Reading time: 6 minutes / Lars Buchwald / 08/08/2025

The Art of Opening

Contents of the Article

→ Why we pick locks in the first place

→ The roots: Yale, Bramah & the man who cracked the uncrackable

→ Lockpicks go industrial – welcome to the post-war era

→ Snap guns, patents and a quantum physicist with too much free time

→ Lockpicking 2.0 – smarter, faster, more connected

→ When sport meets security cylinders – the Dutch Open

→ And tomorrow? Locks that talk – and might even think?

Over the past hundred years, the art of opening has evolved from simple wire bending to high-tech lock picks – a pretty good reflection of our technical progress and the growing desire for more security (or at least clever ways around it). What we now know as modern opening techniques would be unthinkable without countless trials, failed experiments, and the almost stoic persistence of those who came before us.

Why do we do what we do?

Sometimes it's quite simple: a problem arises – so someone has to solve it. That’s probably what Alfred Hobbs thought too, the man who would later cause a small revolution at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851. Today, many years later, we see it as our duty to carry Hobbs’ spirit forward and tackle the modern challenges of our century. No less exciting than back then, but with very different possibilities. So let’s begin with a look into the past – and, of course, a glimpse into the future.

The Beginning & Industrialisation (up to around 1950)

Linus Yale Jr. – The man who gave us the cylinder lock
Born in 1821 in the state of New York, Yale Jr. was something like the Steve Jobs of lock pioneers – only with metal, and a bit less marketing. His father, Linus Yale Sr., was already a passionate lockmaker. But Yale Jr. thought to himself: “It can be made even more secure.” And so, in 1861, he invented a lock that still accompanies us today – the pin tumbler lock.

The invention found in (almost) every door

What made it so special? Tiny pins that would only align correctly inside the housing when the right key – with the exact matching cuts – was inserted. Suddenly, the key was flat and practical in design. A shape that has hardly changed to this day. And if you’re holding a cylinder lock now – whether made by Yale or any other manufacturer – it’s still built on the same concept he envisioned and realised back then. Some things are simply hard to improve.

Many years before Yale, another man designed a lock that would become legendary: Joseph Bramah, and his “Bramah lock – a lock for the ages”.
Born on 13 April 1748 in Yorkshire, England, he was an inventor, engineer, and mechanic. Joseph Bramah spent around six years developing his famous high-security lock before patenting it in 1784. A high-security lock with a cylindrical key and rotating sliders inside – more than 18 moving parts in an incredibly compact space. For the time (and frankly, even by today’s standards), it was a masterstroke of engineering.

He was so confident in his creation that he put up a sign in his London shop:

“Whoever can open this lock shall receive 200 guineas.”

That was equivalent to several years’ wages for an average worker – a bold challenge indeed. And what happened? For nearly 70 years, no one succeeded. It wasn’t until 1851, during the legendary Great Exhibition at London’s Crystal Palace, that the American lockpicker and security engineer Alfred Charles Hobbs managed to open the supposedly “unpickable” Bramah lock – a lock that had withstood all attempts for 67 years. Hobbs spent a total of 51 hours over 16 days working on it, under tightly controlled conditions and using purely mechanical methods.

Despite his success, Hobbs later expressed deep respect for Bramah’s work. In his own words, he called the lock “a remarkable mechanical achievement”, far ahead of its time. But his demonstration had far-reaching consequences:

“The notion of absolute security is a fallacy.” – A.C. Hobbs, Locks and Safes (1853)

With this sentence, Hobbs not only ushered in a new era but fundamentally changed how people thought about security. Manufacturers worldwide began focusing not just on protection, but on defining resistance time – asking the key question: How long can a lock withstand an attack? Thus, Hobbs’ cracking of the Bramah lock marked the beginning of modern security technology – moving away from the myth of the unpickable lock toward a realistic assessment of risk. A mindset that still forms the backbone of professional lock design today.

Mechanics Meet Electronics (1950–1990)

From the 1950s: Lockpicks become industrial products

In the post-war era, more precisely from the 1950s onwards, lockpicking evolved from a domain of individual tinkerers into a serious craft with professional ambition. Pick sets, previously improvised from watchmaker’s steel, fret saw blades or guitar strings, were now manufactured industrially – for the first time standardised, durable, and ready to use straight out of the box. Spring steel became the new gold standard: robust, elastic, and perfectly suited for repeated pressure in narrow keyways. This technical progress also reshaped professional practices: locksmiths, authorities and emergency services increasingly adopted pick tools as part of their regular equipment – complete with training and manuals. Lockpicking became more legitimate – and, above all, more mechanical.

The snap gun patent shock – when seconds suddenly became enough

As early as the 1930s and 1940s, the first patents for so-called "snap guns" – also known as pick guns – began to appear. Their principle: a rapid impulse (mechanical, or nowadays electric) causes a striker to hit the pick, which in turn makes the pins in the lock “snap” upwards. With a bit of luck (and skill), the cylinder rotates straight away – click, door open. What used to take minutes – or even much longer – could now be done in seconds. For police, fire services and security forces, a real gamechanger. The earliest US patents for this technique include one by Herman G. Frank (Patent No. 2,020,925, 1935), later refined for tactical use.

Nobel laureate Richard Feynman – when the man behind the Manhattan Project got bored

And then there was Richard Feynman. Physicist, quantum icon, Nobel Prize winner – and one of the minds behind the Manhattan Project. In his free time – while others played cards or chess – Feynman picked locks. As he later said, “out of childlike curiosity.” He analysed combination locks through logical deduction, tested office safes for weaknesses – and explained with charm and wit how mechanical thinking works. It’s said that Feynman once left a note inside General Groves’ locked safe – Groves being the military director of the entire project. The note read, roughly:

“This lock is not as secure as you think.”

The note caused quite a stir among the security staff – and a wide grin from Feynman. “I never stole anything. I just wanted to understand how it worked.” – Richard Feynman, Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!

If you like, Feynman was the first DIY hacker.

FAQ – Everything You Need to Know.

About the Author

Lars Buchwald has been an integral part of the Multipick team since 2006, where he dedicates his passion and expertise to marketing and graphics. As a trained graphic designer and copywriter, he brings a wealth of experience and creativity to his work, which enables him to convey the messages of the ingenious tools in an appealing and convincing way. With a keen sense for the needs of the target group, he steers Multipick's marketing fortunes. His commitment is characterized by a high degree of sensitivity and the right richer at the right time. 

As a native of Bonn, Lars not only has close ties to the region, but has also firmly integrated his passion for marketing spear tools into his professional work. His attachment to the city is reflected in his work and gives his marketing campaigns an authentic, Bonn touch.

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