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This book is affectionately dedicated to Louis Lemont Coleman, a father who gave his "kiddo" all of the loves that he had as a child, especially the love of Magic.
This booklet is divided into three sections; how to make tools, how locks operate, and the secrets behind lock- picking. If you want to skip tool making for now because you are anxious to find out just how a lock is picked, please read the section on how locks operate before proceeding with secrets of lockpicking. Without some grounding in lock mechanism theory, nothing said on picking locks will make any sense to you. Once this is read, cover the section on tool grinding thoroughly before assembling tools and materials to start making picks.
Careful study of the grinding methods is essential. When you failed to assimilate the material in high school it only meant you blew the pop quiz and got a zero. If you miss something important as you read up on lockpick grinding, you can't go back and re-read that section while you are working at the wheel. A mistake here can be much more disastrous than a zero grade, it could cost you an injury. Be perfectly sure of what and how you are doing something before you switch on the grinder. I will repeat this warning several times through the book and you will get tired of it, they don't call them accidents for nothing though, and it only takes one to drive this point home. Properly done, grinding is safer than driving home after a night show. A few words about the possession of lockpicks; In some city, county, municipal, or township entities, the possession and/or use of locksmithing equipment is regulated by statute and/or ordinance. In most cases the law is written to discourage practicing locksmithing as a trade without regulation, but in all cases it pays to pay a visit to your local law enforcement agency and explain your status as a professional entertainer. The escape artist in particular may already have done this to register his possession of police-model handcuffs. Generally all that is required is some proof of membership in
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an amateur or professional group of entertainers, and you can be registered (a business card is proof of intent). In all cases make sure to take this important step and consult with the law enforcement officials in the jurisdiction where you plan to perform. In addition remember that unauthorized entry of any protected space, or of the lock itself that protects such space may not be looked on kindly by those who control legal access to or own such property.
When preforming a routine always gain at least a prior verbal or written permission of someone legally designated as owner or authorized controller of access to such property, before preforming any lockpicking. Having someone "in the know" like this doesn't spoil the effect, since you usually have been invited to perform anyway. Adhere to this rule and always get permission before any lockpicking, and you won’t regret it. The information in this book is sold "as is" without any warranty, real or implied, as to its accuracy or fitness. The author, publisher, distributor and any and all agents of Abbott's Magic hereby assume no liability whatsoever for any damages and/or consequences arising from the use or misuse of information contained in this book. When using metalworking and general shop tools please observe all safety precautions as to their proper use. Books on the proper usage of tools are available at any bookstore dealing in high school or college texts. In particular approach all grinding equipment and procedures with the utmost care. Always wear approved safety glasses and/or a face shield and grind only on a dressed wheel turning at the correct R.P.M.'s on a machine with all guards installed and adjusted properly.
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Every magician knows that the quick impromptu trick may have far greater power to impress than the largest illusion on stage. WHY? Because the spectator in the audience knows, deep down, that the magician is preforming a trick, using some special apparatus prepared beforehand. It is like using the magician's deck of cards, they may in fact be ungimmicked, but since the audience doesn't trust the magician, they won't trust his cards.
This is basic psychology. Even though the spectator cannot figure out how the trick is done, he still knows that it is a trick because he is on the performers "turf" so to speak. Surprisingly enough, lockpicking fits well into this magical equation. Like impromptu conjuring, it is magic done with the subjects own personal possessions, namely the locks that he has keys to or are in his immediate surroundings. Many escape artists even go so far as to openly display their tools while they pick locks, but the effect is still one of mystery because lockpicking is viewed as one of the arcane arts, it's technique a mystery despite the television private detectives. The Magician who can truly open locks can gain a tremendous reputation for his knowledge of the sneaky arts, and if he can effect the lock opening without his tools or technique being observed, so much the better. In addition, the ability to gain access to a locked space often provides the necessary "edge" that turns any regular magician into a conjurer viewed with awe. How would you like to perform this effect? The Magician has a card forced, the card seemingly replaced in the deck but actually palmed, and then he slams the deck smartly against the top of a desk top. The card appears inside the locked top drawer! Nobody will realize this is a plant. Ted Annemann describes an effect where a chosen card is vanished and appears later in a locked stateroom, the magician hands-off to the steward during a tip and he in turn flicks it under the door. To preclude your trick explained this way, tape the card securely to the drawer bottom. The more tape, the more mystery!
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Take a short walk around an office, home, or store, and note the large numbers of disc and tumbler locks in evidence, then build up crowd- stopping tricks around each of these closed spaces. Phones, display cases, gas pumps, elevator floor access, all are pickable. For mentalist acts the garnering of a little knowledge about the audience beforehand is of vital importance, and opening a lock may make that intelligence gathering a piece of cake. I once did a show at a church where the office doors were always kept locked. A volunteer from the audience was instructed to go into the office and return with the clipboard hanging inside the closet. Of course several audience members blurted out "it's locked", giving me the opening to do a bit of mystical finger-wiggling in the door's direction before the volunteer got to the door. The bonus to this was the "how did he know about the clipboard hidden in the closet"? Even better the clipboard was a specially prepared fake planted by yours truly for a little mind reading. An earlier visit laid the groundwork for these effects, and nobody joined them together logically. An even greater effect can be realized by locking something usually left open. Here's another good effect; pick your way into the office and the copy machine. Make a copy of three cards you intend to force and then put each imprinted sheet of paper face down on top of the paper feed stack so it will be picked up by the machine next, but copied on the blank side (the back). Now relock the office door. During the act, after doing the force and the replace, have the office opened by a key holder, pick out what are obviously not the chosen cards and reveal them. After the expected laughter dies down explain that the cards are of an inferior make that is printed on recycled card stock and that they tend to revert back to their previous faces with age. Hand them to a helper and tell the helper to make a copy of them to "re-recycle" the paper to its proper form. Handle the reveal any way you chose, it is a shocker! The trick hinges on previous access and on the audience's willingness to believe that there could have been no previous tampering because of the locked door. Just don't sweep up to the door and say "let's use the copier in this room", or the deception will be over. Magicians who specialize in escapes are the only show- people who usually delve deeply enough into the subject of locks and keys to cover lockpicks and their making, but in this booklet I will show you the tricks of the trade that professional locksmiths have developed, and rely on in their daily practice. Learning to make tools and pick locks is easier than mastering most difficult sleight of hand, yet will put your routines truly in a class by themselves. It's better than creating a new trick that no other Magician has seen, so read the material, make a couple of tools, and practice a little. The rewards will be well worth the time spent.
