#Single pin stack how to
#Single pin stack full
#Single pin stack series
#Single pin stack free

When picking a lock, we apply this turning force with a tool called a tension wrench. Normally we would apply this turning force with the key.

#Single pin stack how to

The first step learning how to pick locks is to place a slight turning force or torque on the plug. The pin stack that is the farthest out of line will bind if we attempt to turn the plug without a key. Because lock manufacturing machinery is not perfect, the pin stack holes that are drilled in the lock plug will not be perfectly along the centerline of the plug.ģ. To pick a lock we have to lift the pins to the shear line.Ģ. Let’s review the important points first.ġ. We’re now at the point where we’re ready to start picking a lock. If we attempt to turn the plug without first inserting the key, the pin stack that is the farthest from the center line will become jammed between the plug and housing before any of the other pins. The pin stack that is the farthest off-center will end up being the pin that does most of the work in preventing the plug from turning. Often the most off-center pin stack is the first or last pin stack in a cylinder but it can be any of the pin stacks in the lock. Again, these errors may be only a few thousandths of an inch and are too small to see with the eye but they are still large enough to make lock picking possible.īecause of these manufacturing tolerances, one pin stack will be farther from the plug’s true center line than all of the other pin stacks. The differences may only be a few thousandths of an inch but this is enough to make it possible to pick locks.Īs you can see from the exaggerated drawing above, every hole drilled in the plug is slightly to the left or right of the true center line. When the row of holes for pin stacks is drilled in the plug, each hole is slightly different from every other hole in the plug. The machinery that is used to mass produce lock cylinders is usually very accurate but small manufacturing variations still exist. Manufacturing tolerances and keeping the pins at the shear line. Thanks to tiny errors in lock manufacturing, this is not as difficult as it seems. The trick is to keep each pin at the shear line while we raise the next pin to the shear line. In order to pick a lock, we have to raise each of the pins to the shear line and turn the plug as if we had a key.

#Single pin stack free

With the pin breaks lined up at the shear line, the bottom pins are all in the plug and the top pins are all in the cylinder housing and the lock is free to turn. When the proper key is inserted, the cut side of the key lifts each pin stack so that the break between the bottom and top pin lines up exactly at the shear line. The pins pass through this shear line and “pin” the plug to the housing preventing it from turning. In fact, this is why a lock cylinder can’t turn without a key. The shear line is the imaginary line where the pins pass from the plug into the housing. Each pin stack (one stack of pins) contains a bottom pin, a top pin, and a spring (not shown) above the pins to press the pins down.Ī very important concept in learning to pick locks is known as the “shear line”.

#Single pin stack series

The first step in learning to pick locks is to understand how a lock works.Ī pin tumbler lock consists of a cylinder housing, the plug (the part you insert the key into) and a series of pins. Picking a lock is done by manipulating the locking mechanisms inside the lock.

Follow the directions below to learn how to pick locks. Remove all pins from your cylinder except the first two pin stacks closest to the key hole end of the cylinder.

#Single pin stack full

Attempting to pick a lock for the first time with full cylinder is possible but learning will progress much faster with fewer pins. After you have picked a one or two pin cylinder a few times you can quickly progress to more pin stacks. The easiest way to learn how to pick locks is to start with a lock that only has one or two pin stacks in the cylinder. Only through practice can you gain skill. Like driving a car or playing a sport, having the knowledge of how locks are picked is just the start. Learning how to pick locks is surprisingly easy.īecoming proficient at picking locks takes practice.