that have been left out in the rain. The minimum torque for
padlocks includes the force of a spring that is attached between the
plug and 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 down, and try applying enough torque
to make the pins stay down after the pick is removed. If your torque
wrench 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 just created. The key pins are pushed
too far into the hull and the torque is suffcient to hold them there.
The range of picking torque can be found by gradually increasing
the torque while scrub- bing the pins with the pick. Some of the pins
will become harder to push down. Gradually increase the torque until
some of the pins set. These pins will loose their springiness. Keep- ing
the torque fixed, use the pick to scrub the pins a few times to see if
other pins will set.
The most common mistake of beginners is to use too much torque.
Use this exercise to find the minimum torque required to pick the lock.

22
 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 it will have a slight give. That is, the pin can
be pushed down a short distance with a light pressure, but it becomes
hard to move after that distance (see chapter 6 for an explanation).
When you remove the light pressure, the pin springs back up slightly.
Set pins also rattle if you flick them with the pick. 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 lock (or both). Try identifying exactly
which pins are set. Remember that pin one is the frontmost pin (i.e.,
the pin that a key touches first). The most important skill of lock
picking is the ability to recognize 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 when the plug is turned one way, the
back pins will set when the plug is turned the other way. See Figure 6.2
for an explanation.
One way to verify how many pins are set is to release the torque,
and count the clicks as the pins snap back to their initial position. Try
this. Try to notice the difference in sound between the snap of a single
pin and the snap of two pins at once. A pin that has been false set will
also make a snapping sound.
Try this exercise with different amounts of torque and pressure.
You should notice that a larger torque requires a larger pressure to make
pins set correctly. If the pressure is too high, the pins will be jammed
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 picture does not have to be visual, it could be
a rough understanding of which pins are set and how much resistance
you are encountering from each pin. One way to foster this picture
building is to try to remember your sensations and beliefs about a lock
just before it opened. When a lock opens, don’t think “that’s over”,
think “what happened.”
23
 This exercise requires a lock that you find easy to pick. It will help
you refine the visual skills you need to master lock picking. Pick the
lock, and try to remember how the process felt. Rehearse in your mind
how everything feels when the lock is picked properly. Basically, you
want to create a movie that records the process of picking the lock.
Visualize the motion of your muscles as they apply the correct pressure
and torque, and feel the resistance encountered by the pick. Now pick
the lock again trying to match your actions to the movie.
By repeating this exercise, you are learning how to formulate
detailed commands for your muscles and how to interpret feedback
from your senses. The mental rehearsal teaches you how to build a
visual understanding of the lock and how to recognize the major steps
of picking it.

24
IX. Recognizing
& Exploiting
Personality Traits
Real locks have a wide range of mechanical features and defects that
help and hinder lock picking. If a lock doesn’t respond to scrubbing,
then it probably has one of the traits discussed in this chapter. To open
the lock, you must diagnose the trait and apply the recommended
technique. The exercises will help you develop the mechanical sensitivity
and dexterity necessary to recognize and exploit the different 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 the plug the wrong way. If you turn a
plug the wrong way it will rotate freely until it hits a stop, or until it
rotates 180 degrees and the drivers enter the keyway (see section 9.11).
Section 9.11 also explains how to turn the plug more than 180 degrees
if that is necessary to fully retract the bolt. When the plug is turned in
the correct direction, you should feel an extra resistance when the plug
cam engages the bolt spring.
The direction to turn the plug depends on the bolt mechanism,
not on the lock, but here are some general rules. Cheap padlocks will
open if the plug is turned in either direction, so you can chose the
direction which is best for the torque wrench. All padlocks made by
the Master company can be opened in either direction. Padlocks made
by Yale will only open if the plug is turned clockwise. The double plug
Yale cylinder locks generally open by turning the bottom of the keyway
25
(i.e., the flat edge of the key) away from the nearest doorframe. Single
plug cylinder locks also follow this rule. See Figure 9.1. Locks built
into the doorknob usually open clockwise. Desk and filing cabinet
locks also tend to open clockwise.
When you encounter a new kind of lock mechanism, try turning
the plug in both direc- tions. In the correct direction, the plug will be
stopped by the pins, so the stop will feel mushy when you use heavy
torque. In the wrong direction the plug will be stopped by a metal tab,
so the stop will feel solid.

