Locks & Lock Picking: Books, Videos

This advanced manual brings locksmithing into the electronic age, with schematic diagrams for portable electronic picks to open magnetic key and card locks plus templates for making custom tools not available on the commercial market. Tips on enhancing finger sensitivity, increasing concentration power, constructing practice lock boxes and more will help you master the art and science of lock picking. For information purposes only

Steven Hampton became interested in locks and electronics at an early age. At 14 he acquired a set of U.S. Air Force electronic training manuals and began building various transistor circuits by scalping radios and junkyard TVs. At 17 he was making his own lockpicks and was considered a master lockpicker, and by the time he was 18 he'd invented the magnetic padlock, which is still on the market today. After a stint in the navy, he studied digital electronics and worked in many technical fields. He also became interested in the martial arts, studying Tibetan White Crane kung fu, jujitsu and wing chun.
$20.00
Softcover 978-0-87364-515-7 52 pages 5.5" x 8.5" illustrations

In this complete, hands-on guide, security expert Steven Hampton, author of Modern High-Security Locks, tells you everything you need to know to secure your home, business, car and more – without breaking the bank! Affordable Security offers all the tips and insider advice of the top-notch security seminars at a fraction of the cost, from basic, practical, low-tech security measures that have withstood the test of time to sophisticated commercial perimeter alarm systems and motion detectors.

Hampton walks you through a thorough evaluation of your security status, using "security review checklists" that will help you assess your property's vulnerability from every angle, just as a security professional – or a professional burglar – would. Once you've identified the holes in your security, Hampton shows you how to shore it up, from securing doors, windows, yards, sheds and garages using simple but little-known tricks of the trade to creating safe and effective indoor and outdoor lighting solutions to selecting the right type of perimeter alarm system and motion detectors to meet your needs. Finally, he examines the pros and cons of professional versus do-it-yourself alarm installation, including a complete crash course in installing your own system for those so inclined.

Steven Hampton became interested in locks and electronics at an early age. At 14 he acquired a set of U.S. Air Force electronic training manuals and began building various transistor circuits by scalping radios and junkyard TVs. At 17 he was making his own lockpicks and was considered a master lockpicker, and by the time he was 18 he'd invented the magnetic padlock, which is still on the market today. After a stint in the navy, he studied digital electronics and worked in many technical fields. He also became interested in the martial arts, studying Tibetan White Crane kung fu, jujitsu and wing chun.
$39.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-461-0 312 pages 8.5" x 11" photos, illust.

Get step-by-step instruction in using computer-generated curve picks, rockers, magnetic lock picking, lockaid guns and electronic picks. Learn the craft of picking pin tumbler, wafer, tubular cylinder and padlocks; quick, undetectable methods for beating the most popular locks in the U.S.; and how to open safes via drilling, burning bars, thermite and the European explosive method.
$49.95
DVD-R 805966 055930 120 minutes

Volume II of the B and E: A to Z series shows classic covert entry methods, including electronic lock picks, nifty automobile openers, "code-grabbing" automatic garage door openers and two fantastic new tools that will open almost any door.
$49.95
DVD-R 805966 058238 66 minutes

Eddie the Wire thought he'd written all he could about lock picking and the like, and then he came across some old mimeographed pages by the man who made the tools for Houdini. Eddie was again inspired and came up with some magic of his own. Eddie's Iron is truly new and revolutionary, so different in its concept that it was kept under wraps while the book was being produced. Follow Eddie's advice and make your own superior Eddie's Iron now - if locks interest you or picking a lock presents a challenge that you can't resist, then this book's for you! For information purposes only.
$14.95
Softcover 978-1-55950-245-0 72 pages 5.5" x 8.5" photos, illust.

Let one of the best lock pickers in the business demonstrate the fastest ways to open locks. Special see-through locks show how picks, rakes, snap guns and electronic picks exploit the weaknesses of everything from simple wafers to complex pin tumblers. This video is a must for professional locksmiths. For information purposes only.
$29.95
DVD-R 805966 056234 60 minutes

After watching High-Speed Entry, you'll have no problem going right through high-security locks, hard-plate protection, rim-and-mortise cylinder dead bolts, brick walls and steel bolts.

This information is all new and it all works. Learn how the experts get into, out of, around or through anything in the blink of an eye with the latest high-tech tools. For information purposes only.
$19.95
DVD-R 805966 057439 61 minutes

This easy-to-understand, fully illustrated manual is a fine primer on the art of locksmithing without specialized tools. It discusses using jimmie and "shove knives," screwdrivers, drills, door frame spreaders, hacksaw blades, thumb tacks, elastic bands, and other common tools and items to open doors, windows, desks, and cabinets. This classic booklet is fascinating reading for professional locksmiths or anyone interested in this useful skill.
$10.00
Softcover 978-0-87364-419-2 24 pages 5.5" x 8.5" illustrations

Master locksmith Steven Hampton has more than 40 years of experience in designing different ways to open locks without keys and has personally taught dozens of today's most talented locksmiths. In Improvised Lock Picking, Hampton reveals little-known secrets for devising quick and easy lock-picking tools on the spot, using common household items found in the average home, office or garage. Through photos and detailed exploded drawings, you'll see how these improvised tools can be used to open a wide variety of locks found all over the world. You'll also find out how to get inside a front door with a safety pin, open magnetic card readers, defeat the extremely difficult Master combination padlock and much more. The key to never being locked out of anywhere is knowing how to instantly improvise the right tool for the right lock. This book will show you how. For academic study only.

