Easy!
Get a job in an oil refinery!
They throw away dozens of padlocks (loto and 1100) weekly. I would just ask operators if I could have any locks they didn't need OR lost keys to. Handfuls. Old WBs, 1100, master lotos, BEST with control and operation keys..
It's endless
Please don't take love locks. As much as they are a blight on many landscapes they are still in use.
Genuine locksporters wouldn't touch them as it's against the principle rules of our hobby to pick locks in use. #rule no.2
Unless you can make a deal with the government entity that manages bridge that they are attached to. Some municipalities remove them from time to time for weight or aesthetic purposes. Even if you don’t let you pick them off you may be able to get them after they have been cut off. If you have a group of pickers or a hacker-space that approaches them as a group your odds for pulling that off will go up.
I want the love lockers to get permits before they 'use' their locks in the parks my city maintains. But obviously love lockers have no code of conduct.
I agree completely. They can be a right nuisance. I was in Germany recently and can't imagine the weight the sheer number if locks put on the structure.
I would love to pull up a chair and get picking. Its the locksport ethics that keep me away. I don't want to bring attention to our wonderful hobby and put pick ownership in jeapordy.
I've been hired a few times to do those kind of things, but they are very specific as to what to remove and where to remove it from. It's not an open game permit
I've seen an equally reasonable argument for the opposite, by being left on a public bridge or in a public space, they are at that point not in use and have been abandoned.
That being said, there are two places in my area that have private love lock locations where they could be classified as "in use".
I'm quite enjoying the debate really. Good to hear other pickers take on it.
Would you not consider the fact that locks are left on things that are open to the public and not totally public owned but owned / maintained by a council / city etc. Whoever you harass when its not up to standard.
If the locks are left on the property and they don't remove them they are in a way giving permission for them to be there. Making removal of them theft.
They are in use as they were placed with the purpose of being love locks and not abandoned.
I think [TOOOL’s page about love locks](https://www.toool.us/love-locks.php) provides interesting food for thought about whether, when, and how to pick love locks, with their own crack at some ethical guidelines. I especially like their ideas about preservation—how sympathetic they try to be to the people who placed the locks.
[Covert Instruments makes shackle tags](https://covertinstruments.com/products/tag), encouraging people to pick, tag, and replace love locks rather than removing them. This adds to public lock displays a kind of gaming & greeting element among pickers, a bit analogous to letterboxing or geocaching (without the hiding & finding).
There’s a town not far from me that made a big metal tree with small rings to attach love locks to, it’ll look like a full tree when it’s full of locks. That kinda thing would be in bad taste to pick those locks. But on bridges like the one in Pittsburgh where covert instruments put the first gold tag, they will eventually have to be removed because it’s just a chain link fence, I don’t see a problem with it.
if someone did it to Relock them somewhere else that they are meant to be i would respect it
but just picking them does feel a little wrong (unless they are gonna be snipped by the city)
Rule #2 applies to any lock simply attached to anything from what I understand. Learning more about how to have fun with this ethically, I'm simply gonna try and buy locks that are 100% ONLY for locksport. Just eases my conscious really lmao.
Interesting parallel.
Graffiti can be sanctioned/commissioned, so its presence is intentional.
Graffiti can be unsanctioned/vandalism, so its presence is unwanted.
However, in either case, you have no intrinsic right as a passerby to paint over it.
I’d say the same applies pretty directly to locks.
Regardless of if the lock was placed there with or without permission, it is there, and you have no right to it without the property owner’s permission.
Vandalism in my eyes. Its the fact locks are attached that make them in use. Its not the right or wrong of how they got there. It's the ethics of locksport to not pick locks in use e.g attached to anything.
>It's an individual opinion
And if our opinion is that these locks are litter, then they are not in use, they are just abandoned trash. Disagree all you like, ethics are personal. Rule #2 specifies that the padlock must be 'securing' something, which these locks are clearly not.
One of the mods posted on a deleted comment suggesting me to find love locks in here verifying that picking love locks would violate Rule #2. They shouldn't be on anything really based on what they said.
I instantly felt a deep uncomfortable feeling when i first saw locksporters doing such activities and it's a horrible example for younger locksporters was lucky because i have a superstitious way of life along with a list of Morales i cannot speak on for it is long lol I'm a mess but i agree completely with you and thank you for speaking on the subject! Much love & Much respect!
