When you find yourself ins a situation where you are locked outside, either from your own home or your car, you'll need professional help to get back inside. You will want to avoid causing damage by breaking in, which means a locksmith needs to use special tools to get the job done. Here are some of those tools that they will use.

The Tools: Tension Wrench and Pick

There will be two essential tools in any locksmith's toolbox that they use for picking locks. One of those is called a tension wrench. This is a basic tool that has an end that resembles a screwdriver with a really flat head. The slim head is small enough that it is able to fit into a keyhole to help unlock the door.

The second tool that a good locksmith needs at their disposal is a metal pick. This tool has a thin piece of curved metal at one end, which is used for fitting inside the lock and reaching the pins. Both of these tools are used together to pick a lock without causing any damage to it.

The Method: Picking the Lock

Your locksmith will start picking the lock by trying to turn the keyhole using a tension wrench to simulate what happens when you use a key to turn the cylinder. All the locksmith needs to do is place their tension wrench inside the keyhole slot and turn their wrench as if it were a key. They'll turn the keyhole as much as they can and leave the tension wrench inside for the moment.

The locksmith will then try to manipulate all of the pins located inside the lock just as if they were using the actual key. The curved end of the tension pick goes inside the lock while keeping their wrench in position.

The goal will be to push up on each pin until it is in the correct position to unlock the door. It can be a low process since once one pin can be manipulated at once. They will push up on each pin until they hear a clicking sound, which can sometimes be very faint and difficult to hear. Once each pin has been lifted into position with the pick, the wrench can be used to turn the keyhole and unlock the door.

A good locksmith should always try to pick a lot to prevent damage from happening to your door. Be cautious of any locksmith that wants to immediately resort to drilling out the lock to gain entry in an emergency. Contact a service, like Bilco Safe & Lock, Inc., for more help.