Kad sam bio mlad, nije bilo lako doći do informacija o tome kako se brave. Danas^(Nowadays) , naravno, možete pronaći upute na cijelom internetu i mnoštvo YouTube videa koji vam pokazuju što trebate učiniti do vrlo detalja. Uz sve te informacije dostupne besplatno, isplati li se kupiti i knjigu na tu temu? Praktično branje brava^{(Practical Lock Picking)} činilo nam se zanimljivim štivom pa smo ga isprobali. Razgovarajmo o tome u ovoj recenziji.

Prije nego što počneš

Započet ću recenziju na isti način na koji autor započinje knjigu, s etičkim razmatranjima. U prošlosti je bilo teško doći do informacija o otvaranju brava s razlogom - nisu svi koji žele informacije etični, a to je vještina koja se može koristiti za dobro ili za zlo, pa se smatralo mudrim ne širiti informacije okolo slobodno. Iako je pristup informacijama danas puno lakši, činjenica je da nisu svi etični, a brige iz prošlosti ostaju na snazi.

Bez obzira^(Whether) na to dobivate li svoje informacije iz ove knjige ili s interneta, uzmite k srcu dva autorova zlatna pravila o otključavanju brava: Ne otvarajte brave koje ne posjedujete i ne otvarajte brave na koje se oslanjate^{(Do not pick locks you do not own, and do not pick locks on which you rely)} . Dodaje da samo zato što imate ključ ne znači da posjedujete bravu - pomislite na brave na vratima stana ili ureda, na primjer, koje zapravo pripadaju vlasniku zgrade, a ne korisniku. Rečeno je, razgovarajmo o knjizi.

Osnove zaključavanja^(Lock) i kako s njima raditi

Knjiga počinje s dvije najčešće vrste brava, pin tumbler i wafer. Autor detaljno objašnjava mehanizam svake vrste. Ovdje moram napomenuti da je Praktično branje brava^{(Practical Lock Picking)} napisano kao udžbenik, a ne u lakom, prozračnom stilu popularnih računalnih knjiga. Ovdje su sve informacije, ali autorov ton je strogo praktičan i ponekad čini prilično suhoparno čitanje. Međutim, bitno je razumjeti kako brave rade kako biste lakše razumjeli kako ih otvoriti. Nakon što ste prošli kroz osnove, puno je lakše vizualizirati tehnike koje će vas autor naučiti. Prvo^(First) postoji duga rasprava o tome kako se proizvodi svaka vrsta brave.

Nakon odjeljka o proizvodnji, logično, slijedi rasprava o ključevima i načinu rada s bravama. Različiti dijelovi ključa su detaljno opisani.

Tek nakon ove pomne i dugotrajne rasprave o načinu izrade brava i ključeva, zapravo počinje rasprava o tome kako se brave otvaraju.

Uobičajene tehnike i alati za branje brava

Praktično branje brava^{(Practical Lock Picking)} opisuje načine na koje nesavršenosti u proizvodnji olakšavaju branje brava, nešto što mi je bilo najzanimljivije. Brave s kojima ćete se najčešće susresti nisu baš precizni mehanizmi, a način na koji se spajaju – ili ne pristaju – ono je što početnik mora razumjeti. Rupe su malo krivo izbušene, igle ili oblatne mogu biti nesavršeno izrezane i tako dalje, a te nesavršenosti olakšavaju odabir gotove brave. Dobra stvar za početnike, loša stvar za pravu sigurnost.

Tek nakon ove duge rasprave autor se konačno prionuo na posao stvarnog otvaranja brave. Počinje s kopčom i opisuje dvije uobičajene tehnike, podizanje i grabljenje. Za obje tehnike potrebni su specijalizirani alati, ali objašnjenja su detaljna i dobro ilustrirana, pa ako je čitatelj nabavio alate, ne bi trebalo biti teško nastaviti korak po korak kroz upute. Ipak, opet^(Again) , stil pisanja udžbenika može biti malo odvratan. Evo primjera:

Gospodin Ollum^{(Mr. Ollum)} nudi mnoštvo korisnih savjeta iz svog dugogodišnjeg rada s bravama, kako bi početniku pomogao izbjeći loše navike. Postoji mnogo uobičajenih početničkih pogrešaka, od kojih većina čini proces puno težim nego što bi trebao biti, stoga je obraćanje pozornosti na ono što ne smijete činiti jednako važno kao i obraćanje pozornosti na ono što biste trebali raditi. Nakon svega toga slijedi duga i dobro ilustrirana rasprava o alatima koji će vam trebati. Nisam imao pojma da postoji toliko različitih vrsta krakova, alata za zatezanje i drugih uređaja koji olakšavaju posao branja. Početnik ih, naravno, neće htjeti niti trebati sve, ali postoje dobri praktični prijedlozi s kojima će se odlučiti za početak.

