Lockpicking
Lockpicking involves lifting or raking the pins until they set and you can open the lock. Raking is a picking technique in which several pin may be set at the shear line simultaneously. While pin-at-a-time picking is usually the most reliable way to open a given lock (and the skills used essential for mastery of other techniques), raking can sometimes open a lock more quickly. Often raking is used to best effect in conjunction with pin-at-a-time picking.
There are many different styles of raking, some of which entail the use of special rake picks specifically designed for a particular technique. You do not need to master them all, and it is certainly not necessary to accumulate a large collection of different rakes. However, it is worth experimenting with different rakes and raking techniques to find one or two that work well for you.
Sawtooth -
These have 4 or more very acute peaks along the length of the pick's edge. When inserted quickly in and out of the keyway and rubbed along the bottoms of the pins, they tend to make each pin stack "jump" rapidly. As the peaks hit the pin stacks, energy is transferred from the bottom pins to the top pins.Apply very light torque while energetically moving the sawtooth rake in and out of the keyway. Do not push up hard against the pins; use just enough pressure to cause the pin stacks to jump.
Rubbing - Many locks are grossly misaligned and are therefore very forgiving of chaotic picking technique. Rubbing exploits this by simulating several passes of pin-at-a-time picking in a few "strokes" across the pin stacks.While applying light to moderate torque, push and pull a gently rounded rake pick from front to back and back to front along the pin stacks. Vary the amount of lifting between strokes but do not force the pins, lest you overset them. Alternatively, you can use the rounded edge of an inverted hook pick instead of a special rake pick.
