Chapter 3 - Beginner Training—How to Get Very Good, Very Fast

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the basic types of equipment that are particularly helpful when starting out with a study of lockpicking and presents information on the process by which this equipment can be serviced and reconfigured. There are a number of vendors, both online and at security conferences, who offer items of lock equipment, which are, designated as some form of training aids. Some of the most popular items are: cutaway locks, weakened locks, and progressive locks. Cutaway locks are very popular sales items offered by most outfits that sell lockpicking supplies. A cutaway is a lock that has had material milled away in such a way as to reveal the inner workings of the lock and make them visually observable, often from a side view angle. One can use the field stripping skills to build pinned practice locks, or one can also avail the training supplies that are commercially available. Once having such suitable locks and a stable mounting surface, one can try the following exercises: inserting and moving the pick, feeling the spring, and setting a single pin stack.