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A little background about myself might be in order here, on the way to becoming an amateur escape artist, I became instead a lockpicking artist. Early on in my career I became disillusioned with the literature available on escape effects. I must have paid over a hundred dollars for the ten books in my library detailing the "deep, dark" secrets of hand cuff releases that never got any more complicated than a paragraph on shimming with maybe a sentence on rapping thrown in, and a lot of patent drawings. My reasoning was that professional locksmiths would have access to the true secrets of lockpicking, but the code of ethics for their world is as strict, or should be, as ours is. My first attempts at obtaining locksmith's reference books also met with failure, but I eventually found a contact and through him a copy of a first-class reference work, and I also learned how to make my own tools. It is absolutely necessary for the magician to make his or her own tools. Commercial suppliers will not deal with you because you do not have professional standing, and your needs for easily concealable tools are unique. I think also that my tools are better than the lockpicks sold by supply houses, they certainly resist bending and breaking more. I have a set that has been in use now for two years and still going strong. The first "grand opening" I attempted using homemade tools took place in my basement workshop five years ago, and it gave me the same thrill as when I did my first fumbly magic trick. Ever since then a little lock magic has been an invaluable tool in my arsenal. Read this booklet and you will also learn to "laugh at locks". ----Over twenty types of commercial lock are in use today, but the locks that you will usually encounter are the warded lock, the disc tumbler, and the pin tumbler. Normally the lowly warded lock should be ignored after a brief nod, but the majority of handcuff locking mechanisms are warded.
Such locks are of two sub- types, the old-style mortisce lock and the padlock. The disc tumbler may be a single or double tumbler, and the pin tumbler can have four, five, six,
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or seven pins. Illustrations of the interior and of the appearance of the keyhole will allow you to easily recognize each type. The warded lock is the lowest in security because the only factors that limit key insertion are the obstructions placed in the path of the key's insertion, or in the path of the key's rotation once fully inserted in the lock. Figure #1 shows that in most warded locks the obstructions (wards) prevent the key's rotation. Observe that when parts of the key that would bind on the wards are cut away, the key will pass the wards and can still operate the lock bolt to open and closed positions with left or right rotations of the key. In figure #2 the spacing of multiple wards is shown. This is an early attempt to increase the number of variations in the key-lock combination and so increase security. Locksmiths soon found that a key could be cut away in all areas where a ward MIGHT appear, and so pass all locks. Such a lock was dubbed a skeleton key because it retained only the bare bones necessary to operate the lock. As most kids know today, skeleton keys are available that usually fit all such locks and as a result the ability to open such locks is not too mystical.
One unusual problem is the age and rustiness of warded mortisce locks, even the proper key might break off before budging the bolt. If you contemplate a surreptitious opening of such a lock, use an odorless lubricant at least a day before and make sure it will open easily. A puff of powdered graphite in the keyhole often works. The warded padlock operates on the same principle. In the area where the key cuts or bitting are located, steel plates of are stacked. A slot cut plate had to have a matching cut in the key at that same point for the key to rotate and operate the shackle lock, round cut plates made up the rest. The shackle is the "u" shaped part of the lock. Round cut plates needed no key cuts. The order of the lamination stack determined the key combination. A skeleton key can be cut for such a lock easily by cutting to the depth of the regular key bitting in the area where slot laminations are stacked. A time-honored locksmith's trick can help you assess where the warding is and also where the locking mechanism contacts the key. Hold a key blank in the smoky part of a candle flame to deposit a generous coating of fluffy soot directly on the blank. Carefully insert the blank trying not to scrape off the soot coating, and turn it hard against the wards. Now remove it just as carefully and you should have a pattern of shiny spots corresponding to where the wards scraped soot off the key- blank.
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In this manner an unknown lock can have a key made for it, without the key looking like a skeleton key, which can be very important in a stage setting if an audience assistant is in the know. By cutting grooves where the soot indicates, smoking and reinserting, eventually the key will turn, indicating a successful duplication. One very important note, the unlocking mechanism that the key is supposed to contact will also rub soot from the keyblank, and if the key is cut at this point also, no unlocking will take place. The set of marks furthest from the bow is usually the mechanism point, so ignore marks in this area until last, and then only if the key will not turn. This "impressioning" technique will also work with a mortisce lock, if a matching skeleton key cannot be found. The "hot" area of the key (where the lock mechanism contacts) is located at the point shown in figure #3. Remember not to file at this point. As a magical locksmith some of the best tricks can be performed by opening luggage, tool cases, coin banks, and they all are warded or single-lever tumbler locks. The best way to do this is to gather a collection of keys that fit these locks, and keep modifying these by careful impressioning until you have a generic master set.
Any key that you can borrow can be traced onto paper or plastic (artist’s acetate or mylar) and later duplicated in shim stock. What little side contour is present on the original blank is usually ignored by the thin shim stock (try to say that one three times fast). Some locksmiths carry blanks for these, or one-key- fits-all replacements. Stock up if you find some like this. I carry one or two on my keyring just in case.
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Let’s move on to a type of lock more commonly used, namely the disc tumbler. This type of lock is used as a low to medium security device on hundreds of applications, and knowing how to open it will be any magician's ace in the hole. Figure #4 shows a cut away view of a typical lock, and fig #5 shows the keyhole as viewed from the front.
