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I bought a cheap set of picks and got a copy of the "MIT Guide to Lockpicking" and tried to get into it. It was kinda fun at first, but I never had much success. How long do you have to work at it before obtaining any proficiency? All I ever managed to do was bend my picks.

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I got proficient at the scrape method after about a week. Generally, this method involves more luck than skill and can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 15 mins to pick a lock. The pin-at-a-time method is much more difficult. I'm still not super good at that approach, but I don't practice as regularly as I should. They've got these clear plastic training sets you can purchase so you can see the tumblers move up and down. I never bought one, but I can see how they'd be useful: http://www.lockpickshop.com/PSTNX.html

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