The Marking Technique – Lockpicking for Beginners

If you want to master the basics of lockpicking right away, you need to use this life hack. Learn directly what it takes to open an Abus padlock. Fortunately, you can use this trick on any new lock as long as you have the key.

This technique involves marking your lockpick with a Sharpie. Use the key as a reference to more accurately determine the position of the pins in the lock. This way, you create a cheap Lishi tool from your lockpick.

The Importance of Markings

Marking your lockpick is very simple, but oh so effective! It’s a quick method to improve your lockpicking skills. You get visual reference points on your lockpick. These help you understand how deep you need to insert the pick and which pin you are working on.

Steps for Marking the Lockpick

1. Determine Starting Position: Insert the key into the lock and mark the point where the profile of the key meets the edge of the lock body. This is the shoulder of the key.
2. First Marking: Hold the tip of the pick against the position of the last notch in the key and mark the pick just below the reference marking on the key.
3. Subsequent Markings: Pull the pick back until the tip is aligned with the notch for the fourth pin and mark again. Repeat this for the remaining notches.
4. Result: A pick with five reference points, corresponding to the five pins in the ABUS 72/40 lock.

This is especially useful for beginners, as you get an extra layer of visual feedback while practicing.

Now, when you insert the lockpick into the lock, you can see when your lockpick is effective. Place the red line on your lockpick directly on the outside of the lock. If you can just see the red line, then the lockpick is above a pin.