Figure 9.1: Direction to turn plug

26
 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 locks generally open with less than
a quarter turn (90 degrees) of the plug. When opening a desk lock try
to avoid having the plug lock in the open position. Locks built into
doorknobs also tend to open with less than a quarter turn. Locks which
are separate from the doorknob tend to require 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 keyway. 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 the bottom. It should be obvious how
to tell the two apart. The nice feature of a lock with the springs at the
bottom is that gravity holds the key pins down once they set. With the
set pins out of the way, it is easy to find and manipulate the remaining
unset pins. It is also straight forward to test for the slight give of a
correctly set pin. When the springs are on top, gravity will pull the key
pins down after the driver pin catches at the sheer line. In this case, you
can identify the set pins by noticing that the key pin is easy to lift and
that it does not feel springy. Set pins also rattle as you draw the pick
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 vary
the torque, then some pin has false set and it is keeping the rest of the
pins from setting. Consider a lock whose pins prefer to set from back
to front. If the backmost pin false sets high or low (see Figure 9.2), then
the plug cannot rotate enough to allow the other pins to bind. It is hard
to recognize that a back pin has false set because the springiness of the
front pins makes it hard to sense the small give of a correctly set back
pin. The main symptom of this situation is that the other pins will not
set unless a very large torque is applied.
When you encounter this situation, release the torque and start
over by concentrating on the back pins. Try a light torque and moderate
27
pressure, or heavy torque and heavy pressure. Try to feel for the click
that happens when a pin reaches the sheer line and the plug rotates
slightly. The click will be easier 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. Over such short distances, metals
behave like springs. Very little force is necessary to deflect a piece metal
over those distances, and when the force is removed, the metal will
spring back to its original position.
Deformation can be used to your advantage if you want to force
several pins to bind at once. For example, picking a lock with pins that
prefer to set from front to back is slow because the pins set one at 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 frontmost
pin that is binding. Numerous passes are required to set all the pins.
If the preference for setting is not very strong (i.e., the axis of the plug
holes is only slightly skewed from the plug’s center line), then you can
cause additional pins to bind by applying extra torque. Basically, the
torque puts a twist in the plug that causes the front of the plug to be
deflected further than the back of the plug. With light torque, the
back of the plug stays in its initial position, but with medium to heavy
torque, the front pin columns bend enough to allow the back of the
plug to rotate and thus cause the back pins to bind. With the extra
torque, a single stroke of the pick can set several pins, and the lock can
be opened quickly. Too much torque causes its own problems.
When the torque is large, the front pins and plug holes can be
deformed enough to prevent the pins from setting correctly. In
particular, the first pin tends to false set low. Figure 9.2 shows how
excess torque can deform the bottom of the driver pin and prevent the
key pin from reaching the sheer line. This situation can be recognized
by the lack of give in the first pin. Correctly set pins feel springy if they
are pressed down slightly. A falsely set pin lacks this springiness. The
solution is to press down hard on the first pin. You may want to reduce
the torque slightly, but if you reduce torque too much then other pins
will unset as the first pin is being depressed.

28
 It is also possible to deform the top of the key pin. The key pin
is scissored between the plug and the 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 bigger than the hole drilled into the
hull. If the cam is not properly installed, the plug can move in and out
of the lock slightly. On the outward stroke of the pick, the plug will
move forward, and if you apply pressure 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 rather than on the sides of the holes.
When you push the plug in, the drivers will unset. You can use this
defect to your advantage by only applying pressure on the outward
or inward stroke of the pick. Alternatively, you can use your finger or
torque wrench to prevent the plug from moving forward.

