Tuesday, April 17, 2012

How to pick a lock--tips for your characters


My husband has all sorts of unique skills, including lock picking. When my main character needed to escape from a tricky place, I turned to my better half to teach me how to get her out. There are all kinds of ways to pick a lock, but today I'll focus on how to do it with bobby pins, a lock pick set, and a bump key.

If a pesky lock is in your character's way, here are some tricks she can try:

Bobby Pins

According to my law-abiding husband, bobby pins work best on old locks. He taught me how to pick an old, rusty Master lock. And it worked! Here's an overview of the process:

Use two bobby pins, or break one in half. The character strips off the rubber ends with her teeth. Stick one pin in on the fat side of the lock, and bend it down. Stick the other pin in next to it and "rake the tumblers." Tumblers are spring loaded, so she needs to apply pressure here to press them down. Rock back and forth with one pin, jiggle the other pin and turn clockwise. Voila! A picked lock.

Additional tip: early in the story, I established that my main character wore bobby pins in her hair. I also included a brief, drive-by lock picking lesson.

Lock Pick Set

This wouldn't have worked in my story, because the main character didn't have access to a tool like this. But if yours does, here's the skinny:

Lock pick sets include several shapes and sizes, so your lock picker will choose what works best for her. But she'll need two pieces: 1) The "raker," which is a thin, flat piece of metal with a nub at the end; and 2) The "prying tool," which is a flat, L-shaped piece of metal.

She'll insert the prying tool, the L, into the fat side of the lock. Then she'll insert the raking tool next to it. Apply slight pressure to the L tool, while at the same time raking the tumblers with the raker until the lock gives way.

Bump Key

A bump key looks like a regular key, but its teeth are ground down in such a way that makes it universal for most locks, including dead bolts. (scary, right?) Youtube has all kinds of videos for making and using a bump key, but here's the one I watched.

Your character should insert the bump key all the way, and then pull back slightly. She'll apply tension in the direction in which the lock normally unlocks.

Then, using a tool with substance, like a hammer or a screwdriver, she'll "bump" the end of the key. She'll feel the the tumblers click down, and then she can continue turning the lock.

So there you have it. Tips from my law-abiding husband (can I say that enough?) for picking locks.

Have your characters ever needed to pick a lock to get out of a pickle? Have you ever picked a lock? If so, is there something we missed in this overview? And are you as alarmed as I was that a bump key can open most deadbolts? Yikes!

29 comments:

  1. Hmmm, time for an alarm system! Seriously, very helpful to know (for literary purposes, of course). Thanks for sharing (and to your husband, too).

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  2. Can't say that they have, but if they need to in my next book, I know where to look for instructions!

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  3. Ahh, nothing like anxiety early in the morning! LOL! That's seriously scary, but if it's available on Youtube, what's the harm in learning about it on our end? :D Can't wait to read that btw.

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  4. Interesting...your hubby and mine both know how to pick locks. It's funny the looks I get when people learn that tidbit about him but I think it's good to know, especially if you're a writer.
    But a bump key? That truly is a bit scary. I haven't heard of them and now I sort of wish I hadn't - LOL! Anxiety spiked on that one.

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  5. This is fascinating...I'm bookmarking it for later, thanks!

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  6. A guy at Home Depot said the same thing as your husband. Needless to say, I paled. Thankfully, we have an alarm system, half locks on doors and bio-metrics on the garage. Why so much? We were robbed once. They cut the alarm system (via telephone hook-up outside).

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  7. Good to know. I always lock myself out of my house.

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  8. Thanks, Julie! I was just looking for something like this the other day (for one of my WIPs). :)

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  9. Informative...funny...and more than a little scary. But hey, if someone is determined to get in they will. And I'd rather they come through the door than break windows. Just sayin' ... ;-)

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  10. Brilliant post, Julie. I doubt I'll ever have a character who needs to pick locks, but I love reading about interesting things like this.

    I also love reading about the somewhat bizarre things writers learn in order to tell a better story. Kudos to you for taking the time to learn, and for inserting the all-important bobby pins earlier in the story.

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  11. Now I'm ready to go! Yes... picked many house locks on interior doors. Screwdrivers work great!

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  12. I need to try this! There's going to be a flurry of folks checking out the videos :)

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  13. You really trust us all with this information? ;)

    I've never picked a lock--unless you count sliding a knife between the door and the doorframe to pop the latch/bolt. My character's have had to pick any locks yet.

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  14. Guess I won't bother locking my doors anymore. Never would have pegged John as a lock picker.

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  15. I need the bump-key to get inside one of my character's mind. She's shut it off a bit, and then turned with some attitude on the male she is with...by her choice. I love the conflict she's creating, but I'm sure where she is headed...!

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  16. I've never had a character pick a lock. Very interesting subject - kind of scary too. Thank your "law abiding" hubby for the tips with bobby pins. I must try this soon!

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  17. I am suddenly overcome with the urge to try and pick my lock...I may not sleep tonight if I find it is really this easy! Fun post.

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  18. Interesting information - yes. A bit scary as to how easy it is to pick a lock - yes. Have I ever had to pick a lock - no.

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  19. Yes, I've picked a few locks, when necessary. My husband is a locksmith, so he's taught me a few tricks. Still, I've never found it all that easy to get a lock to unlatch. For me it's been tricky and takes time, even with a pick set. I probably should use this in a novel somewhere. ; )

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  20. My character stole a car. I had to look up how to do that. It was hard to find instructions through Google! :)

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  21. 1) As a child, I stuck a bobby-pin in my parent’s front door and accidentally picked the lock. When I told my parents about it, they were NOT pleased, and said the bobby pin could have broken off inside the lock. That would make for a great complication in a story.

    2) In one of my stories, I have a college-age gal buy a lock pick set over the internet. She thinks, “Amazing what you can buy.”

    3) When I locked myself out of my place last year, the locksmith who came used the bump key. He had to bump it pretty hard, and the method was kind of disturbing.

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  22. Guys, did you know that bump keys can be bought on the internet for only $8? So scary!

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  23. I'm still scared about bump keys! I write about all sorts of nasty things and you've managed to terrify me. LOL!!

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  24. I agree with Lisa. I'm now suffering bumpkeyphobia.

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  25. Haven't had any characters pick locks yet, but now I am SO ready! Ha! And a little nervous about the safety of my house! Yikes! Aren't handy husbands wonderful?

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  26. So, with the lock picking skill of your husband, nothing can be kept secret in your house! Kidding aside, this skill is actually quite practical despite its association of being a skill of thieves. Once you lose a key, you no longer need to call a locksmith to make you another duplicate key with a master, for the lack of a better term, “lock hacker” in the home. By the way, where did he learn that?

    -Karina Hagopian

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