Just having a set of lock picks isn't going to do you much good. I went on a 1 day introduction to lock picking course about 8 months ago, its not just "insert and wiggle"
I agree and I suppose there is no better motivation for learning than getting a powerbook in return on success lol But if he's just looking to get it open and not concerned about picking locks, thats probably not the way to go.
use a paper clip and slowly bend it to the shape of the lock, takes a few hours. And you should be able to get it. Try a heap of old little keys, you might get lucky.
That's what I did to open my sister's diary one day... lol. I bent the paperclip carefully into the shape, and although it took a bit of work, I managed it soon enough.
Paper clips do work if your doing it right, just take your time with it watch some youtube vids. PS This will help http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTtuXkrXjc&feature=grec_index
It depends on the lock. Locks on a diary are crap and the key is basically just to release the latch - there are no pins in the lock.
Not all of them. Hell, you can buy pad locks that internally do not have a metal shield over the latching mech. This means you can just put in a tension wrench to pull it back and cause it to release, completely bypassing the pins and lock. Its quite scary what you can learn on these courses.
Picking a lock manually takes much longer. If your doing it on an old drawer or floppy disk box, it's easy to open since the locks are really more for show than security. If you want to open a master lock (The kind people use to lockup sheds and such), it's possible but will take more time to do. However, if your looking for something simple and fast you can't beat a proper pick gun. You could also attempt to rake the pins which is almost the same, but in that case you need to use the right rake which might not be possible. FYI - Dealextreme picks are crap and bend really easily. Not to mention there is a high rate of customs seizure with them for those kinds of items. If you can avoid them, I'd recommend it. If your lucky sometimes you'll find ebay sellers who sell to people without a license. Or you can find rouge sellers on youtube trying to advertise there wares.
Pretty much all of the cheap diary ones you can. Real padlocks the arch won't wiggle as much. People that use those with chains to lock things like bikes up. The chain breaks long before the padlock does.
The lock I was talking about in my example is a pad lock, you could insert anything small and that wouldnt bend and release the locking mechanism (the piece of metal that holds the loop). This also looked like a decent lock, yet was completely useless. It was used as an example on the lockpicking course I went on to show how you cant judge a lock by the way it looks, you need to learn lockpicking to test them before you trust your valuables with them. Everyone in the room opened the lock first time with just the tension wrench and sliding the retaining clip.
For pad locks you can use a shim to open them. A simple way to do it is to cut one out of a soda can and do it. I've actually done it to a storage space which is mine, but the previous people didn't remove their lock.
Contemplating that one. I'd also like to stress that I want the lock intact. I might rekey it later but for now I don't want to induce any potential damage. In the movie Manhattan Project the kid uses a pocket knife or something to open a lock. I used a pair of fingernail clippers to open an old lock box I had around using the file portion. Insert, twist, open. Really was there to prevent kids from getting into it.
Lock bumping requires a set of bump keys to be made. However, the type of key you'll need for the type of barrel will be different, as well as the spacing, angle, and depth. If you get the wrong key blank, or cut it wrong, you risk getting the key permanently stuck in the barrel of the lock. To be honest, using a pick gun is easier because there is no guess work. Bump keys just look more "legit" than a pick gun.
Yup, you're not going to get a bump key that easily - you'd need to know what kind of lock it is. A good locksmith may be able to cross reference by manufacturer if there's anything to go on, but that's a bit doubtful. Don't bother with picks, you'll never do it with those! Yes, a gun is the best way, but you still need to know how to use it. Your best bet is to take it into your local locksmith and ask them to do it. As for making a new key, you've got little chance of that, really. Rekeying would require you to know what key pattern it is again, so it may be a case of changing the barrel. Best bet is to leave it to the pros! Good luck!
