Padlocks, Bump Keys, Hammer loosening

I was down to a few padlocks I couldn't pick, so I tried bump keying them. Place a key inside with an orange o-ring and hit with a black plastic hammer.

I didn't have an actual bump keys (cut zig-zag with highest and lowest cuts alternating) for these particular locks, but used random keys that happened to fit in each lock.

The first was an immediate success! Another "Best" padlock opened in seconds. Tap, tap, tap and open.

The next two locks failed to open while bumping, but I must have jiggled some rust loose or something because they both opened on the first try of picking. This is after two weeks of trying to pick these locks! They're both Master Locks. 

The red one was very "crunchy" while opening. You can see the simple pick I used. After two weeks of trying, then banging with a bump key and hammer--it opened. This red one was last in line because it felt like it only had two pins (the others were stuck apparently).

If you ever have a lock you can't pick--try tapping it with a hammer (and lubricating it). It may just be rusted shut a little. If a padlock is hard to open with a key, then it's going to be impossible to pick open. If you don't have a key (like me) then you can't assume a lock is functioning well enough to be picked.