How to Pick a Cabinet Lock?

Cabinet locks are essential to keep your important assets safe in your cabinet. It’s important to know how to pick a cabinet lock. These locks restrict the authorization so that not every individual can open the specific cabinets. These locks are usually used to keep your belongings, such as computers, important documents, guns, and machinery, safe. Experts design these locks in such a comprehensive way that makes them burglary-safe. 

They come with high security features. The look of these locks is not just like a traditional lock, but they usually come with a round shape, which has the lock in the middle and a circle of pins around the main lock. It gives a beautiful and comprehensive look to your cabinet.

What is a Cabinet Lock?

A cabinet door lock is a simpler yet smarter way to keep your belongings safe. This type of lock is designed to secure your cupboard or cabinet. They are also used for security purposes. Usually, people may not even think about these locks as they think about other types of locks for security purposes. 

However, cabinet locks are as important as other locks such as smart door locks. As they serve the same purpose of securing your important things. You can put any kind of valuable things, property papers, business documents, dangerous chemicals, or any other thing that you want to hide from others and keep safe.

A number of companies are providing the expert services of cabinet locks. This is the age of technology so you should go for smart locks to enhance the experience. The reputable companies set up the smart lock on your cabinet and you can monitor the activity to check the security. Some of them also provide you a lock pick key in case of any emergency or inactivity of the smart lock.

The setup and monitoring is done with the help of an app where you can check the lock and unlock activity of the specific cabinet. In addition to this, you will be capable of giving grants of access to the trusted people if you want. In this way, things will be more manageable and trustworthy for you.

How to Pick a Cabinet Lock?

Whenever you are going to select your cabinet lock, you should know an easy way to pick lock. Believe me, knowing picking your lock is as important as selecting a cabinet lock. The market contains various types of cabinet locks. 

However, I recommend you to go for the locks that are hard to pick. In this way, it would be difficult for thieves to even think about the picking formula for your selected lock. However, you should know how to pick a cabinet lock as you cannot call the professionals in case of any need. In some cases, you may get the problem with your door lock at night. So, what to do? For such emergency situations you should know the easy picking methods by yourself. Let’s explore the steps to pick a cabinet lock easily. 

Tips for Smart Lock Picking

Before going to pick a smart cabinet lock, you should prepare for it. Keep in mind that desired preparation for the procedure will bring ease for you and make the procedure smooth. You should follow a number for steps in this regard. There are more strange aspects to picking a lock than you would ever think. When you are having a smart cabinet lock then you also need to learn about picking it. 

As you can get the problem at any time of the day and most probably it would not be possible for you to call a locksmith at a strange hour of the day. In such a situation, if you know how to pick a lock smartly, it would serve as a sigh of relief for you. Also, it is crucial for a locksmith to excel his skills in picking a lock without hurting the lock much. 

The purpose of smart cabinet locks is to provide you with more security, so it would be a bit difficult to open a smart lock without a key. Hence, having the right tool and a little practice will make it possible for you to pick a lock. The most successful methods of picking a lock include picking the lock with a pipe pick, a ballpoint pen, a paper clip, and a nail clipper file. Amongst all, you should go for the ballpoint technique first, if it does not work then go for the others.

• To excel the expertise, you may purchase a practice lock. These locks are created transparent so you can practice the skill by noticing what’s happening inside the lock when you are performing a specific task to pick it. Be careful while practicing, as you can skip the step when you do not know about the actual technique and just try to open with trial and error. 
• The dirt in locks can be a reason for their damage or jamming. So, consider cleaning a lock before even thinking about picking it. Use soap and warm water to reach the goal of cleaning the lock by removing any kind of dust or rust. Try to remove as much rust as you can if rust is a reason to lock the cabinet lock. The cleaning process will make it easy for you to pick the lock. So, this step is crucial to attain your goal.

Methods of Picking a Lock

1. Use a Ballpoint Pen

Are you looking for an easy way to pick a lock? Using a ballpoint would be your utmost choice. You should follow the following steps to make it happen. Have a look!

