Secrets of Lock Picking

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.