# Lock Picking: Going To Give It A Go.



## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

My eyes have been opened to a whole new hobby.... :biggrin: . The story so far...

We moved into an 18C cottage in July of this year and it came with a large oak framed outbuilding that was built in the late 1990s. The doors on this outbuilding are secured with a conventional hasp and staple plus padlock:










Since moving in, I've wanted to beef up the security a bit on these doors. The current set-up looked like a pair of good quality bolt croppers could snip through both hasp and/or padlock with ease or a crowbar could get behind it and lever it off (no coach bolts). Before anyone mentions angle grinders...I know...they can grind through anything but unless someone has invented a silent angle grinder, someone is going to hear that and, at the end of the day, if someone is determined to get in, they'll just break a window and go in that way. I should mention that this building is included in the house alarm system, so has both door entry and PIR alarms.

Back to story...

I looked at all sorts of lock types including Yale night latch type, 5 lever mortice locks, dead bolts, combination door entry type etc etc. The doors are much better than shed doors but still only 20mm thick and I wan't going to change them, so in the end, I decided to stick with a much better shrouded hasp from Squire which is made from 6mm hardened steel.










I also beefed up the support for the coach bolts on the inside:










But what padlock to use? Initially, I was going to use a Squire 50mm Closed Shackle SS50CS; I like Squire stuff and this has a security rating of CEN 4 which is pretty good. Quite pricey at approx £50:










But before buying, I made the mistake of searching Google to see how secure this padlock really was....and that's when the trouble started :laugh: . I stumbled across this video:






I was both disappointed and fascinated! Of course, the picking in the video is in almost laboratory conditions; in the real world and in my set-up, you'd need to do that from below.

More Googleing to find an unpickable padlock...and I kept seeing references to "Bosnian Bill" (you couldn't make this up :laugh: ) and phrases like "If Bosnian Bill can't pick it, it's a good un!". I eventually find Bosnian Bill's YouTube channel and I've been there ever since.. :bash:

Which padlock did I go for? An Abloy 342 because they really do seem to be very hard to pick, if not impossible. They have many rotating discs rather than pins --- go read about them!










But having watched many of Bosnian Bill's videos, I want to have a go :yes: ! Did you know you can buy a transparent training padlock so you can see what you're doing:










Hope you haven't got any padlocks made by Master --- watch Bosnian Bill pick that with nothing more than a thin plastic cable tie.

And the best place to buy picks, bump keys etc is.....UK Bump Keys, so today I ordered a set of Dangerfield Bogota Lock Picks for the grand sum of £10 --- if they arrive tomorrow, I've got a couple of old Yale padlocks to have a go on....


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## Karrusel (Aug 13, 2016)

Silver Hawk said:


> My eyes have been opened to a whole new hobby.... :biggrin: . The story so far...
> 
> We moved into an 18C cottage in July of this year and it came with a large oak framed outbuilding that was built in the late 1990s. The doors on this outbuilding are secured with a conventional hasp and staple plus padlock:
> 
> ...


 Hmm, more nocturnal activity in your neck 'o' woods I fear? artytime:

P.S. you'll be able to let yourself in when you've upset her indoors. :laugh:


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

Bit of a coincidence this thread appearing just after we've all given away our home locations on Roy's forum map..... 

:laughing2dw:


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## deano1956 (Jan 27, 2016)

I had a good lock on my shed doors, the thief's never undid it, picked it , cut it !! they got in ! nicked a bike

HOW ? they took the screws out of the hinges and the doors folded back !! :laugh: :laugh: , now all the screw heads have filler in them so they cant be unscrewed!

deano


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Davey P said:


> Bit of a coincidence this thread appearing just after we've all given away our home locations on Roy's forum map.....
> 
> :laughing2dw:


 Sorry about that...it wasn't deliberate. I was actually quite shocked that lock picking forums existed.....


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## graham1981 (Jan 1, 2016)

deano1956 said:


> I had a good lock on my shed doors, the thief's never undid it, picked it , cut it !! they got in ! nicked a bike
> 
> HOW ? they took the screws out of the hinges and the doors folded back !! :laugh: :laugh: , now all the screw heads have filler in them so they cant be unscrewed!
> 
> deano


 Just what I was going to mention! In the past I have had to get into customers sheds by doing this when they have lost their keys. The problem with sheds is they are inherently not secure, if you don't get in by the doors you can usually pop out a window or even remove some of the panelling (particularly from the back as this is usually out of sight of the house).