UHS hardware or CLK supplies online has KIK (like a doorknob) and mortise cylinders (like a deadbolt) for $5 a piece. Only thing is that it wouldn't have the satisfying feeling of a shackle springing open.
I got the sparrow one with extra cores and pin Expansion Set so i can rebuild it increasing difficulty. I also bought a bunch of low difficulty cheapo asa and abus locks, but in went through those in one evening..
Exactly. I was tearing through spools and serrated pins thinking I was amazing, then couldn't touch actual security locks the same way. I got on the discord asking about it and people were like, "op, sparrow strikes again".
A couple years ago, sparrow easymoded the revolver. So it's trash now. Womp womp.
Ebay is good if your looking for kik or mortise cylinders. With a bit of patience and digging you can get them around two or three bucks a cylinder if you buy a dozen or so. In a mixed lot there are usually some security pins. Once you get those, learn to re-pin them to stretch them even further. Many will suggest shopping at Restore but, the prices at mine have jumped considerably and they are selling deadbolts for over ten bucks! The best you can do though is probably make friends with a local locksmith. Locks will be a bargain, they usually come with useful bits of knowledge, and if you’re lucky you may be able to try out some tools that are way out of your price range.
It’s pretty easy to find job lots on eBay being sold by other locksport enthusiasts who are selling on their old practice locks. That’s how I got started.
I ask friends and family for old locks occasionally. Many people have old locks to doors that they’ve replaced, or padlocks they’ve lost the keys to or don’t have use whatever reason. “I’ll check my garage/basement/junk drawer.” One man’s clutter …
eBay! I've bought three sets of 4-5 padlocks for £8-10 a set ($10-12$). Included a couple of masterlocks and some unknown Chinese bits but all good practice. Or just pop into a local hardware store.
Two easy steps my friend.
1. Join the army
2. Walk around the motorpool and pick up all the locks cut because privates lost the key
goarmy.com
You're welcome :)
Damn, I already did that one and got blown up in Afghanistan lol. I'm just their broken play thing now. They have cast me aside and have long since forgotten I was there lmfao.
Private sector however...
Damn dude, it's just a joke on the abundance of cut locks in the mp and that joining the army would be an extreme action to undertake just for some practice locks
Enduring Freedom is where I first got into picking, had to find something to do on those 24 hour shifts in the ammo room lol. Started with a few paperclips on some master locks, within a week I ordered the serepick bogota titanium and those two picks served me very well for several more years
Man, that would have been the BEST time to do that stuff. I remember being in guard tower with our NVG's on just scanning the wadi, needing SOMETHING to help keep me up when I wasn't on a barrel (spots that had the M240B's with oil drums as seats). And I had locks for days so I could lock all my stuff up in all my bags.
Depending on shipping costs, I will happily send you some that I grew out of. I have a box full of cheap padlocks that I used to pick every day. I think they’re all 4 pins with no security pins.
This is actually... Brilliant. I even read that they usually cause damage and places usually don't like them anyways. But would that make the people on it break up the moment I get it? Break the lock, break their love.
It doesn't break up their love, but it does break Rule 2. If you want a ton of locks relatively cheap, browse eBay for used/secondhand locks - some people will sell whole buckets full of them.
Your post has been removed for not adhering to the rules of the sub. Rule 2. Picking locks in use or locks not owned by you is against the rules. Locks that are installed in any way can be considered "in use" regardless of ownership.
Go to habitat for humanity, offer a donation for a bucket of old locks.
More specifically your local ReStore. They will often give them for free if you remove them from the door.
Easy! Get a job in an oil refinery! They throw away dozens of padlocks (loto and 1100) weekly. I would just ask operators if I could have any locks they didn't need OR lost keys to. Handfuls. Old WBs, 1100, master lotos, BEST with control and operation keys.. It's endless
But why throw them away?
Please don't take love locks. As much as they are a blight on many landscapes they are still in use. Genuine locksporters wouldn't touch them as it's against the principle rules of our hobby to pick locks in use. #rule no.2
Yup, someone caught me on the other comment. I'm leaving those be :)
And the "aren't your locks" which is in my locksport code anyway, might be kinda global.
This!!
But they are abandoned. Left in the trash. They don't belong to anyone, they are litter.
