In our How To Escape and Evade in an Urban Environment article, we briefly discussed escaping from zip ties.
There are quite a few hasty methods of illegal restraint, and zip ties are a method that’s available to any would-be kidnapper.
A few of the other methods seen are duct tape, rope and phone cord, but with a little education you’ll see that all of these methods can easily be defeated.
There are two things you’ll need in any escape situation, and without these two things, nothing we’ll show you will work.
Those two things are time and opportunity. You’ll have to first have the time to be able to put one of these escape methods into action and the opportunity to do so.
Your captors are most likely not going to have the resources or the patience to keep eyes on you constantly, and when they don’t, it’s time to make your move. [Read More…]
Today we’d like to introduce an amazing product from SerePick called the Universal Handcuff Key.
SerePick is fairly new to the community, but is becoming quickly popular and successful with their line of unconventional security products for an urban environment.
We’d first like to start off with the caveat that the tools available from SerePick are for Military, Law Enforcement and security professionals only, and are not available commercially. [Read More…]
Today we’ll be showing how to pick your way out of Handcuffs using only a bobby pin.
We realize this may be a sensitive issue to some out there, as this information in the wrong hands could be detrimental, but here’s our take.
The fact that handcuffs can be picked with a simple bobby pin reveals a fundamental problem with the lock design. We feel the more awareness that is brought to this issue, the better. [Read More…]
We’ve got an article in the works that details picking your way out of handcuffs, but here’s a funny tip on what not to do to your handcuffs.
A pair of Smith & Wesson Model 100 handcuffs had a problem with one side staying shut after our last bout of picking them open with a bobby pin.
Upon sending them in for repair, they diagnosed the problem as “Wire in cuff.” The funny thing is that we never mentioned how the problem occurred when we sent them in, only what was wrong.
You can see from our photo that the excellent customer service at Smith and Wesson had to replace the bolt and spring in the cuff to fix the problem, which they graciously didn’t charge us for! [Read More…]
Here’s a couple of great reference reads that everyone interested in getting into lock picking should peruse.
We feel these are the top three open-source guides available out there right now, and should give everyone a solid understanding of lock picking basics.
LSI Guide from Locksport International
MIT Lock Guide
CIA Lock Picking Field Operative Training Manual
If anyone knows of another great resource, please post it to the comments
These lock picking tips and techniques provided in this article are only to be used in accordance with all local, state, and federal laws and provided for lock sport (recreational lock picking) use only. Lock sport should be used to learn about the illusion of security, and how to properly protect yourself and your possessions. Don’t do anything illegal.
We received a tip today from WK at http://www.c4i.org/ who confirmed the existence of a Backup Lock Pick Business Card prior to Kevin Mitnick’s Business Card we reported on previously.
The card was originally designed by Jenni Mattison for Melvin, a self proclaimed “hacker, entrepreneur, and all around mischief maker.” Mitnick requested Melvin’s permission to copy the design and asked Mattison to create a variation on it, since he wanted more text to go on the card.
Details are contained in the comments on this Flickr page by “Antiuser” for those interested. [Read More…]
An interesting and very practical business card came our way the other day, and we’d like to recommend everyone get one! Kevin Mitnick, once the most-wanted computer criminal in the United States, has produced some truly remarkable Lock Pick business cards.
Kevin Mitnick’s business card is made out of steel by metalcards.com which doesn’t sell these cards, but you can order one at Mitnick’s Web site, check the sidebar for ordering instructions.
The card measures 3 7/16 inches long by 1 7/8 inches wide, slightly longer than a standard business card, but no thicker. Perfect to put into a wallet.
While fully functional, the pop-out picks aren’t very comfortable to use, but can be used in a pinch with some practice. Get two and try the picks out before you truly have to depend on them. [Read More…]
One of the things that’s sometimes hard to understand in Lock Picking is which pick to use. Many picks look similar and can be hard to distinguish from one another. It’s important to be able to recognize what type of lock you’re trying to pick, and know the appropriate pick to use.
We hope this article will give a better understanding of the common types of picks available and the locks their best suited for. We provide this information purely from an educational standpoint, not an illegal one. We strongly believe this is an important skillset to have, and should be used appropriately. [Read More…]
Not long ago we purchased a set of Bump Keys from bumpkey.us, which are an excellent alternative to filing down your own key blanks. The set we purchased was the 33 key set that gives you a healthy starter set to get into bumping. The set doesn’t include two keys that they apparently released after the set was put together. Those are the Sargent S22 and Master M27 Bump Keys.
For a refresher on how to bump a lock, refer to our previous post, Lock Bumping. [Read More…]
Lock Bumping is quickly becoming a popular way of bypassing a lock without the need for picking. The method uses a key blank from the particular lock you’re wanting to gain entry to. The key blank is then filed with a square file to let the key pins drop to their furthest position on the lock.
The filed blank is inserted into the lock, and then tapped with a special lock bumping hammer at the same time the key is being turned. The tapping from the bump hammer jostles the pins and allows you to turn the lock as the pins line up with the shear line. This is a hard concept to explain with words, so we’ve linked to the following video to provide some clarification. [Read More…]
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