Vježbanje i učenje tehnika

Odjeljak pod nazivom "Trening za početnike—Kako postati vrlo dobar, vrlo brz"^{("Beginner Training—How to get very good, very fast")}baš i ne odgovara svom nazivu. Njegova glavna svrha je opisati vrste opreme za vježbanje koju početnik može kupiti ili izraditi, kako bi olakšao proces učenja. Dio "vrlo brzog snalaženja" dolazi tek nakon stjecanja alata za obuku. Odjeljak je prilično dugačak i detaljan, a kratak opis ne bi bio opravdan. Ako kupite ovu knjigu, poželjet ćete pročitati ovaj odjeljak i obratiti posebnu pozornost, jer će praćenje uputa i nabava opreme olakšati učenje. Autor ističe da će gotovo svi imati određeni stupanj uspjeha ako se samo dočepaju bilo koje stare brave i otkinu je, ali ako se čitatelj želi ozbiljno upustiti u učenje zanata, to će zahtijevati više opreme i više truda . Isto vrijedi i za dio tzv"Napredna obuka—učenje nekih dodatnih vještina"^{("Advanced Training—learning some additional skills")} . Ovaj odjeljak bavi se različitim načinima na koje proizvođači pokušavaju učiniti svoje brave "otpornim na habanje", a opet, temeljita rasprava je izvan dosega pregleda. Svaki čitatelj koji ozbiljno želi naučiti zanat također bi trebao obratiti pozornost na ovaj odjeljak i vježbati tehnike koje opisuje. Nakon naprednog dijela slijedi kratak opis specijaliziranih alata za koje autor smatra da su posebno dobri ili posebno loši, te nekoliko vrsta brava koje su dobre za praksu.

Sve te internetske stvari

Ako ste ikada pogledali video o otvaranju lokota pomoću trake izrezane iz aluminijske limenke ili o "udaranju" brave ili na drugi način napadu na nju tako da se otvara bez ključa, možete pročitati o tim tehnikama i zašto se obično rade tako uspješno u praktičnom branju brava^{(Practical Lock Picking)} . Zapravo, autoru, Deviant Ollamu^{(Deviant Ollam)} , naveliko se pripisuje izum tehnike otvaranja lokota s limenkama s trakom sode, iako skromno kaže da ju je samo popularizirao, a nije je izmislio.

On također objašnjava "tipke za udarce" (dobit ćete milijun pogodaka ako to pogledate na YouTubeu^(YouTube) ) i objašnjava tehniku ​​njihove upotrebe—koja uključuje puno manje sile nego što bi neki od tih videozapisa mogli prikazati. I objašnjava kako zaobići neke brave na vratima (nešto što sam znao učiniti dok sam još bio u osnovnoj školi, ali s obzirom na to koliko je to davno bilo, uopće nije iznenađujuće da su proizvođači vrata i brava na vratima te trikove puno otežali dosada).

I stvarno teži dio

Nastavni dio knjige završava raspravom o složenijim i teže biranim vrstama brava: cjevasti, križni i udubljeni. Ove brave nije nemoguće odabrati, ali za to će biti potrebni neki vrlo specijalizirani alati i puno prakse. Čitatelj koji želi preuzeti zadatak učenja ovih specijaliziranih tehnika imat će dug put, rekao bih. Ipak, ako ste dosad pročitali knjigu i vidjeli kako brave i ključevi rade zajedno, moći ćete vidjeti kako te tehnike funkcioniraju čak i ako nemate interesa da ih sami slijedite.

Detalji su izvan opsega pregleda, ali Praktično branje brava^{(Practical Lock Picking)} može poslužiti kao izvrsna referenca ako želite kupiti specijalizirane alate i neke vježbe brave na kojima ćete raditi (imajući na umu dva zlatna pravila, naravno).

Alati za obrt

Posljednji dio knjige posvećen je detaljnom opisu svih vrsta alata za branje. Postoje fotografije i dijagrami različitih konfiguracija pijuka i alata za zatezanje, te rasprava o tome koje su vrste alata najbolje za početnike i koji proizvođači proizvode najkvalitetnije alate. Ovakav savjet mogao bi početnika uštedjeti od trošenja puno novca na alate koji neće raditi.