Notice how the circular plug fits into a hole, actually a shell, and turns freely inside it. The plug has a shoulder at the front, and when assembled has a cam or retainer at the back to prevent the plug from being withdrawn. Notice the slot the key slides into, especially how the slot has a bent or corrugated contour that the key must match. This is a form of warding and denies access of any but the matching blank, regardless of the proper key cutting. Four or five slots are cut in the plug at right angles to the key slot, and a disc of metal fits in and works up and down in each slot. A spring acts on the disc when mounted and acts to push the disc out of its slot, above the surface of the plug. Notice the cut or groove in the outer shell that accommodates the disc ends that have been pushed out by the spring. At rest position (locked) the disc ends block the plug from turning by extending into this groove cut in the outer shell. The key, when inserted, has a contour that has a matching cut or valley for each of the discs. As the key moves through the slot cut in the disc it forces the disc to retract into the plug. When the key is fully inserted, the valleys cut into the key align the discs perfectly so they do not protrude at either end, but are flush with the plug surface. The plug is then unlocked, free to rotate. One fine point of this lock is that the disc may be pulled too far into the plug, if the biting is incorrect, and it's lower end will be pushed out of the plug's bottom surface into another groove, effectively preventing plug rotation. The disc must then be not too high and not too low, and that is where the key cut comes into play, by holding the disc exactly flush with the plug at both faces. Now let's examine some discs pulled from a lock. In fig#6 you can see that the slot cut into each disc is at a different height. This means that each slot must have a matching height cut on the key. This system of differing heights (usually five steps) provides security, increasing the number of possible combinations.
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To repeat, the job of the key biting is to put each disc at its proper height, making the plug smooth. The job of the lock pick artist is to attempt to do the same using only a single tool, and while acting charming.
Imagine what will happen as the lockpick artist inserts his tool. He can easily find the slot of one disc, and push it down, but he has no way of knowing when it is aligned perfectly, and even if he did, there are four other discs waiting. If you ever see someone on TV using a single tool to pick locks, that is pure hollywood special effects. The answer to both the height alignment and the multiple disc dilemma is in the use of the second tool, a tension wrench. The tension wrench inserts into the keyhole (please call it a keyway) at the very bottom so as to give the other tool maximum working area inside the lock, and is used to try to turn the plug. Of course, the disc ends are sticking up above the plug surface into the slot cut in the shell, and when you attempt to rotate the plug the sides of the disc ends will bind on the side of the slot. If you exert an extreme twisting force the discs will bind so tightly they will "freeze" and not move. If too little twist or tension is applied they will act like normal. Somewhere between these two tensions however, a funny thing will happen, ONE of the discs will freeze and the others will be unaffected. Why is that? The answer is simple. Despite modern production methods, each disc will vary in width by a couple of ten- thousandths of an inch. The fattest of the five discs will bind before any of the others do, since it fills up the most space between the slot it operates in, and the slot cut in the shell. If you have a practice lock set up put some tension on it using your hand on the rear cam, and insert the lockpick, probing with the tip until you locate each disc slot in turn. One of them will be tight, difficult to move. Difficult to move, but not impossible. Gradually lessen the amount of tension on the cam until the disc starts to move. You will find that the pick tip will push it down then until the disc is flush with the plug faces. At that exact point another funny thing happens, that fattest disc is no longer the disc preventing plug rotation.
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Reason that out for yourself, it can't be blocking rotation any longer because it is flush with the plug. At that precise point the plug will turn a tiny fraction of an inch and the next fattest disc then blocks further rotation. When the plug moved ever so slightly it effectively locked that first disc in flush with the plug, the disc end is lodged in the tiny ledge created by the fraction of rotation of the plug. With this disc neutralized, the tool can then be moved to the next disc, and so on. This one at a time disc moving trick works very well. Each time the correct height is reached the plug turns a tiny bit more and simultaneously traps the disc and binds some new disc. After working through all the discs, the plug will turn, the lock has been picked open! Just don't go too far or it will relock in the next position, since the discs are being held in alignment by the outer shell face, not by a key working on the disc slots. The real art in lockpicking is in applying the correct amount of tension to the plug with the tension wrench. Too tight and multiple discs will bind, making it impossible to find the fattest one. Too loose and the fattest disc will not be held up against the spring pressure and will snap back out to the locked position when the lockpick is moved to a new disc. The experts tell it like this "better to use too little tension than too much", that way you can tell if the discs are snapping back by listening for tiny clicks as you remove the lockpick. If you hear these, increase the tension and retry the same disc. An easier way to pick than one disc at a time is to insert a diamond style pick fully into the lock and while applying light tension to the plug, quickly rip the lockpick out of the lock, contacting all discs on the way out. This is then repeated while maintaining tension. Try different angles and speeds of "ripping" until the lock pops open like (another chance) magic. Often you will find that varying the amount of tension applied with the wrench will make the difference in an opening. If you are trying for longer than 25 seconds to open a lock, release tension and try again. One other point needs some work. Which way is the right way to open a lock? Counter or clockwise? That depends too much on the mount and the brand of lock. The easiest way is to watch sharp while it is being key opened and remember that vital bit of info. Failing this, you can "feel" the correct way. When plug rotation is stopped by disc ends hitting the shell slot the feel of a stop is more gradual, while the wrong way will feel very abrupt and solid since the lock's cam usually hits a shoulder put there to prevent such wrong way rotation. A little practice will allow you to detect the difference. Most disc locks can’t be picked while rotating the wrong way, so if you have troubles on a lock, try rotating it the opposite way. As a sometimes rule, the pin tumbler plug will rotate it’s top (pins) towards the door.
