When it comes to spy skills, knowing how to pick a lock with a bobby pin is one of the oldest bits of tradecraft in the book – at least in the movies.
It’s also not very difficult to do, and can actually come in handy when you’ve locked yourself out of the house, or lost the key to a filing cabinet. The actors themselves can’t really do this, but after watching this tutorial you’ll be able to pull it off with ease.
Lock Picking – A Practical Skill
Before we get started, I want to clear up two common misconceptions about lock picking:
- Locks are secure and require a lot of skill and practice to pick
- Lock picking is only for criminals
These points are both absolutely wrong. Locks are for honest people, which is the vast majority of us. When you pick your first lock, you’ll probably feel excited at the accomplishment, and then horrified at how easy it was. If someone wants to get past a lock, it’s really not very difficult.
Lock picking is also not solely a criminal activity. It’s a useful skill to have, and it’s also a lot of fun. It’s a nice brain challenge.
But enough of that for now, you’re here for the tutorial.
Looks pretty simple, eh?
Now you know how to pick a lock with a bobby pin, but knowing and doing are two very different things. I encourage you to give it a try when you get home from work tonight (I know you’re watching this while slacking off at the office), and let me know how it goes for you in the comments below.
It’s an addictive activity. Before you know it, you may have a desk drawer full of padlocks, each a challenge and subsequent triumph as you “beat” them.
I’ll telling you, lock picking is great fun.
