One-Off Challenge 3: Learn To Pick A Lock

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER! Don't try and break into shit you don't own!

This challenge is courtesy of...

Me!

 The challenge

Learn to pick a lock.  Why?  Well, if you've ever played any RPG on your games system of choice (or, indeed, a pen and paper RPG), you've undoubtedly encountered a lock picking mini-game. If you've read any amount of crime fiction, you've read about a character finessing their way into places they shouldn't be with just the aid of a few bits of metal.  As I've done a fair amount of both in my life, I've always wondered what's actually involved and just how hard it is. Thanks to the internet, lockpicks and some basic instruction are now just a simple Amazon Prime one-click order away.  Time to learn to pick locks!

Challenge accepted.

The Theory

The transparent practice lock, a pick and a tension wrench

(All this refers to Yale type locks. Deadbolts are a different kettle of fish.) Put at a needlessly reductionist level, lock picking works by exploiting the fact that nothing is made perfectly. Locks work by the middle bit rotating and turning the mechanism. In order to prevent you just turning it with any old thing, there are a number (usually 5 in good quality locks) of "pins" that sit in holes in the barrel of the lock (the turny bit). The pins are actually two bits of metal held in place by a spring. Because the pins are big enough that they stick out of the barrel into the other half of the lock, you can turn the barrel because the pins get stuck.  (A bit like you can't turn a bike wheel if you've got a stick stuck through your spokes.)  Maybe another picture would help...

The pins are the bits with springs on the top. You can see they're poking out the top of the barrel. I've pushed the middle pin up so you can see the split.

When you put your key in the lock, it moves the pins up a specific amount, just enough to line the splits in the pins with the joint between the barrel and the rest of the lock. This lets the barrel turn. If you push a pin too far, the bottom half of the pin gets stuck. If you don't push it far enough, the top half gets stuck.


When you pick a lock, you use the pick to move a single pin, while using the tension wrench to turn the barrel. The observant amongst you will  note that there are 4 other pins that won't be lined up correctly. This is where the lack of perfect manufacturing comes in. Due to flaws the making of the lock, the pins are not quite lined up with 100% accuracy, meaning that one pin will stick before the others.  This is the pin you push up first. If you press with just the right force on the tension wrench, the lock will turn a tiny amount, "setting" the pin in the right spot (i.e. moving slightly, so the top half is resting on the barrell) and then binding on the next pin.  You then repeat this process for each pin and presto! One open lock!

The practice

It's a fuck of a lot harder than this makes it sound.


There are two issues. One, you can't see what you're doing (except with the see through practice lock, obviously).  This makes it hard to be sure if you're actually pressing against the pin.  Two, it's really, really, really fucking hard to feel if you're pushing on the right pin. The difference between the pin that's binding versus a pin that's already set versus a pin that's not yet binding is minuscule bordering on non-existent.


So, how did I do?  Well, I can get through the practice lock fairly well now.  It takes me between a few seconds and a couple of minutes (depending on luck, as much as I can tell).  What I can't do is get through my front door lock.


I suppose I should be glad for that, on reflection.

Challenge (sort of) complete!

(ish)

Will I be doing it again?

Yes. I'm going to keep fiddling with the picks until I can get through a non-practice lock. If anyone has a key operated padlock they've lost the key for, I'll take it off your hands for some practice!

Long-term updates

French words "learned" (according to the memrise app):464.

Daily photos taken? Yes.

Swordfighting learnt: None this week, but my arm is feeling better.

I am currently reading: Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor.  Although I don't know if you can count this as "reading" anymore, given I've not picked it up for two weeks. Might just give up on this one.

"Cheat" days on food since last week: None.

"Cheat" days on exercise: Cooper is now allowed out, so at least I've been for a couple of walks.

Favourite drawing: Again, only one day of drawing this week, another character sketch, this time for Andy's WFRP campaign. 

Spare a pfennig, guv?

 Our visitors left mid-week this week, so hopefully I'll be back to better habits on my long term challenges next week.