Locksmith Tools: The Pick

There are two basic locksmith tools--the pick and the tension wrench. The pick is a long, thin piece of metal that curves up at the end. It is inserted into the lock to push up the pins. Picks come in several shapes and sizes. Believe it or not, picks can be made of such scavenged items as bicycle spokes or street cleaner bristles!

The half diamond tip with shallow angles is easy to insert and remove. The full diamond tip is good for locks that have pins at the top and bottom of the keyway. The rake tip is used for picking each pin one at a time. The advantage of this technique is you do not scratch the pins. Scrubbing, in which you scrub the pick back and forth across the pins, scratches the pins and leaves metal dust in the lock. The skilled locksmith can easily decide which lock picking techniques to use in different situations.

The Tension Wrench

Like the pick, tension wrenches come in all shapes and sizes. They are very simple locksmith tools used to apply torque while the pick applies pressure. In fact, a thin flathead screwdriver makes a fine tension wrench. The delicate play between the use of the pick and the tension wrench determines success at opening a lock.

Locksmith tools are simple. Locksmithing is not. Acute hearing is necessary to hear the action of the pins. An exquisite sense of touch allows the locksmith to feel the movement of the lock mechanism. As a locksmith registers the sounds and the movements, these are translated into mental images of the internal workings of the lock. To adjust the torque of the wrench while the pick is moving over the pins is a skill that takes considerable practice.