Figure 9.2: Driver pin false set by elastic deformation

29
 9.7 Pin Diameter
When the pair of pins in a particular column have different
diameters, that column will react strangely 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 the key pin. As the pins are lifted, the
picking pressure is resisted by the binding friction and the spring force.
Once the driver clears the sheer line, the plug rotates (until some other
pin binds) and the only resistance to motion is the spring force. If
the key pin is small enough and the plug did not rotate very far, the
key pin can enter the hull without colliding with the edge of the hull.
Some other pin is binding, so again the only resistance to motion is
the spring force. This relationship is graphed in the bottom half of the
Figure. Basically, the pins feel normal at first, but then the lock clicks
and the pin becomes springy. The narrow key pin can be pushed all the
way into the hull without loosing its springiness, but when the picking
pressure is released, the key pin will fall back to its initial position 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
stuck in the hull when some other pin sets. Imagine that a neighboring
pin sets and the plug rotates enough to bind the narrow key pin. If the
pick was pressing down on the narrow key pin at the same time as it
was pressing down on the pin that set, then the narrow key pin will be
in the hull and it will get stuck there when the plug rotates.
The behavior of a large key pin is left as an exercise for the reader.

9.8 Beveled Holes & Rounded Pins

Some lock manufacturers (e.g., Yale) bevel the edges of the plug
holes and/or round off the ends of the key pins. This tends to reduce
the wear on the lock and it can both help and hinder lock picking. You
can recognize a lock with these features by the large give in set pins. See
Figure 9.4. That is, the distance between the height at which the driver
pin catches on the edge of the plug hole and the height at which the
key pin hits the hull is larger (sometimes as large as a sixteenth of an
inch) when the plug holes are beveled or the pins are rounded. While
the key pin is moving between those two heights, the only resistance
to motion will be the force of the spring. There won’t be any binding
friction. This corresponds to the dip in the force graph shown in
Figure 5.5.
30
 A lock with beveled plug holes requires more scrubbing to open
than a lock without beveled holes because the driver pins set on the
bevel instead of setting on the top of the plug. The plug will not turn if
one of the drivers is caught on a bevel. The key pin must be scrubbed
again to push the driver pin up and off the bevel. The left driver pin
in Figure 9.6a is set. The driver is resting on the bevel, and the bottom
plate has moved enough to allow the right driver to bind. Figure
9.6b shows what happens after the right driver pin sets. The bottom
plate slides further to the right and now the left driver pin is scissored
between the bevel and the top plate. It is caught on the bevel. To open
the lock, the left driver pin must be pushed up above the bevel. Once
that driver is free, the bottom plate can slide and the right driver may
bind on its bevel.

Figure 9.3: Driver pin wider than key pin

31
 Figure 9.4: Beveled plug holes and rounded key pins

If you encounter a lock with beveled plug holes, and all the pins
appear to be set but the lock is not opening, you should reduce torque
and continue scrubbing over the pins. The reduced torque will make it
easier to push the drivers off the bevels. If pins unset when you reduce
the torque, try increasing the torque and the picking pressure. The
problem with increasing the force is that you may jam some key pins
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 pin. The most popular shapes
are mushroom, spool and serrated, see Figure 9.7. The purpose of
these shapes is to cause the pins to false set low. These drivers stop
a picking technique called vibration picking (see section 9.12),
but they only slightly complicate scrubbing and one-pin-at-a-time
picking (see chapter 4).
32
 Figure 9.5: (a) Driver sets on bevel

Figure 9.6: (b) Driver jams on bevel

If you pick a lock and the plug stops turning after a few degrees
and none of the pins can be pushed up any further, then you known
that the lock has modified drivers. Basically, the lip of the driver has
caught at the sheer line. See the bottom of Figure 9.7. Mushroom and
spool drivers are often found in Russwin locks, and locks that have
several spacers for master keying.
You can identify the positions with mushroom drivers by applying
a light torque and pushing up on each pin. The pins with mushroom
drivers will exhibit a tendency to bring the plug back to the fully locked
position. By pushing the key pin up you are pushing the flat top of the
key pin against the tilted bottom of the mushroom driver. This causes
the driver to straighten up which in turn causes the plug to unrotate.
You can use this motion to identify the columns that have mushroom
drivers. Push those pins up to sheer line; even if you lose some of the
other pins in the process they will be easier to re-pick than the pins
with mushroom drivers. Eventually all the pins will be correctly set at
the sheer line.

