PADLOCK SHIMS THE EASY WAY
In my video above I use a lock pick tool called a "padlock shim" or padlock shim pick.
These are available on Amazon and eBay for around $3 per set of three different sizes, a pair each size.
Some things to remember about padlock shim picks:
- Don't stick them straight down on the latch mechanism. This will ruin the tip and get you nowhere fast.
- You put the shim on the opposite side of the latch and then slide it around side-ways to pick the latch.
- Some padlocks (like the one in my video) have two latches. One on each side of the u-latch. So you will have to use two shims.
- Usually one side will be easy: just slide the shim down into the body of the padlock and then slide it around the u-latch sideways until it goes under the latch.
- The other side might be harder: slide the shim down, but not all the way down. Then jiggle the u-latch while sliding the shim sideways but also a little up and down to sneak it under the other latch.
These shims are cheap online! Buy a set to practice with. If you use them correctly you should have no wear on the pointed tips of the shims, but you will eventually get wear on the sides of the shims. These are a "consumable" item: they get worn out. Buy a set cheap online, practice, then you can try cutting your own from soda cans or roof flashing from the hardware store. The shims I have are a little stiffer than soda cans. They're closer to the thickness and stiffness of roof flashing, which you can buy at places like Home Depot. The only problem is that it comes in like 40' rolls.
The $50 shims from companies like "HFC" come with instructions warning that they too will wear out quickly. The shims have to be soft enough to work. So, buy the cheapest shims you can find that won't take forever to arrive. In the end they'll all wear out quickly--the super cheap ones usually come with nice rubber grip thingies, but they're not really necessary if you eventually learn to cut your own shims cleanly without jagged edges.
Spring loaded shackles can easily be opened with these shims, but they're not good for Stationary Ball Bearing (BB) type padlocks. Most padlocks that have bodies made from laminated layers of thin rectangles of steel are usually the easy to open shackle type.
For attempting, try and see if the lock is actually operational. If it's all rusty and the u-latch doesn't jiggle it might be rusted shut: time for some Liquid Wrench spray.
I write in a conversational style and use the pronoun "you" in place of "I" just as a personal authorial idiosyncrasy, this is NOT a how-to manual for high voltage electronics, lock picking, radiation handling, etc.
Did you know (and I'm not a lawyer) that just possession of locksmith equipment in certain places by an unlicensed person is a crime? That, like pocket-knife laws these laws can vary not only by state, but by each city you travel through? Research your laws (all the cities you go in and your state and county laws) if you want to become a sport-picker (or actual locksmith).
There must be a whole wing in every prison filled with dudes who are all like "but some guy on the internet said it was okay!"
I wonder, is it a cat-burglar alarm or a cat burglar-alarm? Is it a cat that meows when a burglar is around or an alarm that lets you know a cat-burglar is close by? Do they steal cats? Meow!
