It looks like a lot of people want to pick locks!

This is going to be more of a "10 minutes of instruction and then we're going to chill out and I'm going to offer pointers" session than a formal class, and it will go as long as people are content to keep trying. The topic will be very intro-grade: I will try to bring a pair of Best dual keyline locks for the more experienced, but if you are prepped to tackle that I would really appreciate your help running the class as a co-instructor.

Please bring your own lockpicks and some locks if possible. I do not have enough for a large class.

Lockpicks are widely available online and do ship legally to California as of summer 2008. A set is about 15 dollars and a good large set is about 25. A single large set should be enough to get perhaps three people started. You do not actually need a wide variety of picks as a beginner, (I'm intermediate but still pretty much only use a ball pick and a regular torque bar). You just need picks of reasonable quality which aren't going to get all dented and weird on you. Mine are southord, they are good quality but sadly the company has raised their prices since I got into this. Please don't just bring a rake and a torque bar and nothing else.

An excellent introductory lock is a master padlock. We'll trade locks around like a potluck so you won't pick the same lock over and over all night. If anybody wants to bring master combination locks we can do a side-session on cracking those.

As lockpicking is a bit of a skill it will require time and patience. Please feel free to bring dinner, music, a beer, etc as we'll probably sit around and practice for a good long while. I'm going to advise against multiple beers because of the fine motor skills required. :p

PS: If the original instructor of this class wants it back or wants to co-teach, you can have it! I just saw what I thought was a need and now I'm trying to fill it.