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I suggest you begin on and practice with disc tumblers until they are easily opened. The average disc lock takes about thirty seconds the first time, and three seconds as you get familiar with it. I can often pop a disc lock with one stroke. Practice is the key here. The parts are stamped out of sheet metal and as such have poorer tolerances than pin tumbler locks, so they are easier to pick. As with all magical skills a little practice goes a long way. The mechanics of the pin tumbler lock are identical to the disc lock except that two pins take the place of each disc. The two pins are of differing lengths, but always equal one height when laid end to end. This difference is matched by the key cuts, and if the lower pin of each set were placed into its corresponding key cut, it would show that a straight line forms at the tops of the lower pins when so lined up. This straight line would correspond with the surface of the plug, again allowing the plug to rotate. The pin tumbler lock is more a medium to high security lock. Your house likely has one, and aren't you glad? Even these can be openend using exactly the same techniques as for disc locks, but they are much harder, due to increased number combinations and better manufacturing tolerances. The pin tumbler is harder to rip, and much harder to do a pin at a time as well. There is a trick that may help you. Insert the tension wrench but apply no tension. Next insert the diamond pick upside down in the keyway and lift all of the pins as high as they will go, then apply hard tension. Now while maintain hard tension, withdraw the pick and reinsert it right-side up. While ripping the pins in the usual manner but using more strokes per minute, begin to lessen the tension on the wrench very gradually. At some point, the pins will drop down to the unlocked position, instead of up to it, and the plug turns. This upside-down picking technique works very well on disc locks, and some padlocks, especially Junkunc brand. By the way, if you are becoming concerned by all this and feel your house may not be as safe as you thought, remember that only three percent of the burglaries occurring nationally are committed using lockpicks. Most thieves kick in a likely window or door, because it's so much easier. The pin tumbler lock may be installed on some better quality filing cabinets, but usually is on a door. This means that access to the entire contents of the room will be yours when you open the lock, so remember to gain legal permission first. After working whatever effect you have planned, relock the door by rotating the plug backwards until you hear the pins click home again. Remember also that an unlocked lock can be as easily picked to the locked position, which is just as startling an effect given the right setup patter. -----
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Buying a set of lockpicks is almost impossible to the average person. Of course it is not a real hobby item, and for good reason. Escape artists will tell you that actual security hardware to practice with is also often difficult to obtain because it is hard to demonstrate a "need" for same. In this chapter the methods used to grind your own tools are revealed. For the removal of large amounts of hardened steel you will need some power equipment. This type of work can be done with hand tools like files, but the amount of time wasted is extremely excessive, so make a small investment. A 6 inch bench grinder with a fine grit 3/4 inch wide wheel is all you will need for power equipment. If you have a table saw that will not rotate faster than the rating on the wheel, you can just mount a grinding wheel on it in a pinch, but it is much better that you buy a dedicated grinding machine. A wheel mounted in an electric drill is not powerful enough to do this kind of work quickly. As a safety measure buy a grinder with integral guards and use them, safety shields and all. The recommended R.P.M. of the grinding wheel should never, ever be exceeded, or the wheel could break up and scatter deadly stone shrapnel everywhere. As a further precaution I use a full face shield and a heavy apron of blue denim. In addition to the grinder, you need a scriber (a drafting compass point or common pin will do), some layout dye, a strong light, a set of hobby-type needle files, an oilstone, oil for same (light machine oil), a wheel dresser, and a coffee can full of water. The wheel dresser needs some explanation. It consists of a cast iron handle with several toothed wheels mounted at one end. This tool has legs that are placed on the tool rest located in front of the grinding wheel's face. Once secured on the tool rest, the toothed wheels are advanced lightly into the face of the spinning grinding wheel. This will produce a hefty shower of sparks, and also clip some of the grinding wheel off. By moving the dresser slowly back and forth over the face of the grinding wheel the grooved surface of a well-worked wheel is restored to its factory-fresh flatness. The trueness of the wheel may be checked by grinding a full bite from a piece of scrap shim stock. Is the bite level? If not, continue dressing the wheel as required. Rather than go to all this trouble you may be tempted to grind on the SIDE of the wheel. While this nice flat surface may be tempting you should avoid this at all costs. Wheels are not built to stand sideways strains, and they absolutely can break up which may cause injury and even death to the operator. A few minutes with the dresser every hour of grinding or so will be adequate. For just a few lockpicks you can discard a grooved wheel and buy a new one, saving the cost of the dresser. With a little practice you will become proficient at lockpick grinding, however, and your fellow mages will avidly seek your services. For example, this is almost a cottage industry for me; I cut ten picks a week on the average. So let's get down to learning this simple skill. The steel that you will cut is called feeler shim stock, and by a happy coincidence it comes in almost the right size for lockpicks. Check the yellow pages for automotive or machine shop suppliers. I use Starrett brand shim stock of .030 thickness, it comes 1/2
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inch wide by 12 inches long, and it is very tough stuff. If .030 thousands is not in stock, anything from .025 to .031 will work as well. The thinner material will bend too much if under .025 and the size of most key- ways restricts movement of thicker steel picks. The same supplier that has the steel will carry blue or red layout dye in a spray can. The first step is to remove the protective wipe of grease on the steel using naptha and paper towels. After a minute for the naptha to dry spray the steel piece one side with a thin mist coat of layout dye. This will allow the scribed cutting lines to show up clearly. I have used spray enamel in a pinch but it makes an uneven tearing line that is hard to follow. When the dye has hardened then you can trace the outline of the pick on the steel using the templates.