33
 One way to identify all the positions with mushroom drivers is
to use the flat of your pick to push all the pins up about halfway. This
should put most of the drivers in their cockable position and you can
feel for them.
To pick a lock with modified drivers, use a lighter torque and
heavier pressure. You want to error on the side of pushing the key pins
too far into the hull. In fact, another way to pick these locks is to use
the flat side of your pick to push the pins up all the way, and apply very
heavy torque to hold them there. Use a scrubbing action to vibrate
the key pins while you slowly reduce the torque. Reducing the torque
reduces the binding friction on the pins. The vibration and spring force
cause the key pins to slide down to the sheer line.
The key to picking locks with modified drivers is recognizing
incorrectly set pins. A mushroom driver set on its lip will not have the
springy give of a correctly set driver. Practice recognizing the difference.

9.10 Master Keys

Many applications require keys that open only a single lock and
keys that open a group of locks. The keys that open a single lock are
called change keys and the keys that open multiple locks are called
master keys. To allow both the change key and the master key to open
the same lock, a locksmith adds an extra pin called a spacer to some
of the pin columns. See Figure 9.8. The effect of the spacer is to create
two gaps in the pin column that could be lined up with the sheer line.
Usually the change key aligns the top of the spacer with the sheer line,
and the master key aligns the bottom of the spacer with the sheer line
(the idea is to prevent people from filing down a change key to get a
master key). In 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 each pin, and they make it more likely
that the lock can opened by setting the all the pins at about the same
height. In most cases only two or three positions will have spacers. You
can recognize a position with a spacer by the two clicks you feel when
the pin is pushed down. If the spacer has a smaller diameter than the
driver and key pins, then you will feel a wide springy region because
the spacer will not bind as it passes through the sheer line.
34
 Figure 9.7:
Mushroom, spool, and serrated driver pins

Figure 9.8: Spacer pins for master keying

35
 It is more common for the spacer to be larger than the driver pin.
You can recognize this by an increase in friction when the spacer passes
through the sheer line. Since the spacer is larger than the driver pin, it
will also catch better on the plug. If you push the spacer further into
the hull, you will feel a strong click when the bottom of the spacer
clears the sheer line. Thin spacers can cause serious problems. If you
apply heavy torque and the plug has beveled holes, the spacer can twist
and jam at the sheer line. It is also possible for the spacer to fall into
the keyway 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 degrees. You can prevent this by placing
the flat side of your pick in the bottom of the keyway before you turn
the plug too far. If a spacer or driver does enter the keyway and prevent
you from turning the plug, use the flat side of you pick to push the
spacer back into the hull. You may need to use the torque wrench to
relieve any sheer force that is binding the spacer or driver. If that doesn’t
work try raking over the drivers with the pointed side of your pick. If a
spacer falls into the keyway completely, the only option is to remove it.
A hook shaped piece of spring steel works well for this, though a bent
paperclip will work just as well unless the spacer becomes wedged.

Figure 9.9: Spacer or driver can enter keyway

36
 9.12 Vibration Picking
Vibration picking works by creating a large gap between the key
and driver pins. The underlying principle 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 the queue ball. Now imagine a device that kicks the tips of
all the key pins. The key pins would transfer their momentum to the
driver pins which would fly up into the hull. If you are applying a light
torque when 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 workings of these locks. The disks have
the same outline but differ in the placement of the rectangular cut.
These locks are easy to pick with the right tools. Because the disks
are placed close together a half-round pick works better than a half-
diamond pick (see Figure A.1). You may also need a torque wrench
with a narrower head. Use moderate to heavy torque.

37
 Final Remarks
Lock picking is a craft, not a science. This document presents
the knowledge and skills that are essential to lock picking, but more
importantly it provides you with models and exercises that will help you
study locks on your own. To excel at lock picking, you must practice
and develop a style which fits you personally. Remember that the best
technique is the one that works best for you.

