I don't think i mentioned this. Two days ago i managed to open my father's locked drawer in his former workplace that he forgot the key to with two paperclips improvised into a tension wrench and a simple hook lockpick.
He now promised he'd buy me my full set of professional lockpicks. Finally, i'm going to be able to really get into the hobby! HOORAY FOR NEAR-USELESS SKILL SETS!!
Also, i'd totally recommend it to anyone and everyone. It's a really satisfying feeling when you've been working the tumblers for a good 4-5 minutes and suddenly you get a full cylinder turn. It's nearly meditative. You're there, messing around with the tumblers, the springs, trying to navigate the false sets, resetting them, raking, and you absolutely CAN'T LOSE YOUR FOCUS. You're forced to be patient in order to be able to feel each individual tumbler setting. If you're not a patient person, you're going to become one. Not to mention you can't put too much tension on the cylinder otherwise you're not going to have a set.
It's amazing. Just remembering that i did it with improvised tools makes me feel like a boss. Plus, everyone in my father's work looked at me like i was some kind of MacGyver.
Being compared to MacGyver is pretty awesome.