If you’re using a hairpin with plastic-dipped ends, scrape the plastic from the end of the pick first using a pair of pliers, the ground, or even your teeth in a pinch. Pin tumbler locks, including deadbolts and entry door knobs, are one of the most secure locks you can get, but with enough patience and care, you can pick them. Pin tumbler locks are constructed of a plug, a row of pins (including driver pins and uneven key pins) that sit in the plug, a housing, and a shear line, which separates the plug from the housing. The driver pins sit atop the key pins inside the lock. The plug (where the key pins sit when the door is locked) is located below the housing (where a key or a pick pushes or “binds” the pins to unlock the door).
You can also use a small flat-head screwdriver or similar item that fits into the bottom of the keyhole as a tension wrench.
On a perfectly constructed plug, the holes that hold the rows of pins would be precisely aligned with one another, but due to machine error, there are always a couple of holes that are centimeters off the plug’s centerline. This means that when you turn the plug to raise the pins and unlock the door, the pins will bind in a certain order, starting with the pins farthest from the plug’s centerline. The farthest pin—the first to bind—is known as the binding pin.
Make sure to maintain the same amount of tension to keep the pins separated: if you move the plug moves back into its starting position, the driver pin will slide out of the housing, below the shear line, and back onto the key pin again.
When using a key, you lift all the key pins, keeping them together with their respective driver pins, but when picking the lock, you separate the key pins from the driver pins. This means that as you locate and set your binding pins, you might hear the separated key pins jiggling around inside the plug. Don’t be alarmed!
This process can take a lot of time and patience. If you don’t unlock the door immediately, don’t be discouraged!
If you’re using a hairpin or paper clip, first bend it open so you have a long, straight bit of metal. If you’re having trouble finding a suitable object, get creative! Open up a ballpoint pen and use the ink cartridge, or check the bottom of your purse for a toothpick. You can almost always find something that will work.
When opening a twist-lock, try sweeping the tool both counterclockwise and clockwise until the lock releases. If the outside door knob has a keyhole instead of a hole, it’s not a privacy door knob, but an entry door knob, which uses a pin tumbler lock.
You may have to apply some tension to the door knob by pulling on it as the screws loosen. The screws may be hidden under a decorative collar. If so, remove the collar by either inserting a paperclip into a small hole on the collar that releases it (if there is a hole) or gently prying up the collar with a flathead screwdriver.
Note that you can’t use a credit card to unlock a pin tumbler lock. Cards can only be used to unlock slanted latch-style hook locks or spring-loaded knobs. Though many people talk about “picking a lock with a credit card,” avoid using your actual credit or debit card, as it might get damaged in the process!
Some doors open almost instantly using this technique, whereas others require more effort. Experiment with different cards, and different angles. Remember that this technique only circumvents the lock; it doesn’t actually unlock the door. If you let the door close before you go in, you could end up locked out all over again!