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The picks in figure #7 are done to exact scale and should be copied from the book using a copier that will accept the thickest stock possible, preferably pasteboard or tagboard. You may have to shop around for a shop and copier with sufficient capacity. Once copied the outlines are carefully cut, resulting in a paper pick outline tracing blank. This outline is attached to the steel stock by brushing rubber cement onto the back side of the paper pattern and then adhering it to the dyed side of the steel. Allow it to dry well, to avoid shifting. This next step must be done with care; trace the paper outline into the dye using a scriber or common pin. Excessive pressure will easily push the scriber past the paper itself and create a false tracing, so go easily and carefully. If you are uncertain about your ability to do this a copy shop can photo-transfer the paper pick outline in the book to a piece of clear acetate plastic just by running it through the copier. The result will stand a lot of side pressure during tracing without distortion, and if two copies are made the second can be used as a see-through template for future reference. You are given permission to copy that page of the book freely. Once the pick outline has been traced onto the steel, remove the pattern and move to the grinding wheel. The paper pattern itself is not tough enough to use as a pattern by itself, and will not survive repeated dunking in the water for cooling. Once you have successfully ground a pick it may be used as a tracing template for future generations of picks, just be sure that outline is workable in a lock. There are important items to observe before grinding; the grinding wheel catching and throwing stock, tiny steel splinters, and the stock over heating. Just as a table saw can catch and kickback a board with surprising force, the grinding wheel can catch the steel and jerk it out of your hands if you cut too deeply. Always work along a broad portion of the pick and avoid deep bites the size of the wheel, their sides will drag and then catch. Never run your hands or fingers over a freshly cut pick without first knocking off the edges with a file, oilstone, or ceramic knife sharpener. Tiny steel splinters produced by the grind are just waiting to zap your fingers and boy do they hurt! Heat buildup, unlike a thrown pick or a splinter, is not dangerous to you personally, but to the pick it is fatal. The steel will lose its spring temper if over heated during the grinding, and a nontempered pick will NOT work, it will bend instead. To avoid heat buildup cool the steel by frequent dipping in the coffee can of water. The word frequent means every three seconds of wheel time calls for a cool dip in the water. Every three seconds. Don't believe me on this, instead prove it for yourself by grinding on one end of a piece of shim stock that is not dyed, and looking closely at the area immediately around where the wheel makes contact. If you notice a blue color quickly spreading, that's loss of temper. How long did it take to make the color appear? About six seconds, and that time will harrow to three seconds as the pick gets smaller and less able to "absorb" excess heat. Try to avoid the blue discoloration indicating hot steel.
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If it happens early in while you are still a ways away from the line, the pick may still be salvaged by slower grinding and more cooling. If it happens in the areas marked in fig #8, it can be ignored because the thicker area of the pick will resist bending. If it occurs in area marked critical junk the pick and start over (very frustrating after all that grinding). Better too much cooling than not enough!
Eventually the pick will take form. Look sharp as you grind ever closer to the line and slow down. The strong light will help you to judge where the line is, and you may also hold the pick next to the book pattern to gauge it. When you reach the line stop immediately. The pattern is gauged to allow some file finishing. A double-cut fine metal file will smooth the grinding bumps, but don't remove too much metal, just enough to smooth it. The dye may be removed with naptha but watch out for tiny steel splinters. If you have followed the working pictures you have two picks, a single tip and a diamond. Now for the tension wrench. Figure #9 shows a double ended wrench cut from another piece of shim stock. The size of wrench tip that will fit in a lock keyway varies a lot because the keyways vary just as much. If the design ones are too large cut them down to fit your target lock, but make sure you are inserting the tip in the correct way into the lock before doing that. You can't stretch steel. In a pinch a hex wrench can also be used, inserted as is or preferably with two flats ground on opposite sides to fit a keyway. To orient the wrench against the grinding wheel hold the wrench handle parallel to the worktable, which works for most wrenches. If you find the point of the wrench advancing into the wheel with such a plan, modify the angle as needed. I start with the wheel stationary, press the wrench onto it to gain the proper orientation, note the angle, remove the wrench, and start the wheel. One sixteenth-inch in diameter music wire (a hobby shop supply item) may also have flats ground onto it and produce an excellent tension wrench, the handle portion of the tool is bent in a vise after grinding. A hammer or wrench here aids in the bending.
As to heat build-up (yes again) I prefer bare fingers to work with. It makes the rising temperature more important to you almost immediately. Gloves are also okay to use if you have qualms about that roaring grinding wheel. If you are unwilling to jeopardize your career by exposing your hands to any power equipment, I can sympathize with you.
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A pair of vise-grips will permit you to retain fine control of the pick in absolute safety. You are using a full face shield and heavy cloth apron as well aren't you? After finishing the pick by filing it small edges called "wires" will remain, and will prevent a smooth pick motion against the tumblers and along the keyway. These can be removed by judicious filing at a 45 degree angle to the flat surfaces of the pick, but it is easier to knock off these wire edges with a ceramic sharpening stone, or a regular oilstone. Large splinters of steel may be removed during this operation, so use large amounts of machine oil on the pick and the stone. The oil prevents these spinters from embedding in the stone permanently. A cheap oilstone will not be oil-filled at the factory, avoid these. The action of removing the edges is almost like whittling a stick. Always move the tool or stone down the length of the pick. Any sharp edges should be dulled slightly. Once the tools are finished they should be tried in a lock, and the chapter on mounting locks comes in handy here. Let's pretend that you can already pick up a storm however, and now you need to miniaturize your lockpicks for stage or even closer work. The obvious place to begin is the handle. In fig #10 the absolute minimum is shown. Notice the small crosspiece like a knife guard placed (or left) up front. It affords the purchase your fingers need for leveraging lock tumblers. The handle on the tension wrench can be made even smaller, down to a quarter inch long, and the working tip can be an eighth of an inch or less, barely a nub. A silversmith or jeweler can take your miniaturized tools and fit them to the inside or palm side of a set of finger rings using a brazing process. They may then be carried around naturally.
Another approach is shown in fig #11. Here the lockpick is made double-ended and slimmed down to a sliver. This tool may be pushed through the folds of any looselywoven cloth like a common pin, and thereby concealed. Lapels and collars, trouser cuffs and armpits are excellent sites for a "load" like that. In my collection of experimental items I have a metal thumb tip with a stubby tension wrench epoxied to the outside side of it, the whole thing flesh toned. This gimmick is very useful for close-up.
One useful tool that may save your reputation as a lock wizard is the clicker or safety pin. Fig. #12 shows a side view. This tool is bent cold from music wire of one sixteenth
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inch in diameter. Start by clamping a piece of galvanized water pipe 1/4" in diameter in your bench vise. Bend the middle of the 3' wire around the pipe as far as you can, then loosen the vise and reclamp, catching one side of the wire between the vise jaw and the pipe, as close to the top of the jaw as possible. Watch that the wire doesn’t come loose and snap you though.
