MIT Guide to Lock Picking

Ted the Tool

September 1, 1991

1
Distribution

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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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 9

5 The Pin Column Model 11

6 Basic Scrubbing 17

7 Advanced Lock Picking 21

7.1 Mechanical Skills ....................................................................................................................... 21
7.2 Zen and the Art of Lock Picking ................................................................................................ 21
7.3 Analytic Thinking ...................................................................................................................... 22

8 Exercises 23
8.1 Exercise 1: Bouncing the pick .................................................................................................... 23
8.2 Exercise 2: Picking pressure....................................................................................................... 24
8.3 Exercise 3: Picking Torque ........................................................................................................ 24
8.4 Exercise 4: Identifying Set Pins ................................................................................................. 25
8.5 Exercise 5: Projection ................................................................................................................ 25

9 Recognizing and Exploiting Personality Traits 27

9.1 Which Way To Turn................................................................................................................... 27
9.2 How Far to Turn ......................................................................................................................... 29
9.3 Gravity ....................................................................................................................................... 29
9.4 Pins Not Setting ......................................................................................................................... 29
9.5 Elastic Deformation .................................................................................................................... 29
9.6 Loose Plug ................................................................................................................................. 30

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 9.7 Pin Diameter .............................................................................................................................. 32
9.8 Beveled Holes and Rounded pins ............................................................................................. 32
9.9 Mushroom Driver Pins ............................................................................................................... 34
9.10 Master Keys ............................................................................................................................... 36
9.11 Driver or Spacer Enters Keyway ............................................................................................... 38
9.12 Vibration Picking....................................................................................................................... 39
9.13 Disk Tumblers ........................................................................................................................... 40

10 Final Remarks 42

A Tools 43
A.l Pick Shapes ................................................................................................................................ 43
A.2 Street cleaner bristles ................................................................................................................. 44
A.3 Bicycle spokes ........................................................................................................................... 46
A.4 Brick Strap ................................................................................................................................. 47

B Legal Issues 48

4
Chapter 2

It’s Easy

The big secret of lock picking is that ifs 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.

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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 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.

6
 Grove for Side Ward

Driver Pin
Sheer Line ______

Pin One -------------- Key Pin —

tumbler locks

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Chapter 3

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 "flatlaiid” 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 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.

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 Spring

Chapter 4
Top Plate

Bottom Plate

Figure 3.1: Flatland model of a lock

-rj

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

9
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.

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.

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Chapter 4

Figure 4.1: (a) Sheer force causes driver to bind

Sheer Force

Pick

Figure 4.2: (b) Pick lifts the binding pin

Plate Moves

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

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Chapter 5

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 pincolumn 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 ,,feeF, 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.
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

12
 Figure 5.1: The pin-column model

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.

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14
15
16
Pressure

Figure 5.5: Pressure required to move pins

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Chapter 6

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 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

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 Figure 6.1: Driver pin catches on plug

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.

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Back Front

Center
Line

Center
Line

Center
Line

Figure 6.2: Alignment of plug holes

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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.

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 that requires

21
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.

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

22
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. Ifs the
torque wrench that opens the lock.
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.

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Chapter 8

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 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;

24
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.
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 demonstrates 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 sufficient to hold them there.
The range of picking torque can be found by gradually increasing the torque while scrubbing 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. Keeping 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

25
minimum 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 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".
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.

26
Chapter 9

Recognizing and 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 (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 directions. 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.

27
 Door Doorframe

Mortise
Cylinder

Bolt

/
/
/
Doorframe / Door Master plug

Mortise
Cylinder

Bolt

Room plug

Figure 9.1: Direction to turn plug

28
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 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 Defbrmation

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

29
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.
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.

30
 Figure 9.2: Driver pin false set by elastic deformation
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

31
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 and 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.
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

32
33
Pressure

Figure 9.3: Driver pin wider than key pin

34
 Figure 9.4: Beveled plug holes and rounded key pins

can slide and 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 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).
If you pick a lock and the plug stops turning after a few degrees and none of the pins

35
 Figure 9.6: (b) Driver jams on bevel
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.
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

36
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. It is

37
Driver lip

Mushroom Spool Serra ted

Driver Driver Driver

Figure 9.7: Mushroom, spool, and serrated driver pins

38
 Figure 9.8: Spacer pins for master keying

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

39
 Figure 9.9: Spacer or driver can enter keyway

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.

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.

40
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.l). You may also need a torque wrench with a
narrower head. Use moderate to heavy torque.

41
 Side View

Plug

Hull

Side View

Top view of plug Disk t umblers for differe nt key cut dep ths

Figure 9.10: Workings of a disk tumbler lock

42
Chapter 10

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.

43
Appendix A

Tools

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

A.l Pick Shapes

Picks come in several shapes and sizes. Figure A.l 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
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

44
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 bristies

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 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.
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

45
 Front
Angle

Half Diamond
Shallow Angles

Half Diamond
Steep Angles

Half Round

Full Round

Full Diamond

Rake

Snake

Figure A.l: Selection of pick shapes

46
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.
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 l/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.
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

47
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 ifs 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 key way s, 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.

48
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 something, and find a pick set, they
can't do much. On the other hand, if they catch you picking the lock on a Monee machine they get to draw and quarter you.
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.