Ako ozbiljno namjeravate provesti upute u Praktičnom branju brava^{(Practical Lock Picking)} u praksi, dobivanje pravih vrsta alata postavit će vas na pravi put.

Sažetak

Neće svatko pronaći ovu knjigu od interesa jer je to specijalizirana tema. I nije dizajniran za brzo i jednostavno čitanje. To je udžbenik. Iako možete pročitati sve o tome kako odabrati ili pobijediti brave, morat ćete vježbati čak i najjednostavnije tehnike ako želite biti uspješni. Uvijek imajte na umu dva zlatna pravila: Ne birajte bravu koju ne posjedujete i Ne birajte bravu na koju se oslanjate^{(Do not pick a lock you do not own, and Do not pick a lock on which you rely)} . Ako se odlučite prvi put pokušati zaključati automobilsku bravu ili ulazna vrata, saznat ćete zašto su stvorena ova pravila i morat ćete pozvati stručnjaka da popravi ono što ste upravo učinili.

Presuda

Praktično branje brava, drugo izdanje^{(Practical Lock Picking, Second Edition)} , temeljit je, iznimno dobro ilustriran udžbenik koji pruža upute za jednostavne i složene tehnike. Iako ove informacije sigurno možete pronaći tu i tamo na internetu i cijelom YouTubeu^(YouTube) , imati ispisane upute ispred sebe može biti prava pomoć (a ako ih ne dobijete, uvijek možete isprobati te video zapise). Tehnike nisam isprobao jer nemam specijalizirane alate... ali moram priznati, jako razmišljam o nabavi. Imamo kutiju punu starih lokota koji moj muž jednostavno ne može baciti. 🙂

Book Review - Practical Lock Picking, Second Edition, by Deviant Ollam

When I was уoung, information on how to pick locks wаs not easy to come by. Nowadaуѕ, of сourse, you can find instructions all over the internet and a wealth of YouTube videos showіng you what to do in great detail. With all that information available for free, is it worth buying a book on the subject as well? Practical Lock Picking seemed to us like an interesting read so we gave it a try. Let's talk about it in this review.

Before you begin

I will begin the review the same way the author begins the book, with ethical considerations. Information on picking locks was hard to come by in the past for a reason--not everyone who wants the information is ethical, and it's a skill that can be used for good or for ill, so it was thought wise not to spread the information around freely. Although access to the information is much easier today, the fact is that not everyone is ethical, and the concerns of the past remain in force.

Whether you get your information from this book or from the internet, please take to heart the author's two golden rules of lockpicking: Do not pick locks you do not own, and do not pick locks on which you rely. He adds that just because you have a key doesn't mean you own the lock—think of locks on apartment or office doors, for example, which actually belong to the building's owner, not the occupant. That said, let's discuss the book.

Lock basics and how to work with them

The book begins with the two most common types of locks, pin tumbler, and wafer. The author explains the mechanism of each type in detail. I must note here that Practical Lock Picking is written like a textbook rather than in the easy, breezy style of popular how-to computer books. The information's all here, but the author's tone is strictly practical and it makes for rather dry reading sometimes. However, it's essential to understand how locks work in order to more easily understand how to pick them. Once you've gone through the basics it's much easier to visualize the techniques the author will teach you. First there's a lengthy discussion of how each type of lock is manufactured.

The section on manufacturing is followed, logically, by a discussion of keys and how they work with the locks. The various parts of the key are described in detail.

Only after this careful and lengthy discussion of the way locks and keys are made does the discussion of how to pick locks actually begin.

Common lock picking techniques & tools

Practical Lock Picking describes the ways in which manufacturing imperfections make locks easier to pick, something that I found most interesting. The locks you'll most commonly encounter aren't exactly high precision mechanisms, and the way they fit together—or don't quite fit together—is what the beginner needs to understand. Holes are slightly mis-drilled, pins or wafers can be imperfectly cut, and so forth, and those imperfections make the finished lock easier to pick. Good thing for beginners, bad thing for real security.