Continue the looping until a half circle has been formed, then make the remaining bends, using the vise if necessary. If the wire proves stubborn to bend, a hammer will help, but wear a full face safety shield and gloves. The final phase is to grind the working tip just like the end of a tension wrench, to a length of 1 3/4". To use this gem, insert the slim-ground end bevel down into the lock under all the tumblers. Holding the end down to the bottom of the lock keyway, push down the top of the clicker with the thumb, and release it to snap the bent loop against the part of the wire that extends into the lock. This action imparts a vibration or slap to the wire that is transmitted to the lower tumblers, and from them to the upper tumblers (remember your pool table physics ?), which puts a space between them, which is exactly what you want! Since this happens to all the tumblers simultaneously, the lock cylinder will be free to turn and you should be providing just a little bit of twist to the tool. I do this by tucking my little finger through the end loop and twisting. This tool will either work like (here it comes, I've been waiting for this all through the book) magic, or it won’t work at all. Ten snaps or so should do it. As I outlined in an earlier chapter, handcuff locks are overwhelmingly warded locks. Professional locksmiths know that there are only seven different patterns of key for common brands of handcuff, including the tricky ones with the keyhole neatly hidden in the chain hinge end. Whenever you encounter a new type of cuff gain permission to gain possession for a fortnight, and make a skeleton key for same, using the same techniques outlined elsewhere in this book. A real locksmith will have several patterns of warded key that can be filed down to fit. The only information you need is whether there is a pin in the bottom of the keyway, and if so, what is the pin diameter. A blank with a matching hole is obviously needed. Some filing will be necessary to shorten the key bit to enter the average 'cuff keyhole (not a keyway in this kind), and impressioning should begin immediately after this initial fitting. Try to not confuse accidental rub-throughs (technically referred to in the trade as goofs) with real warding rubs, or Iock mechanism rubs. If in doubt, re-soot and re-try. Also make sure you are rotating the key in the un-locking direction. Some keybits can be complex and it is smart to buy multiple blanks in case you file in the wrong spot and ruin a key.
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Peerless cuffs can run to twenty or thirty dollars retail, but the cheapie star-wheel types are no more than ten dollars, therefore, try this simple experiment. With a spray-bottle of water handy, grind off the heads of the rivets holding the top plate on such a set of cuffs. Carefully lift off the plate and examine the locking mechanism, trying the key in it. Gaining familiarity with this lock will help you to understand cuff locks. Some of the old escape books are replete with specialized instructions like "drill a small hole at so and so place in the case and insert a small shim to push back the locking clog", but being able to view all parts of the lock will provide you with at least twenty different places to attack the mechanism, some without having to cut an access hole. In all cases it is a superior approach to pick the lock on a cuff rather than "rapping" the deadlatch off and then shimming the dogs, one tool used once does all, and quicker too. Really, there is no "picking" involved, merely using a skeleton key. Speaking as a locksmith, I think that some escape artists feel like that is almost too easy, so they rap and shim, feeling like they have circumvented a complex lock. Indeed! The post in the base of the keyhole on Peerless and other cuffs makes it difficult to use your lifter pick to manipulate the locking latch, but it is still possible. A better improvised approach involves selecting a piece of brass hobby-type telescoping tubing and cutting two slits in the end. The tooth formed can be bent up to form a key of sorts. When ball-point pen fillers were metal these made dandy improvised keys if so processed. If you wish to try shimming a cuff dog, the steel shim stock you are using for lockpicks can be procured in thicknesses of .006-.012 for making shims. The tool should be ground to shape as in fig #13.
Notice that the working end is almost sharpened like a knife blade, and this should be done with care to avoid overheating the steel. With such thin stock the heat generated will almost immediately burn the steel. If you consistently ruin a cuff shim consider putting the final edge on by filing. Some cuffs come with two dogs placed side by side but sprung independently. which require a forked tongue-like tool to shim. A single shim stock can have a slot cut down though the center of it with a file, but it is slow going. An easier solution is two separate tools ground, then overlapped and epoxied face to face. A piece of .030 piano wire bent into a long-legged "U" with sharpened ends will also work as a single or double shim, and it is much more concealable, but harder to work. Try both and use what you feel the most comfortable with.
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For a last comment, if in doubt as to the locking mechanism of a given cuff, closely examine the key and it's action, and make a tool to duplicate it's action exactly, and it will absolutely have to work. Any magician contemplating challenge or unprepared handcuff escape effects should procure several police & law enforcement manuals (Thomas is the leading publisher) and bone up on the sections showing cuffing procedures. Putting the right hand in the right cuff, and the keyhole downwards makes a even a skeleton key release strenuous. The key bow can be mounted in an appliance like a slit cut into the chair back, a door slightly ajar, or a key extension can be made to allow hand operation. I prefer a simple right angle extending about six inches out. This (pan be levered against the performers back, a wall, anything. A 6" length of hacksaw blade with the hole in one end attached to the key bow with a nut and a fender washer (big outside, little inside) makes an excellent key extension, as long as the teeth are smoothed away with the grinding wheel. Such a gimmick is not concealable on the person, instead it should be hidden in the performers vicinity like in the wrap to be used to conceal the artist during the release. A clever performer's idea was to literally embed a key into a chair leg, leaving only enough of the bit exposed to work the lock. This heavy object makes cuff insertion easier from awkward angles, and if the metal of the key is blued it will escape an eye examination. I once manufactured a gimmicked chair with a mitered- off arm end that held the key bit, and covered this over with plaster of paris tinted and grained to match the wood, as well as contoured to match the wood that was mitered away. A quick rap crumbled the plaster (especially when mixed with sawdust and stale beer) and exposed the key. The pieces were later trod underfoot and thus hidden. A furniture touch-up repairman can do tinting and graining for you, and finish up with a spray sealer coat of lacquer that stands up to the closest scrutiny by committee. A synthesizer soundtrack with timed rimshots covers the sharp rapping sounds quite nicely thank you. By the way, do you use music in your stage presentation? If so, especially if taped, look into having a tape produced by a musician or amateur studio equipped with a keyboard synthesizer. The synthesizer is capable of producing an unlimited number of unearthly, outer space and just plain strange and arresting musical effects. My musical consultant has a device called a sampler, into which my voice saying "presto-chango rear-rango" can be "read" and then played back at different speeds and with magical sounding effects added. With close timing or an assistant at the tape deck, this voice track can be played back at the climax of your showiest effect, and your lips will not move. I have used this method and it works very well. Take advantage of modern technology whenever you can and your presentation will be modern. Let's return to the lock-picking. For a sealed keyhole escape the lock mechanism mast be manipulated using a tool that will slip through the case. If poorly made, gaps in the case will allow access to a probe cut from shim stock .012 thousands or more thick. This probe may be curved or bent slightly to line it up with the locking mechanism. If the case is well built, the old drill