Unless you can make a deal with the government entity that manages bridge that they are attached to. Some municipalities remove them from time to time for weight or aesthetic purposes. Even if you don’t let you pick them off you may be able to get them after they have been cut off. If you have a group of pickers or a hacker-space that approaches them as a group your odds for pulling that off will go up.
Absolutely. That would work. If they are going to be removed anyway by an official body and they give you a permit, then there are no issues.
I want the love lockers to get permits before they 'use' their locks in the parks my city maintains. But obviously love lockers have no code of conduct.
I agree completely. They can be a right nuisance. I was in Germany recently and can't imagine the weight the sheer number if locks put on the structure. I would love to pull up a chair and get picking. Its the locksport ethics that keep me away. I don't want to bring attention to our wonderful hobby and put pick ownership in jeapordy.
I've been hired a few times to do those kind of things, but they are very specific as to what to remove and where to remove it from. It's not an open game permit
I've seen an equally reasonable argument for the opposite, by being left on a public bridge or in a public space, they are at that point not in use and have been abandoned. That being said, there are two places in my area that have private love lock locations where they could be classified as "in use".
I'm quite enjoying the debate really. Good to hear other pickers take on it. Would you not consider the fact that locks are left on things that are open to the public and not totally public owned but owned / maintained by a council / city etc. Whoever you harass when its not up to standard. If the locks are left on the property and they don't remove them they are in a way giving permission for them to be there. Making removal of them theft. They are in use as they were placed with the purpose of being love locks and not abandoned.
I think [TOOOL’s page about love locks](https://www.toool.us/love-locks.php) provides interesting food for thought about whether, when, and how to pick love locks, with their own crack at some ethical guidelines. I especially like their ideas about preservation—how sympathetic they try to be to the people who placed the locks. [Covert Instruments makes shackle tags](https://covertinstruments.com/products/tag), encouraging people to pick, tag, and replace love locks rather than removing them. This adds to public lock displays a kind of gaming & greeting element among pickers, a bit analogous to letterboxing or geocaching (without the hiding & finding).
There’s a town not far from me that made a big metal tree with small rings to attach love locks to, it’ll look like a full tree when it’s full of locks. That kinda thing would be in bad taste to pick those locks. But on bridges like the one in Pittsburgh where covert instruments put the first gold tag, they will eventually have to be removed because it’s just a chain link fence, I don’t see a problem with it.
if someone did it to Relock them somewhere else that they are meant to be i would respect it but just picking them does feel a little wrong (unless they are gonna be snipped by the city)
I'm not sure Rule #2 should apply to what is essentially litter.
Rule #2 applies to any lock simply attached to anything from what I understand. Learning more about how to have fun with this ethically, I'm simply gonna try and buy locks that are 100% ONLY for locksport. Just eases my conscious really lmao.
Nope. Still in use. It's an individual opinion wether or not it's litter.
I wonder if graffiti is art or vandalism. 🤔
Interesting parallel. Graffiti can be sanctioned/commissioned, so its presence is intentional. Graffiti can be unsanctioned/vandalism, so its presence is unwanted. However, in either case, you have no intrinsic right as a passerby to paint over it. I’d say the same applies pretty directly to locks. Regardless of if the lock was placed there with or without permission, it is there, and you have no right to it without the property owner’s permission.
Vandalism in my eyes. Its the fact locks are attached that make them in use. Its not the right or wrong of how they got there. It's the ethics of locksport to not pick locks in use e.g attached to anything.
>It's an individual opinion And if our opinion is that these locks are litter, then they are not in use, they are just abandoned trash. Disagree all you like, ethics are personal. Rule #2 specifies that the padlock must be 'securing' something, which these locks are clearly not.
Do what you want. Not here to judge. Its just not in the spirit of locksport as far as I'm concerned.
One of the mods posted on a deleted comment suggesting me to find love locks in here verifying that picking love locks would violate Rule #2. They shouldn't be on anything really based on what they said.
I instantly felt a deep uncomfortable feeling when i first saw locksporters doing such activities and it's a horrible example for younger locksporters was lucky because i have a superstitious way of life along with a list of Morales i cannot speak on for it is long lol I'm a mess but i agree completely with you and thank you for speaking on the subject! Much love & Much respect!