To beef up security on mine have gone for the less obvious as I don't want the thieves to know there is security until they trip it - so I have a PIR alarm that isn't easy to see so when it goes off they cant just smash it and I have CCTV that is inaccessible so they can not spray it or smash it - and even if they do it's to late because their image has been recorded :laugh:

And the last defence is a 12 bore :laugh: *

* Only joking about the 12 bore - or am I :wicked:


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## BlueKnight (Oct 29, 2009)

I don't lock my shed......he he he...


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## Damo516 (Nov 9, 2015)

Funny you mention this as I hinted at Xmas as Amazon had a few practice locks with explanations etc of it works - quite intriguing


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

BlueKnight said:


> I don't lock my shed......he he he...


 This is beyond a doubt the best deterrent.

It would be most irresponsible for me to say how, but the most secure of motorcycle shackles/padlocks etc, can be "disabled" quickly without the aid of any picks etc. There is a misconception that thieves are dumb, they are not. They just use their intellect in different ways.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

I was never much good with a tension wrench and rake, but I was a demon with a pry bar. :biggrin:

The majority of padlocks in use give up right away if you treat them like you mean it. A portable oxy-acetylene torch will open most things rather rapidly. In North America you can't purchase true high security door locks anymore because law enforcement agencies were finding it took too long to smash open doors during raids.

There was a class of digital locks for secure facilities that had no work-a-round option. They could be powered up from the keypad but couldn't be reset or mechanically opened. A friend of mine installed one at a large law firm on their secure server room. He filled the door cavities with hardened steel ball bearings, used recessed hardened hinges and special one-way bolts. He set the code in front of the senior partner and told him to write it down and put it in a secure place because there was no way to reset the lock short of drilling it out. Three months later the firm had a server crisis and nobody knew the door code, the senior partner lost the code. Several expensive hours of drilling later the senior partner decided a regular door lock would be fine. :laugh:

Later,
William


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

BlueKnight said:


> I don't lock my shed......he he he...





WRENCH said:


> This is beyond a doubt the best deterrent.


 You'd like to think so but in my case they actually stole the dog as well. Google dog theft it was happening all over around where I stayed. The plod who turned up to take the details told me it was I was about the 20th that month already.

:huh:

Back on topic I got my house keys stolen and a locksmith turned up, opened and changed every lock in the place with shocking ease.


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## BlueKnight (Oct 29, 2009)

BondandBigM said:


> You'd like to think so but in my case they actually stole the dog as well. :huh:
> 
> Bahahaha...That sucks...I'm not going to ask you what breed you had. :tongue: .


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

English Bull Terrier aka psyco dog. It was the canine version of completely deranged psyco. It's favourite toy was a dining room chair which it used to mully around the room by the leg. They have a bit of a reputation for being wired up the wrong way.

:laugh: :laugh:

Not my actual dog










But as the plod pointed out even back then worth a few quid. These days in the UK puppies with a decent traceable pedigree go for silly money.


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## BlueKnight (Oct 29, 2009)

BondandBigM said:


> English Bull Terrier aka psycho dog.


 Love that breed. General Patton had one. The look changed somewhat, especially the head shape, since its introduction at the AKC/CKC in 1915.


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

BondandBigM said:


> English Bull Terrier aka psyco dog. It was the canine version of completely deranged psyco. It's favourite toy was a dining room chair which it used to mully around the room by the leg. They have a bit of a reputation for being wired up the wrong way.
> 
> :laugh: :laugh:
> 
> ...


 My mate has one, and it truly is the most docile dog I have ever encountered, I love it. It's only disturbing trait is, instead of fetch the stick, it plays fetch the fence post. :laughing2dw:


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

WRENCH said:


> My mate has one, and it truly is the most docile dog I have ever encountered, I love it. It's only disturbing trait is, instead of fetch the stick, it plays fetch the fence post. :laughing2dw:


 Here's another lad that I saved from a rescue centre, he was a cross but still had a screw loose and had been returned a few times by people who couldn't cope with him.

He just went at 100mph 24 hours a day.

