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Identifying Set Pins
While you are
picking a lock, try to
identify which pins are
set. You can tell a
pin is set because it will have a slight
give. That is, the pin can be
pushed down a short
distance with
slight pressure, but it becomes hard to move after that
distance (see
chapter 6 for an explanation). When you
remove the light
pressure, the pin springs
back up slightly. Set pins also
rattle if you
flick them with the pick. Try
listening for that
sound.
Run the
pick over the pins and try to
decide whether the set pins are in the front or back of the lock (or both). Try
identifying exactly which
pins are
set. Remember that pin one is the
frontmost pin (i.e., the pin that a
key touches first). The most
important skill of lock picking is the
ability to
recognize correctly set pins. This
exercise will teach you that skill.
Try repeating this
exercise with the
plug turning in the other
direction. If the
front pins set when the
plug is turned one way, the back pins will set when the
plug is turned the other way.
One way to
verify how many
pins are set is to release the torque, and count the clicks as the pins
snap back to their
initial position. Try this. Try to
notice the difference in sound between the
snap of a
single pin and the snap of two pins at once. A pin that has been
false set will also make a
snapping sound.
Try this
excercise with different amounts of
torque and
pressure. You should notice that a larger torque requires a
larger pressure to make pins set correctly. If the pressure is too
high, the pins will be
jammed into the
hull and stay there.