Step 1. The first and foremost step is to have a ballpoint and a scissors. Cut off the end of the pen by using scissors. After that, you have to remove the ink tube. All you need to perform the procedure is the outside of the pen. It will help you in opening the lock. It’s okay if there is no need to cut the pen to remove its ink tube. Simply remove the ink tube and you are good to go. Here, the most important thing to consider is to check the diameter of the pen. It must be smaller than the lock so that you can unlock it. 

Step 2. To make the process of picking the lock easy for you, you have to make the pen flexible enough. For this, make four steep incisions in the back side of the pen. You can use scissors to perform this step.

Step 3. Now, it’s time to unlock the lock. Insert the prepared ballpoint handle into the lock. Keep the handle in one hand when you feel it is tucking into the lock in a well-mannered way. After that, use the other hand to shake the lock. Repeat the step of shaking the lock forcefully and continuously until it makes the lock open. Do several steps. Still, if you can’t open the lock, then it’s time to call a locksmith.

2. Use a Nail Clipper File

Step 1. You must have a nail clipper file at your home. You can use that to unlock the lock easily. It just needs a few steps to perform the procedure and you will achieve your goal of picking the lock on your own. Take the nail clipper and check if it has the curved tip. The curved tip is necessary as it will help you in picking the lock. Usually, a pair of nail clippers has such a nail file with it.

When you have decided to use that nail file to pick the lock, then separate the nail file from the nail clipper as you just need the file to perform the procedure. To do so, straighten the file by moving it and hold at the location near to clippers. You are free to slide the nail file whether you want to slide it counterclockwise or clockwise.

Step 2. Focus on the keyhole and insert the nail filer into it. Hold the tool in such a way that its curved tip remains downward and it would happen when you hold the filer up to the downside of the keyhole. After that, you need to drive the nail filer into the keyhole. Move it as far as it is possible for you. It is not a difficult task to move most of the file inside the lock as it has a slippery surface. So, it will easily slip inside. Nail clipper file serves as a best tool for picking a lock as the slight curve in its tip makes it easy to move inside the lock.

Step 3. Now, you are near to experience the unlocking of your lock without more damage. It is the time to determine the right way to unlock the key. For this, turn the file from side to side. In addition to this, do some movements of the file counter-clockwise and clockwise. These movements will make it possible to assess the right position. Once you find the position, the file will slide easily inside the lock. 

You may call this step a trial and error or an experimentation step. But this step is necessary and just needs a little practice to perform. 

Tip: You should turn the file in the direction where you turn the lock key. For example, turn the file clockwise if you turn the key clockwise to open the lock. 

Step 4. Now, it’s time to jiggle the file in a downward and upward direction. This step allows the release of the locking mechanism. Sometimes, you just make a bit of pressure to unlock the cabinet lock easily as the nail file is created in such a way that fits the keyhole. Just do 4-5 attempts by filing down and up. In this way, the pins of the lock move away and you will be able to open the particular cabinet.

Step 5. Now, it is the time to unlock the keyhole by spinning the filer in the right direction. You may hear the locking collapse sound. 

Step 6. Congratulations, you have unlocked the cabinet lock. Now, open the cabinet by removing the file from the keyhole. You can again lock the cabinet by moving the nail file into the other direction as before.

FAQs

What to do if you lose a key to a file cabinet?

The best solution in this situation is to call a locksmith. When you lose a key to your file cabinet, it would be difficult for you to wait for hours so that company can send professionals for your help.

How do you crack a cabinet lock?

You can crack the cabinet lock just by using a paper clip. You need 2 clips to do so. Use 1 clip as a rake pick and the other one as a tensioning device. Keep the direction where the lock would unlock and give a little tension there. Open all pins by scraping them and you are good to go.

How to break a lock if the key is lost?

A number of methods are available to pick a lock on your own. However, you should choose one as per your convenience. These methods include the use of a knife, use of paper clips, the use of a wire cloth hanger, and much more.

Conclusion

Among a number of cabinet smart locks, try choosing the one that comes with high-security. In this way, it would be difficult to pick the cabinet lock but you will feel more secure when you are not around the cabinet. Also, in case of any problem, the above-mentioned methods of picking the lock will be helpful for you. We have provided a step-by-step guide so that in case of any inconvenience you can solve the problem on your own. As there are times when you cannot call a locksmith but you urgently need your documents locked inside the cabinet.