:laugh: :laugh:


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

I always thought they lived up to their devil dog reputation, until my mate had three, all rescue dogs with a reputation, but he always successfully managed to get them calmed down. The fence post fetching one was always my "specal " friend the minute I appeared at the house.


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## BlueKnight (Oct 29, 2009)

William_Wilson said:


> In North America you can't purchase true high security door locks anymore because law enforcement agencies were finding it took too long to smash open doors during raids.Later,
> William


 We didn't care about the lock because we always carried the "BIG KEY". On occasion, the BIG KEY was attached at the end of a mega ton armored ram on wheels or tracks.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

WRENCH said:


> I always thought they lived up to their devil dog reputation, until my mate had three, all rescue dogs with a reputation, but he always successfully managed to get them calmed down. The fence post fetching one was always my "specal " friend the minute I appeared at the house.


 Partly the problem is that they are like a lot of other breeds too closely bred and line bred to keep the looks. To me KC malarky should be outlawed.

Can you still marry your cousin in Scotland sort of thing, never going to end well.

:laugh: :laugh:


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

BlueKnight said:


> We didn't care about the lock because we always carried the "BIG KEY". On occasion, the BIG KEY was attached at the end of a mega ton armored ram on wheels or tracks.


 The problem was in the U.S. with gun nuts, kiddie porn distributers and residential labs. Agencies couldn't pop the reinforced doors quickly enough to establish immediate control.

Later,
William


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## BlueKnight (Oct 29, 2009)

William_Wilson said:


> The problem was in the U.S. with gun nuts, kiddie porn distributers and residential labs. Agencies couldn't pop the reinforced doors quick enough to establish immediate control.
> 
> Later,
> William


 You don't do a breach without proper intel. Trust me on this, if the door was deemed 'armored' ( Many club houses had them) we took the adjacent brick wall out. It's all about immediate control. Flash-bangs and CS gas were also part of the party. So to say that agencies aren't quick enough to control the situation is purely uninformed armchair quarterbacking.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

WRENCH said:


> I always thought they lived up to their devil dog reputation, until my mate had three, all rescue dogs with a reputation, but he always successfully managed to get them calmed down. The fence post fetching one was always my "specal " friend the minute I appeared at the house.


 Partly the problem is that they are like a lot of other breeds too closely bred and line bred to keep the looks. To me KC malarky should be outlawed.

Can you still marry your cousin in Scotland sort of thing, never going to end well.

:laugh: :laugh:


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## WRENCH (Jun 20, 2016)

BondandBigM said:


> Can you still marry your cousin in Scotland sort of thing, never going to end well.
> 
> :laugh: :laugh:


 The Scottish "aristocracy" are that well/inbred that they're " ah wrang"


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Only just seen this...I have used lock picks quite a lot in my job....opening various locks from car and tractor doors, filing cabinets, and sometimes, tenants doors if they've lost their key, and we can't locate a spare. I leant how to do this because it's expensive calling out a locksmith, who usually drill the locks out anyway. Yales and euro cylinders are the most difficult to pick, but I got hold of a couple and just kept practicing until I could open a euro in a few seconds. I've only ever used a snake rake or a diamond pick, and the most useful tip I could give if you want to have a go is not to put too much pressure on the tension wrench....this will actually stop the pins moving. All you need to do is rest your finger lightly on it while raking back and forth.

Tension wrench, snake rake and diamond pick.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Roger the Dodger said:


> Only just seen this...I have used lock picks quite a lot in my job....opening various locks from car and tractor doors, filing cabinets, and sometimes, tenants doors if they've lost their key, and we can't locate a spare. I leant how to do this because it's expensive calling out a locksmith, who usually drill the locks out anyway. Yales and euro cylinders are the most difficult to pick, but I got hold of a couple and just kept practicing until I could open a euro in a few seconds. I've only ever used a snake rake or a diamond pick, and the most useful tip I could give if you want to have a go is not to put too much pressure on the tension wrench....this will actually stop the pins moving. All you need to do is rest your finger lightly on it while raking back and forth.
> 
> Tension wrench, snake rake and diamond pick.


 I ended up ordering the Dangerfield Bogota Pick Set from UK Bump Keys...and picked this Squire 6-pin padlock fairly easily, but knowing the shape of the keys certainly helped me:


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