Only after this lengthy discussion does the author finally get down to the business of actually picking a lock. He starts with pin tumbler locks and describes the two common techniques, lifting and raking. Specialized tools are needed for both techniques, but the explanations are detailed and well illustrated, so if the reader has acquired the tools, it shouldn't be difficult to proceed step by step through the instructions. Again, though, the textbook style of writing may be a little off-putting. Here's an example:

Mr. Ollum offers plenty of helpful hints and tips from his many years of working with locks, to help the beginner avoid bad habits. There are a lot of common beginner mistakes, most of which make the process a lot more difficult than it needs to be, so paying attention to what not to do is just as important as paying attention to what you should be doing. This is all followed by a lengthy and well illustrated discussion of the tools you'll need. I had no idea there were so many different kinds of picks, tension tools and other devices to make the lock picking job easier. A beginner won't want or need all of them, of course, but there are good practical suggestions which to choose to start out with.

Practicing and learning the techniques

The section called "Beginner Training—How to get very good, very fast" doesn't really live up to its name. Its main purpose is to describe the kinds of practice equipment a beginner can purchase or construct, to make the process of learning easier. The "getting good very fast" part only comes after the acquisition of the training tools. The section is quite lengthy and detailed and a brief description wouldn't do it justice. If you buy this book, you will want to read this section and pay close attention, because following the instructions and acquiring the equipment will make learning easier. The author points out that nearly everyone will have a degree of success by just getting hold of any old lock and picking away at it, but if the reader wants to get serious about really learning the craft, it's going to require more equipment and more effort. The same goes for the section called "Advanced Training—learning some additional skills". This section deals with the various ways manufacturers attempt to make their locks "pick resistant," and again, a thorough discussion is beyond the scope of a review. Any reader who is serious about learning the craft should also pay attention to this section and practice the techniques it describes. The advanced section is followed by a brief description of specialized tools that the author thinks are especially good or especially bad, and several kinds of locks that are good for practice.

All that internet stuff

If you've ever looked at a video about opening padlocks with a strip cut out of an aluminum can, or about "bumping" a lock or otherwise assaulting it so that it opens without a key, you can read about these techniques and why they usually work so successfully in Practical Lock Picking. In fact, the author, Deviant Ollam, is widely credited with inventing the strip-of-soda-can technique for opening padlocks even though he modestly says he only popularized it, he didn't invent it.

He also explains "bump keys" (you'll get a bazillion hits if you look that up on YouTube) and explains the technique for using them—which involves a lot less force than some of those videos might make it appear. And he explains how to bypass some door locks (something I knew how to do when I was still in grade school but given how long ago that was, it's not at all surprising that door and door lock manufacturers have made those tricks a lot more difficult by now).

And the really hard part

The instructional part of the book concludes with a discussion of the more complex and more difficult-to-pick types of locks: tubular, cruciform and dimple. These locks are not impossible to pick, but to do so will require some very specialized tools and a lot of practice. The reader who wants to take on the task of learning these specialized techniques is going to have a long road ahead, I would say. Still, if you've read the book so far and have seen how locks and keys work together, you'll be able to see how these techniques work even if you have no interest in pursuing them yourself.

The details are beyond the scope of a review, but Practical Lock Picking can serve as an excellent reference if you wish to buy the specialized tools and some practice locks to work on (keeping in mind the two golden rules, of course).

Tools of the trade

The final section in the book is devoted to a detailed description of lockpicking tools of all kinds. There are photographs and diagrams of the various configurations of picks and tension tools, and a discussion of what kinds of tools are best for beginners, and which manufacturers produce the best quality tools. Having this kind of advice could save a beginner from spending a lot of money on tools that won't work.

If you're serious about putting the instructions in Practical Lock Picking into practice, getting the right kinds of tools will set you on the right path.

Summary

Not everyone will find this book of interest because it's a specialized subject. And it's not designed for quick and easy reading. It's a textbook. While you can read all about how to pick or defeat locks, you're going to need to practice even the simplest techniques if you wish to be successful. Always keep the two golden rules in mind: Do not pick a lock you do not own, and Do not pick a lock on which you rely. If you decide to make your first attempt on your car lock or your front door, you're going to find out why these rules were created, and you're going to have to call in a professional to fix what you just did.

Verdict

Practical Lock Picking, Second Edition, is a thorough, extremely well-illustrated textbook that provides instruction for simple and complex techniques. While you can certainly find this information here and there on the internet and all over YouTube, having the printed instructions in front of you can be a real help (and if you don't get it, you can always try those videos). I have not tried the techniques because I don't have the specialized tools… but I must admit, I am strongly considering getting some. We do have a box full of old padlocks my husband just can't bring himself to throw away. 🙂

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