How To Pick A Lock With A Paperclip? Step by Step Guide
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Last Updated on May 2, 2024 by Vincent Zhu
Want to learn how to pick a lock with a paperclip? Here is an easy process of picking a lock with a paperclip:
- Create a lock pick and a tension wrench using paper clips.
- Once done, insert the tension wrench on the bottom part of the keyhole.
- Turn the tension wrench.
- Place the pick on the upper part of the keyhole, then jiggle it upward.
- Look for the pins, then push them until the lock opens.
With the proper steps, it is easy to pick a door lock with a paperclip. This life hack is something you must learn, especially if you frequently lose your keys or you easily forget your codes.
Now, let’s introduce all these steps to pick a lock with a paperclip.
What Tools Will You Need?
You must prepare beforehand to pick the lock with the paper clip. These items are easy to find. You may have them in your house or your toolbox. If you don’t have them, you can purchase them online or visit the nearest hardware store.
Paperclips
You will need two paper clips—one for the lock pick and the other for the tension wrench.
The paper clips must be large, not too large, so they cannot fit into the keyhole. They must also be long enough to reach the pins inside the keyhole while giving you enough space to hold them firmly. 2 inches long would do the work.
As much as possible, the paper clips must be made of metal so they won’t break easily as you apply some pressure. If you don’t have paper clips, use bobby pins and thin wires as alternatives.
Pliers
The best options for pliers are needle-nose pliers. They are specifically designed for bending thin wires for jewelry-making. You can use 6-inch to 8-inch needle-nose pliers.
Choose a handle with a concave-convex design and anti-slip features for a comfortable grip. Also, it must have durable and strong jaws for quick bending and cutting.
If you don’t have any pliers available in your home, you can also use your hands to bend the paper clips. However, this may slow you down, take a lot of effort, and cause you to accidentally cut your hands.
How to Pick a Lock with Paper Clips
Now, our first step in improvised lock picking is crafting our tools.
Contrary to what happens in the movies, we need two tools to pick a lock—a tension wrench and a lock pick.
The goal of picking locks with paper clips is to mimic both tools. This naturally means we will need two paper clips as it’s sadly impossible to pick a lock with one– unless you cut it in half.
I also highly recommend a set of needle-nose pliers or any other tool to bend your paper clips. This will help you make smaller and more precise bends, which will help your paperclip lock pick fit and slide within the lock more easily.
Step 1: Make Your Tension Wrench!
The first step will be making our tensioning tool. This tool performs two tasks.
- Applies a binding force: Firstly, the tension wrench applies a binding force to the pins. This binding force allows us to lift the pins and “set” them between the lock’s core and housing—thus keeping them out of the way and disengaging the lock. To better understand this, check out the illustration below.
- Acts like a key: The tension wrench’s second task is to mimic the key and give us the leverage we need to rotate and disengage the lock once we have picked all the pins!
Bend #1: Straighten Out Your Paperclip
Okay, so our first step is to straighten the center of our paperclip, as illustrated below!
Bend #2: Crimp the Fat Side
Next, we need to crimp the bigger end of our paperclip. Because this is the part that will fit in the keyway, we want to make it as small and tight as possible.
This is where our pliers will come in handy; if you don’t have pliers, look around for something hard—like a rock—and use that and the ground to crimp your paperclip.
Bend #3: 90° Bend to the Side
Alright, one final bend! Next, take the end that we just crimped about a pinky finger width, and make a 90-degree bend on the paperclip to the side! If you do not have pliers, stick your crimped end slightly into the keyway and apply your bend.
It would help if you made the bend sideways, as illustrated above. If you fail to bend it this way, your tension tool will be too thin and slip in the keyway while under force.
Now, let’s move on to our paperclip lock pick!
Step 2: Make Your Paperclip Lock Pick!
The Art of Lock Picking typically uses two types of lock picks: hooks and rakes. Of these two types, rakes are the easiest and quickest to use.
So, for simplicity and speed, we will make and use a “rake type lock pick” by copying the rake template above.
Let’s get bending!
Bend #1: Straighten Out Your Paperclip
Our first step is to straighten the large paperclip section, as seen below.
Bend #2: Bend the Tip Downward
Next, we must bend the end of our paperclip into our wavy rake!
If you are using pliers, grab as little of the tip as you possibly can and bend it 90 degrees downward—the smaller you can make these bends, the better!
Bend #3: Finish Your Bends
Now, your pliers can grip just before your first bend. This time, bend 90 degrees upward—again, the smaller, the better.
Continue to make two more small 90-degree bends alternating in direction. After your last bend, you should have something like the one below!
Step 3: Apply Tension!
Now that we have our tools, it’s time to get picked finally! Start by inserting the short end of your paperclip tension wrench into the bottom of the keyway, as shown below.
Next, apply a very, VERY light force on the tension wrench in the direction you would naturally turn the key.
Now, when I say light force, I mean very light. Think of the force it takes to press a key down on your keyboard or even the weight of a penny—this is how light we are talking.
You are now applying tension to the lock, and the pins are likely binding and ready to set!
Step 4: Rake The Lock!
While maintaining light tension throughout this step, insert your paperclip lock pick into the keyway with the two bumps facing the pins.
Push your lock pick into the lock until you feel it hit the rear of the keyway.
Next, press your lock pick against the pins until you can feel them slightly lifting. At this point, begin scrubbing the pins back and forth—similar to brushing your teeth.
Continue to rake the lock for 10 to 15 seconds. If the lock still doesn’t open, remove your pick and reset the pins by pushing your tension wrench in the opposite direction. Watch for pins dropping!
After resetting the pins, apply tension and rake the lock once again. Continue raking and resetting the lock until you feel the keyway turn significantly.
Step 5: Turn and Open!
While raking, you feel the plug rotate significantly in the direction you are tensioning.
Apply heavier tension and rotate the keyway until the lock fully disengages!
Congratulations, you have just picked your first lock!
Note: Paperclips are very soft metal and risk bending while raking. If this occurs, take the time to straighten out your lock pick before continuing to minimize the risk of it snagging and breaking within the lock.
You can still have problems when picking a lock with a paperclip; you can check the following video:
Conclusion
Do you find our tutorial on how to pick a lock with a paperclip satisfying? You can now pick a lock using a paper clip by following the steps correctly. You won’t have to wait for a locksmith while you are locked outside your house. Just collect all the items needed and quickly get into your house.
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