Figure 9.10: Workings of a disk tumbler lock

38
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 tang of a pick are the same for all picks.
The handle must be comfortable and the tang must be thin enough to
avoid bumping pins unnecessarily. If the tang is too thin, then it will
act like a spring and you will loose the feel of the tip interacting with
the pins. The shape of the tip determines how easily the pick passes
over the pins and what kind of feedback you get from each pin.
The design of a tip is a compromise between ease of insertion, ease
of withdrawal and feel of the interaction. The half diamond tip with
shallow angles is easy to insert and remove, so you can apply pressure
when the pick is moving in either direction. It can quickly pick a lock
that has little variation in the lengths of the key pins. If the lock requires
a key that has a deep cut between two shallow cuts, the pick may not
be able to push the middle pin down far enough. The half diamond
pick with steep angles could deal with such a lock, and in general steep
angles give you better feedback about the pins. Unfortunately, the steep
angles make it harder to move the pick in the lock. A tip that has a
shallow front angle and a steep back angle works well for Yale locks.
The half round tip works well in disk tumbler locks. See section
9.13. The full diamond and full round 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, but the pressure can only be applied as the
pick is withdrawn. The rake tip allows you to carefully feel each pin and

39
apply varying amounts of pressure. Some rake tips are flat or dented
on the top to makes it easier to align the pick on the pin. The primary
benefit of picking pins one at a time is that you avoid scratching the
pins. Scrubbing scratches the tips of the pins and the keyway, and it
spreads metal dust 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 more action than a regular
pick. The snake tip is particularly good at opening five pin household
locks. When a snake tip is used for picking, it can set two or three pins
at once. Basically, the snake pick acts like a segment of a key which
can be adjusted by lifting and lowering the tip, by tilting it back and
forth, and by using either to 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 picking 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 bristles have the right thickness and width, and
they are easy to grind into the desired shape. The resulting tools 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 works fine as does a steel wool cleaning pad (not
copper wool). If the edges or tip of the bristle are worn down, 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 of an inch long and the handle varies
from 2 to 4 inches long. The head and the handle are separated by a
bend that is about 80 degrees. The head must be long enough to reach
over any protrusions (such as a grip-proof collar) and firmly engage
the plug. A long handle allows delicate control over the torque, but if
it is too long, it will bump against the doorframe. The handle, head
and bend angle can be made quite small if you want to make tools
that are easy to conceal (e.g., in a pen, flashlight, or belt buckle). Some
torque wrenches have a 90 degree twist in the handle. The twist makes
40
it easy to control the torque by controlling how far the handle has
been deflected from its rest position. The handle acts as a spring which
sets the torque. The disadvantage of this method of setting the torque
is that you get less feedback about the rotation of the plug. To pick
difficult locks you will need to learn how to apply a steady 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 narrow keyways (e.g., desk
locks) need torque wrenches with narrow heads. Before bending the
bristle, file the head to the desired width. A general purpose wrench
can be made by narrowing the tip (about 1/4 inch) of the head. The
tip fits small keyways while the rest of the head is wide enough to
grab a normal keyway.

Figure A.1: Selection of pick shapes

41
 The hard part of making a torque wrench is bending the bristle
without cracking it. To make the 90 degree handle twist, clamp the
head of the bristle (about one inch) in a vise and use pliers to grasp the
bristle about 3/8 of an inch above the vise. You can use another pair of
pliers instead of a vise. Apply a 45 degree twist. Try to keep the axis of
the twist lined up with the axis of the bristle. Now move the pliers back
another 3/8 inch and apply the remaining 45 degrees. You will need to
twist the bristle more 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 is still in the vise). Place the shank of
a screw driver against the bristle and bend the spring steel around it
about 90 degrees. This should set a permanent 80 degree bend in the
metal. Try to keep the axis of the bend perpendicular to the handle.
The screwdriver shank ensures that the radius of curvature will not be
too small. Any rounded object will work (e.g., drill bit, needle nose
pliers, or a pen cap). If you have trouble with this method, try grasping
the bristle with two pliers separated by about 1/2 inch and 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 how make smooth cuts with a grinding
wheel, but it takes less time to practice and make two or three picks
than it does to hand file a single pick. The first step is to cut the front
angle of the pick. Use the front of the wheel to do this. Hold the bristle
at 45 degrees to the wheel and move the bristle side 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 should grind away the colored portion. Next,
cut the back angle of the tip using the corner of the wheel. Usually one
corner is sharper than the other, and you should use that one. Hold
the pick at the desired angle and slowly push it into the corner of the
wheel. The side of the stone should cut the back angle. Be sure that
the tip of the pick is supported. If the grinding wheel stage is not close
enough to the wheel to support the tip, use needle nose pliers to hold
the tip. The cut should should pass though about 2/3 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 vise and
bending it sharply.