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hole for the wire shim is still practical, rubbing with a silver wax crayon will hide the hole. This .020" push wire (piano wire) must have a looped handle, or be embedded in a stationary object. A sealed keyhole unprepared cuff challenge? Tamper with the seals, duplicate them, or put those cuffs in a chain with gaffed cuffs, or so far up on the forearm that they will slide off once the other manacles are released. That is really elementary escapeology and you don't need me to re-tell you that, do you? One other tip, a police officer who is very "street-wise" will loosely fasten one cuff and then pass the bow of the second cuff through the space between the first cuff and the wrist, then on to lock onto the second wrist, finally tightening the first cuff. Such a technique is used for an especially unruly prisoner because the slightest movement is painful, and only an extension key, skillfully applied, will effect a release. Beware such unusual methods. It may often be foiled by being alert and sensing that the first cuff is being loosely applied. Quickly reach over with the free hand and snug up the first cuff exclaiming "don't make it too easy for me, make them snug enough". A whispered aside to your officer to hurry up will usually complete this dodge and the cuffs will be normally applied. Handcuffs have such simple locks that a judicious set of master or skeleton keys will work for all situations. Be prepared! ----All of the lockpick artists I have ever seen in action have one thing in common, they all bend down and look directly into the keyway. Now this is fine for a locksmith, but the magician or anyone else for that matter would be suspect in a second. The important thing to remember is that lockpicking relies totally on feel, not sight. Nobody needs to look at a lock in order to pick one. Initial practice while peeking is fine, we all do that even for an easy sleight-of-hand, but eventually you must learn to work by feel alone. Few locks are so awkwardly mounted that your fingers cannot locate the keyway and work the tumblers. So rule number one is the opposite of what my Dad said to me in childhood, "you can touch, but don't look". Rule number two is somewhat related, "don't feel guilty about stealing". How many amateur magicians betray a palming steal of the top card because they feel guilty, and actually call attention to their movements, as if saying "I am trying to get away with it, but I know that you know I am doing something sneaky". With a mental attitude of guilt the magician will accomplish nothing smoothly and only draw curiosity which leads to suspicion. I have discovered that this seems to apply strongly to magical lockpicking as well. People engaged in picking a lock are not just doing something mechanical, they are committing a mental felony and they look it. Somehow the subtle cues of expression and movement say that they are guilty of mischief. One recognizable sign to the onlooker for instance may be the sudden blank expression. The Magician may not have his eyes focused on the lock, but he is so obviously lost in a fog, concentrating on some unseen problem.
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An excellent skill to cultivate is conversation during the picking process. Everybody knows that if a plausible story with an interesting plot is unfolded it works to concentrate the audience attention away from secret processes during a trick (the patter principle), and this technique works while picking locks as well. This is difficult for me personally so I often memorize an entire line of patter and rattle it off in a string. By contrast it is often better not to be the center of attention at all. If the lock on the display case is to be sprung, the clever entertainer doesn't break into any song and dance, instead he loiters with intent, obviously interested in the contents of the case, even asking a brief question about them, or going to another case and returning minutes later to do the quick pick. If you are using a weighted tension wrench then the picking may be accomplished over several periods while the weight holds the picked pins in position. The noise produced during picking is minute, but may well stand out in a quiet environment. Any loud noise produced by the artist to cover up will only draw attention to him more surely than the noise he is trying to hide. Good results can be obtained while working by keeping a handkerchief balled up in the left hand which holds the wrench. During a single successful "rip" immediately cough and flourish the hankie for a fake blow while covering the tools. The whole bundle then goes into the pocket for later retrieval. For quickly ditching a tool the "pull" may also be employed, either with monofilament looped from sleeve to sleeve and anchored onto the opposite arm’s watch band, or with a commercially available pull such as stocked by Abbott’s, or using a stretchy piece of rubber band. I carry a special pull consisting of a donut shaped permanent magnet attached to the line that travels up the sleeve. These magnets are available at large radio parts supply outlets and will easily pick up and hold a lockpick. While I am not a big fan of Houdini stories, (no locksmith is because Houdini, while an accomplished magician, relied heavily on gaffed articles and "borrowed" duplicate keys for his lock work), I will inject one here. The story is related how Houdini secreted his tools on top of a door frame before a search, and retrieved them later on. This is a diversion you may find useful someday, but rely instead on a dab of adhesive wax on the tool handle to attach it to an out- of-the-way place like a table underside. A small strip of flexible magnet sheet cut to the size of the lockpick handle and epoxied to same will allow "loading" the lockpick on any ferrous surface for later retrieval. To keep a tool ready to hand at all times my method is a thin rubber band taped to the arm in two places about three inches above the watch band. The two bands will easily hold a diamond pick at the ready, and a sliding push down with the left thumb on the pick handle will extract it enough to be grabbed by the thumb and forefinger of the left hand and pulled into working position for the right hand. Another good expedient is to suspend the pick from a piece of silk thread with a length of rubber band tied into it and hang it down your sleeve just short of the cuff. This use of the rubber band will allow working the tool, yet conceal it if necessary. If your act involves a lot of energetic action like a straight jacket escape you may want a foolproof carry that will not rub loose or be subject to gravity's influence.