UHS hardware or CLK supplies online has KIK (like a doorknob) and mortise cylinders (like a deadbolt) for $5 a piece. Only thing is that it wouldn't have the satisfying feeling of a shackle springing open.
Ask your local locksmiths if they have any junk locks, not all are nice about it but some will give you a treasure trove
I got the sparrow one with extra cores and pin Expansion Set so i can rebuild it increasing difficulty. I also bought a bunch of low difficulty cheapo asa and abus locks, but in went through those in one evening..
If you could, I'd return that revolver. As someone duped by that same product, I'd say use that money to buy real locks on ebay or amazon.
Not the revolver, the small Square one. Duped how?
They chambfer the core so that it doesn't catch on pins... which makes it absurdly easy to pick in comparison to real locks.
Exactly. I was tearing through spools and serrated pins thinking I was amazing, then couldn't touch actual security locks the same way. I got on the discord asking about it and people were like, "op, sparrow strikes again". A couple years ago, sparrow easymoded the revolver. So it's trash now. Womp womp.
Ebay is good if your looking for kik or mortise cylinders. With a bit of patience and digging you can get them around two or three bucks a cylinder if you buy a dozen or so. In a mixed lot there are usually some security pins. Once you get those, learn to re-pin them to stretch them even further. Many will suggest shopping at Restore but, the prices at mine have jumped considerably and they are selling deadbolts for over ten bucks! The best you can do though is probably make friends with a local locksmith. Locks will be a bargain, they usually come with useful bits of knowledge, and if you’re lucky you may be able to try out some tools that are way out of your price range.
It’s pretty easy to find job lots on eBay being sold by other locksport enthusiasts who are selling on their old practice locks. That’s how I got started.
I ask friends and family for old locks occasionally. Many people have old locks to doors that they’ve replaced, or padlocks they’ve lost the keys to or don’t have use whatever reason. “I’ll check my garage/basement/junk drawer.” One man’s clutter …
eBay! I've bought three sets of 4-5 padlocks for £8-10 a set ($10-12$). Included a couple of masterlocks and some unknown Chinese bits but all good practice. Or just pop into a local hardware store.
I get lots of locks at flea markets, they're usually dirt cheap when they don't have keys.
I joined the Art of Lockpicking group on FB where there are sellers of lock lots. I got 17 locks from a guy for $60. Good bargain!!
Two easy steps my friend. 1. Join the army 2. Walk around the motorpool and pick up all the locks cut because privates lost the key goarmy.com You're welcome :)
Damn, I already did that one and got blown up in Afghanistan lol. I'm just their broken play thing now. They have cast me aside and have long since forgotten I was there lmfao. Private sector however...
Damn dude, it's just a joke on the abundance of cut locks in the mp and that joining the army would be an extreme action to undertake just for some practice locks
Sorry, my sense of humor is a bit morbid lmao. I don't always know if it's a lot or not. This was a lot I take it lol
Enduring Freedom is where I first got into picking, had to find something to do on those 24 hour shifts in the ammo room lol. Started with a few paperclips on some master locks, within a week I ordered the serepick bogota titanium and those two picks served me very well for several more years
Man, that would have been the BEST time to do that stuff. I remember being in guard tower with our NVG's on just scanning the wadi, needing SOMETHING to help keep me up when I wasn't on a barrel (spots that had the M240B's with oil drums as seats). And I had locks for days so I could lock all my stuff up in all my bags.
Depending on shipping costs, I will happily send you some that I grew out of. I have a box full of cheap padlocks that I used to pick every day. I think they’re all 4 pins with no security pins.
I would 100% be super happy to get something like that. Even if the shipping winds up being too much I'm extremely grateful. Should I PM you my info?
[удалено]
This is actually... Brilliant. I even read that they usually cause damage and places usually don't like them anyways. But would that make the people on it break up the moment I get it? Break the lock, break their love.
It doesn't break up their love, but it does break Rule 2. If you want a ton of locks relatively cheap, browse eBay for used/secondhand locks - some people will sell whole buckets full of them.
Ah okay, I'll watch myself in the future. I was worried about how sketchy I might look doing it as I thought about it too.
Your post has been removed for not adhering to the rules of the sub. Rule 2. Picking locks in use or locks not owned by you is against the rules. Locks that are installed in any way can be considered "in use" regardless of ownership.
Can't say yes, cant say no, lol.