42
 The corner of the wheel is also used to grind the tang of the pick.
Put a scratch mark to indicate how far back the tang should go. The
tang should be long enough to allow the tip to pass over the back pin
of a seven pin lock. Cut the tang by making several smooth passes over
the corner. Each pass starts at the tip and moves to the scratch mark.
Try to remove less than a 1/16th of an inch of metal with each pass. I
use two fingers to hold the bristle on the stage at the proper angle while
my other hand pushes the handle of the pick to move the tang along
the corner. Use whatever technique works best for you.
Use a hand file to finish the pick. It should feel smooth if you run
a finger nail over it. Any roughness 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 wires from a length of cable and push
it over the pick. If the sheath won’t stay in place, you can put some
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 nails and bicycle spokes. These materials are easily
accessible and when they are heat treated, they will be stronger than
tools made from bristles.

Figure A.2: Torque wrenches

43
 A strong torque wrench can be constructed from an 8-penny nail
(about .1 inch diameter). First heat up the point with a propane torch
until it glows red, slowly remove it from the flame, and let it air cool;
this softens it. The burner of a gas stove can be used instead of a torch.
Grind it down into the shape of a skinny screwdriver blade and bend it
to about 80 degrees. The bend should be less than a right angle because
some lock faces are recessed behind a plate (called an escutcheon) and
you want the head of the wrench to be able to reach about half an inch
into the plug. Temper (harden) the torque wrench by heating to bright
orange and dunking it into ice water. You will wind up with a virtually
indestructible 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 sides of the business end flat such that it’s strong in
the vertical and flexy in the horizontal direction. Try a right-angle hunk
about an inch long for a handle. For smaller picks, which you need for
those really tiny keyways, find any large-diameter spring and unbend
it. If you’re careful you don’t have to play any metallurgical games.

A.4 Brick Strap

For perfectly serviceable key blanks that you can’t otherwise find
at the store, use the metal strap they wrap around bricks for shipping.
It’s wonderfully handy stuff for just about anything you want to
manufacture. To get around side wards in the keyway, you can bend the
strap lengthwise by clamping it in 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 recommended tool for milling brick strap.

44
Appendix B: Legal Issues
Contrary to widespread myth, it is not a felony to possess
lockpicks. Each state has its own laws with respect to such burglarious
instruments. Here is the Massachusetts version quoted in entirety from
the massachusetts general code:
Chapter 266 (crimes against property)
Section 49. Burglarious instruments; making; possession; use.

Whoever makes or mends, or begins to make or mend, or

knowingly has in his possession, an engine, machine, tool
or implement adapted and designed for cutting through,
forcing or breaking open a building, room, vault, safe or other
depository, IN ORDER TO STEAL THEREFROM money or
other property, or to commit any other crime, knowing the
same to be adapted and designed for the purpose aforesaid,
WITH INTENT TO USE OR EMPLOY OR ALLOW the
same to be used or employed for such purpose, or whoever
knowingly has in his possession a master key designed to fit
more than one motor vehicle, WITH INTENT, TO USE
OR EMPLOY THE SAME to steal a motor vehicle or other
property therefrom, shall be punished by imprisonment in the
state prison for not more than ten years or by a fine of not
more than one thousand dollars and imprisonment in jail for
not more than two and one half years.
Emphasis added.
In other words, mere possession means nothing. If they stop you
for speeding or some- thing, and find a pick set, they can’t do much.
On the other hand, if they catch you picking the lock on a Monec
machine they get to draw and quarter you.
45
 States with similar wording include ME, NH, NY. One place that
DOES NOT have similar wording, and does make possession illegal,
is Washington, DC. These are the only other places I have checked. I
would imagine that most states are similar to Massachusetts, but I would
not bet anything substantial (say, more than a slice of pizza) on it.
It may be a good idea to carry around a xeroxed copy of the
appropriate page from your state’s criminal code.

46
This zine was designed and published independently by the
Counterflow Collective without relation to the original author
or prior publsihers. For more print publications, please visit
counterflow.noblogs.org

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

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.

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