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A body pocket can be created with the judicious use of athletic tape. Begin by purchasing a length of brass tubing that your tension wrench will just fit inside of. This is a hobby shop item called telescoping tubing. A length of this can be taped directly to the skin and act as a wrench "holster". The tubing can be very slightly flattened or crimped to securely hold the wrench. The lockpick itself must be sandwiched between one or two pieces of flat material. Popsicle or tongue depressor sticks are good choices, even cardboard or plastic strips cut from a gallon milk jug will work. If the athletic tape catches on skin hairs or otherwise irritates your skin, the tape supplier can supply you with products designed for and by professional athletes to minimize these problems. The secret pocket was very much in vogue for 1920's magicians; I use velcro for all such steals today. A contact cement will allow you to affix the "hook" component of the velcro system to the steel handle of your lockpick, and a few stitches will put a pad of the "pile" component wherever you need it. The velcro can be purchased by the running foot at a fabric/sewing store, and be sure to purchase enough for multiple pads in various places on your working dress. I use this system to load all of my production steals, not just lockpicks. The "hook" component is put on the pick because it will grab regular cloth and could bunch up a sleeve or trouser leg on a costume if it accidentally hooked. Velcro makes a tearing sound so mount only 1/4" strips of 1/2" wide material to minimize the noise. The problem of pick steel "shining" under bright lighting is a serious one. The finish on pick stock is capable of a mirror-like flash and must therefore be dulled down. The two colors are flesh or blue. The flesh paint will adhere better if emery cloth is used to dull the bright steel. In addition, a wipe of naptha should remove all traces of grease or oil prior to flesh painting. The dark blue color that gun barrels have can also be applied to the pick. Sporting goods stores carry cold blueing chemicals in a bottle for touch-up on "old betsy". This chemical (actually a controlled rusting action) works well on pick steels. Follow the directions with careful attention to de-greasing, and try to immerse the entire tool instantly. I have found that wiping blueing on with a rag produces a splotchy finish which may be good for some backgrounds but solid blue is better all-around. One important plus to blueing is the increased resistance to rusting. Any high-carbon steel carried near the skin quickly succumbs to the salt and moisture, but blueing makes your tools proof against this "creeping crud". To close let me discuss my favorite hokey trick of all time which has to be the stuffed sleeve. The artist fills the sleeves of his topcoat with crumpled newspaper, and sews on gloves also artfully stuffed. Then he works the doorknob lock through a gap in the buttons with his real hands. The glove, by the way, should be sewed well up in the sleeve so only the fingers show. As always it's all in how you work it. Abbott's will sell you a couple of rubber hands if you want a perfect effect. They don't come in left and right however, a slight problem! -----
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Here is a grab-bag of stray tips some of my students have found helpful. I believe that all magicians should keep a daily diary in the form of a notebook in the shirt pocket, it may seem silly to you, but that's where these were found. If a good idea (or even an ordinary one) occurs to you it can be written down. The dullest pencil remembers better than the sharpest mind. Always keep your tools with you at all times. Absolutely nothing is more frustrating than seeing a favorable opening for a really good trick that could lead to a booking contact, and not having the necessary material to do some impromptu magic. When I first started out as an amateur, I wouldn't leave the house without my watch winder, a nail writer, some daub, thread, wax on a button, a lockpick and tension wrench, an ace of spades red and blue back, and so on you get the idea. Well in the interest of walking straight this was pared down to wax and a lockpick set. Always carry them and you'll never wish you had them. Having a problem opening a lock despite my crystal-clear instructions? Here are a few tips. The number one culprit is too much tension with the wrench. Excess tension will freeze the pins or discs and make them too jerky to catch in the proper spot. Lockpicking with too much wrench tension has been compared to swatting a fly with a hammer, massive overkill. It only takes a very little bit of tension. Listen for clicking noises when you let tension off. If you hear none, then you are too loose. Start from too loose and gradually work up. You will open the locks before you get too tight. If you are contemplating using a weighted wrench wait until your skills are moderately advanced. The pick operator gets feedback from the tension wrench as to the status of the tumblers, which aids in the picking. Also, varying the wrench tension can make a stubborn lock suddenly spring open, so always maintain some control over the wrench, don't just shove in a weighted wrench and leave it. Paradoxically, some locks prefer a overload of tension during an opening. Start tight and gradually loosen while ripping constantly. Make sure during ripping that the tool tip is contacting all the discs or pins. If you don’t insert far enough into the lock, or curve the tool too much during extraction one or more tumblers may be untouched and therefore unpicked. Keep the handle roughly level, and insert the tool as far as it will go easily. A good first exercise is to feel around inside a lock with a lifter pick, identifying and counting each tumbler in order from back to front. Your tumbler count should match the number of "V" cuts on the matching key. This is of necessity a specialized look at the field of locksmithing and there are many types of lock we haven't discussed here, which cannot be opened with the usual techniques. Double wafer tumblers, circular locks (seen on some handcuffs), high-security locks having keys with angled cuts are all highly resistant to picking. Some automotive lock systems referred to as sidebar systems are also difficult to open. If there is enough interest Abbott's may publish a booklet on auto, circular and wafer locks, write your publisher and sound off. If a particular lock gives you a lot of trouble, back off for ten minutes, but always try again, never give up or you will never learn. Cleaning the lock of all | lubricants with
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some of your leftover naptha will give you more feed-back from the tumblers. In an extreme can't pick it situation, examine the sequence and depth of the key cuts. If there is a very low tumbler position, (a deep cut) followed by a high tumbler cut or cuts, especially if the low tumbler is near the front of the lock, picking will be very difficult. That is because the low tumbler, once picked, restricts movement of the pick shank as you reach for tumblers further back. If you accidentally raise this low tumbler, you will over-pick or un-pick that tumbler. If this happens, the only remedy is to release tension and start over. I check second-hand stores for used equipment with locks mounted on them. Often the discarded door in the back will have a lock mounted on it. Don't unmount it, just cut the door down around it to miniature size, and use it for practice. Retail locksmiths have just such arrangements for sales pitches. Examine one at your nearby 'smith and duplicate at home.
In a pinch a bobby pin or paper clip bent as in fig #14 will double for a tension wrench. One of those copper-colored box staples works very well. Some books on locksmithing claim that a piece of piano wire makes an effective substitute for a diamond pick, but I have had no success with this, I advise sticking to a regular cut tool.
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