Lock-picking

cmhbob · Dec 8, 2014

Once a lock has been picked/raked with a pick gun, is the lock still functional? Or would a person be justified in replacing that lock? I'm thinking of a typical household front door tumbler lock that was picked by a semi-professional.

King Neptune · Dec 8, 2014

Picking a lock does not damage the lock; it simply opens it. Jimmying a lockusually means breaking it.

Old Hack · Dec 8, 2014

My son picks locks for fun.

Different sorts of locks require different tools and different skills. It's very easy to do, once you know what you're doing and have the right tools and it leaves no obvious marks as far as I can see. But the padlocks he practised on are now a bit wobbly and loose, although they still work.

cornflake · Dec 8, 2014

cmhbob said:
Once a lock has been picked/raked with a pick gun, is the lock still functional? Or would a person be justified in replacing that lock? I'm thinking of a typical household front door tumbler lock that was picked by a semi-professional.

I'm completely not a professional, and have never had more tools than the standard purloined bobby pin type, but I learned to pick simple locks as a kid (a case, an interior door, a locker lock, etc.) and the keys still worked.

Old Hack · Dec 8, 2014

To add: what's a "pick gun"? My son has a wallet full of various lock picks, which are narrow metal tools of varying width, angle and profile. He uses one L-shaped piece to hold part of the lock open while using another less-regular piece to click open the tumblers, one-by-one. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube etc.

cmhbob · Dec 8, 2014

AKA a snap gun: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap_gun

stephenf · Dec 8, 2014

Snap guns don't work on modern locks . The lock makers have developed security pins, that jam the lock when someone uses a snap gun. Bumb keys work in the same way as the snap guns and are also defeated by sacurity pins found even in basic locks . Most locks can be picked , with no damage to the lock. But the most common way to open a lock is to drill it.

Old Hack · Dec 8, 2014

cmhbob said:
Once a lock has been picked/raked with a pick gun, is the lock still functional? Or would a person be justified in replacing that lock? I'm thinking of a typical household front door tumbler lock that was picked by a semi-professional.

I think you've just answered your own question.

cmhbob said:
AKA a snap gun: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap_gun

On the page you linked to above, I found this:

A correctly applied snap gun can open a lock very quickly compared to traditional lock picking, but the sharp impact is more likely to damage the lock mechanism than raking, which mimics normal key movements.

MttStrn · Dec 9, 2014

So if it happened just once and that person was a professional, probably not. All picking will put a little wear on a lock and could damage it but it will be much less if someone knows what they are doing.

WeaselFire · Dec 14, 2014

stephenf said:
But the most common way to open a lock is to drill it.

The most common way to open a lock is a key or combination...

The most common way to bypass a lock is to go in through the window.

What does the OP need for the story? If you need it to still function, you're good. If you need it to break or jam and need replacing, write it that way.

Jeff

cmhbob · Dec 14, 2014

I'm writing with the insurance company paying for a new lock and emergency locksmith callout.

Cyia · Dec 14, 2014

Most break-ins don't bother with the lock at all. Opening the lock disengages the contact plates in a house with a security system, setting off the alarm.

Shatter the jamb. Put a crowbar into the jab and break the wood itself. The door swings open, lock still in place and alarm not going off, unless the wrong piece of wood comes off.

It takes seconds.

Graz · Dec 14, 2014

I've drilled out locks. Start with a small bit, less than 1/8th, then move to slightly bigger. Pierce lock w/both at the small dimple. lock of course is damaged

Casey Karp · Dec 15, 2014

Cyia said:
Most break-ins don't bother with the lock at all. Opening the lock disengages the contact plates in a house with a security system, setting off the alarm.

Shatter the jamb. Put a crowbar into the jab and break the wood itself. The door swings open, lock still in place and alarm not going off, unless the wrong piece of wood comes off.

It takes seconds.

Gonna disagree with you there, Cyia. Many security systems put one plate in the door and the other in the jamb, so the alarm goes off when the door is opened, regardless of the state of the lock.

That said, I agree about the speed and facility of smashing the door open. I'm on my third front door...

stephenf · Dec 15, 2014

WeaselFire said:
The most common way to open a lock is a key or combination...

Jeff

Yes.. I forgot about keys.

stephenf · Dec 15, 2014

cmhbob said:
I'm writing with the insurance company paying for a new lock and emergency locksmith callout.

Most locksmiths will Dill locks . You can get drill bits that will easily dill into locks . The cost of drilling and replacing the cylinder on lock will be probably cheaper and defiantly quicker than picking it open.

CindyGirl · Mar 20, 2016

OK, so it's easy enough to pick a lock, but can the picker, relock the door when he is done? My MC, picks a lock, rummages about a storeroom, then closes the door and relocks it so no one becomes suspicious. (There is no locking mechanism on the inside.) Can this happen? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Cyia · Mar 20, 2016

If you bump a lock, it usually doesn't damage it. Other means can be more invasive and ruin the mechanism. It's a fairly simple process to learn. All you need is a blank key of the same class as the one made to fit the lock.

Also, many storerooms are vulnerable to the credit-card-slip.

(And in regards to this, which I missed two years ago)

Gonna disagree with you there, Cyia. Many security systems put one plate in the door and the other in the jamb, so the alarm goes off when the door is opened, regardless of the state of the lock.

The door doesn't "open." It stays attached to the part of the jamb that's broken off from the frame so the two plates never break contact.

CindyGirl · Mar 20, 2016

Cyia said:
If you bump a lock, it usually doesn't damage it. Other means can be more invasive and ruin the mechanism. It's a fairly simple process to learn. All you need is a blank key of the same class as the one made to fit the lock.

And if my MC doesn't have a blank key or access to one? Can he still relock the door? Sorry to be dumb about this...

Cyia · Mar 20, 2016

You need the blank to bump the lock. Your guy can get them from any hardware store where they make keys.

Fruitbat · Mar 20, 2016

Not sure if this helps but I used to pick the front door lock with my bus pass just by sliding it into the door crack. I don't know what a tumbler lock is. This was just the regular doorknob lock, not a deadbolt.

Bolero · Mar 24, 2016

Fruitbat said:
Not sure if this helps but I used to pick the front door lock with my bus pass just by sliding it into the door crack. I don't know what a tumbler lock is. This was just the regular doorknob lock, not a deadbolt.

Me neither. I was under the impression that you could use a bus pass on what I'd generically call a yale - the sort that need a key to open, but latch when you slam the door without you turning a key. The other sort of lock I'd call a mortice lock. Always have to turn a key.

Yale type - the "bolt" that comes out of the lock has a curved side on it.
Mortice - the "bolt" is rectangular.

Then there is the "eurocylinder" type lock - where you need a key to open and close it, but the key looks like a "yale" key not a mortice type key.

CindyGirl · Mar 24, 2016

There is so much more to this than I knew. I watched lock-picking videos on You Tube but none demonstrated re-locking. It may be rewrite time. Thanks everyone.

Lock-picking

cmhbob

Did...did I do that?

King Neptune

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

cornflake

practical experience, FTW

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

cmhbob

Did...did I do that?

stephenf

Old Hack

Such a nasty woman

MttStrn

Action is my reward..that and bacon

WeaselFire

Benefactor Member

cmhbob

Did...did I do that?

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

Graz

Casey Karp

stephenf

stephenf

CindyGirl

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

CindyGirl

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

Fruitbat

.

Bolero

CindyGirl