Steven Hampton became interested in locks and electronics at an early age. At 14 he acquired a set of U.S. Air Force electronic training manuals and began building various transistor circuits by scalping radios and junkyard TVs. At 17 he was making his own lockpicks and was considered a master lockpicker, and by the time he was 18 he'd invented the magnetic padlock, which is still on the market today. After a stint in the navy, he studied digital electronics and worked in many technical fields. He also became interested in the martial arts, studying Tibetan White Crane kung fu, jujitsu and wing chun.
$25.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-396-5 82 pages 8.5" x 11" photos, illust.

Master locksmith Steven Hampton, author of the best-selling Secrets of Lock Picking, takes the art of picking locks one step further with Modern High-Security Locks. Here, he collects some of today's most popular pick-resistant locks and sets out to see which ones hold up to their claims. However complex a lock gets, it must be durable, dependable and user-friendly. It has to be tough enough to endure physical attack, but it can't be machined too tight or it will jam up with just a breath of dust. It must be simple and easy to lock and unlock with its key, or the customer will not pay the higher price for it. It is this delicate balance between security and utility that allows the locksmith to open this new generation of locks. Hampton shows locksmiths how each lock is picked and how long it will take. He details the tools of the trade and includes patterns and instructions for making your own picks and tension wrenches. He even includes ancient Tibetan Buddhist tantric visualization exercises to help locksmiths learn to "see" the inner workings of the lock within the mind's eye. Veteran locksmiths or those new to the trade will find Hampton's latest book an invaluable sourcebook. For academic study only.

Steven Hampton became interested in locks and electronics at an early age. At 14 he acquired a set of U.S. Air Force electronic training manuals and began building various transistor circuits by scalping radios and junkyard TVs. At 17 he was making his own lockpicks and was considered a master lockpicker, and by the time he was 18 he'd invented the magnetic padlock, which is still on the market today. After a stint in the navy, he studied digital electronics and worked in many technical fields. He also became interested in the martial arts, studying Tibetan White Crane kung fu, jujitsu and wing chun.
$20.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-295-1 144 pages 5.5" x 8.5"

It is incredibly easy to forget the combination to padlocks on your own tool shed, gym locker or anyplace else these common locks are found. This handy guide teaches one thing: how to open a padlock whose combination is lost. Dissatisfied with books that showed methods that didn't allow entry into all locks or made it difficult to always accurately find the first or third number, usually the main basis for their technique, author Carl Black devised a foolproof system that allows quick entry into all combination padlocks in minutes without any guesswork or tools. He explains how it works with clear instructions and illustrations and gives problem-solving tips for difficult locks. For information purposes only.

Carl Black is a security officer and served in the U.S. Army for three years. After a lifelong fascination with locks and lock manipulation, he decided to pass on the sure-fire techniques he has developed.
$15.00
Softcover 978-1-58160-368-2 64 pages 5.5" x 8.5" 27 illustrations

This book tells how pick guns work and how to use them and traces their development from their inception to the revolutionary devices of today. Included are the original patents by Epstein, Segal, Moore, Cooke and others, as well as info on pick guns used by the FBI and intelligence agencies. Photos depict improvised devices made out of coat hangers and clothespins. For academic study only.
$20.00
Softcover 978-0-87364-510-2 128 pages 5.5" x 8.5" photos, illust.

Master locksmith Steven Hampton reveals here the tricks and tools for bypassing keyed and combination locks from pin tumbler locks, mushroom and spool pin tumbler locks, wafer tumbler locks, warded locks and disk tumbler locks to tubular cylinder locks, magnetic locks, door locks, padlocks and automobile locks. Find the key to "seeing" into every lock and discovering its simplicity.

Steven Hampton became interested in locks and electronics at an early age. At 14 he acquired a set of U.S. Air Force electronic training manuals and began building various transistor circuits by scalping radios and junkyard TVs. At 17 he was making his own lockpicks and was considered a master lockpicker, and by the time he was 18 he'd invented the magnetic padlock, which is still on the market today. After a stint in the navy, he studied digital electronics and worked in many technical fields. He also became interested in the martial arts, studying Tibetan White Crane kung fu, jujitsu and wing chun.
$25.00
Softcover 978-0-87364-423-5 72 pages 5.5" x 8.5" illustrations

Champion lock picker Ron Reed presents a video seminar on high-tech picking methods. He gives advanced tips for minimum hassle and demonstrates the proper use of the amazing electronic lock pick on a variety of security locks. For academic study only.
$19.95
DVD-R 805966 058235 50 minutes

One of the most precise, detailed books ever, this illustrated manual is destined to become the professional locksmith's bible. You'll learn how to open all kinds of locks, plus how to thwart tampering with locks (to protect your valuables). Of course, this former Loompanics book is intended for legal entry only, but you'll gain confidence knowing that you can get in through any door without a key! For academic study only
$14.95
Softcover 978-1-58160-508-2 80 pages 5.5" x 8.5" illustrations