Lockpicking

Tools

ItemNamePrice

Mortise Cylinder

6 Pin "Pin Your Own" Lock Cylinder. Kwikset Keyway Includes Pins Springs and Kit

$32.52

Vise

BESSEY BV-VB Vacuum Base Vise

$33.79

Tweezers

Pinning Tweezers (Sparrows)

$11.00*

Mats

Mini Pinning Mats (Sparrows)

$7.99*

Picks

MOKI-SET Reverend + MOKI Zipper Bag + MOKI Quad Peak Rake 0,5mm + MOKI Handle Black (7)

$144.30

Total

$238.20

*Bought together, and total price = $27.61

Locks Picked

Lockr/lockpicking BeltDesignPrice (USD $)

Master Lock 140D

Yellow

Pin-tumbler

8-10

Master Lock 1

White

Pin-tumbler

15

Notes (taken from Sources)

Terms

Plug

The plug is a cylinder which can rotate when the proper key is fully inserted. this is where the key goes. There is a cam or tailpiece attached to the back of the plug which, when rotated, is what actually throws the bolt or retracts the latch and opens the lock.

Shell

The main body of the lock, in which the plug sits.

Keyway

Where the key is inserted into the plug.

Hull

Non-rotating part of the lock

Wards

Protrusions on the side of the keyway. Wards restrict the set of keys that can be inserted into the plug

Shear line

The point where the plug and shell separate is called the shear line.

Pin Chambers

The series of chambers which are drilled through the shell and into the plug, which is where the pins live. Not a component as such, but the relation between the pins and their respective chambers is very important.

Key pins

The pins which come into contact with the key. These are all different lengths and always sit inside the plug, below the shear line. Their lengths correspond to the cuts on the key. The deeper the cut, the longer the key pin and the less it needs to be lifted in order to shear.

Driver pins

The pins which, in the locked position, block the shear line and prevent the plug from turning. Typically these are all identical in length, although higher quality locks generally contain different lengths of drivers. This isn't random, they're longer or shorter depending on the length of their corresponding key pin. The purpose of which is to make the pin stacks equal lengths, in order to prevent decoding/over-lifting attacks. Balanced drivers have no effect on picking.

Binding order

Order of "widest" to "skinniest" driver pins. This is important since it tells you what order of pins to pick in. This goes widest to skinniest, as the wide pins would stop the plug from turning. Pushing the widest driver pin, then leads us to go to the next widest and so on. This is the binding order. Binding locks are different for each lock, even for identical locks.

Springs

To keep everything from rattling around like a skeleton interfering with itself.

Tolerance

  • Tolerance and the binding defect - refers to the idea that that all the parts have different dimensions allow us to manipulate the pins individually. When we try to turn, the biggest pin would hit the side being the binding the pin.

  • Once the key pin is lifter above the shear line, the following happens:

    • The rotation of the plug will cause the pins to shear.

    • The next binding pin will stop the plug from rotating any further. In this case, it will be pin 1 since it's the next largest.

    • The slight rotation means the driver we just lifted is now resting on top of the plug.

Pin States

  1. At rest - the normal position before any picking takes place. The pins will be pushed down into the keyway and sit on top of a ward in the keyway.

  2. Set - driver resting above the plug, key pin inside, shear line clear.

  3. Overset - key pin is lifted too high and blocking plug rotation.

  4. Under set - driver pin still blocking plug rotation. Not lifted high enough.

  5. False set - an under set pin which gives the impression of being set, or has trapped the plug in an exaggerated rotation.

Sources

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