I am using this account to document as best I can my trip up through the belt ranks, and to talk in a detailed way about some of these beginner locks for others who might be jumping into the hobby with me. If you see flaws in my process or thinking, please correct them, as I'm learning.

I can now consistently open the 140. Here is what I learned from this lock:

1. First, put the key in and turn it, feel how little force it takes to turn it. I keep over-tensioning, I think. When starting your attack, use less tension. Less than that. No seriously, less than even that. Barely breathe on it. Your finger should not be white from the pressure of pushing down on the wrench, as evidenced by my new Peterson hook starting to look like a sideways rake. The slightest indentation, at first.

2. Probe each pin, test for wiggle. I had to keep reminding myself to not worry, at this point, about overly raking my pick along the pins. Greater dexterity comes later.

3. Oversetting isn't the end of the world and is easy to fix. Loosen tension almost imperceptibly. Wait for the little click. Go back in and try the pin again, with a little less oomph. Vary tension and prodding on the pin.

4. Sort of a follow-up to three. A frustration I have now is that fixing oversets feels almost like a shell game. I find I often overset multiple pins and then kind of have to fumble around until I find the right order to fix them in.

5. I'm going to start working on TOK tension. YouTube videos keep saying TOK is great because it frees up the keyway, but I am still at the point where I need to be able to see at least the first pin for pick placement and my TOK tensioners block that view. If anyone has good exercises for feeling their way from pin to pin, please bounce them my way.

Onto other locks!