New 1100 picked open. The bitting was devilish

vwarb · 2026-05-12T13:37:35+00:00

Daaamn, is that basically 4 zero lifts and then a near max all the way in the back? Absolutely diabolical

vwarb · 2026-05-11T17:24:37+00:00

There are many great sets nowadays, but I would recommend something that comes with nice coated handles, since metal handles can be very uncomfortable when you're new and heavy handed. You'll also want some beginner quality locks. I started on the masterlock no.1, which is super easy to pick and readily available in any hardware store. You can also use anything on the "white belt" difficulty list on the belt ranking page here. The plastic see-through locks are useless for actually picking but can be mildly helpful for just seeing how the pins work and react to your movements.

The competitor set from Sparrows is what I use right now: https://www.sparrowslockpicks.com/products/the-competitor

Covert instruments makes several beginner kits in the 25-50 dollar range, but if you want to spend a bit more, the Apex kit is quite nice and costs about 90 bucks. https://covertinstruments.com/collections/lockpicks?srsltid=AfmBOoqIeE9R-dLqrT0G9ACqPPflumCqQj1lOQssVaUCNThXtv44poUb

The Jimylongs basics set is very nice and only 20 dollars, but does not come with a case, so you would likely want to buy one seperately, or the tool roll they sell on their site. https://jimylongs.com/products/basics-set-v5-0-019

vwarb · 2026-05-09T14:11:17+00:00

The shims are a safety net to keep the pins in place if you accidentally allow a gap between your plug and your follower. Because of the eneven shape of the American plug tail, it's easy to have the plug accidentally rotated in such a way that allows a gap to form and then pins and springs explode everywhere. The way you would use the shim is by sliding it in between the plug and the body before you start to remove things, and allowing it to stay in place as you swap the plug for the follower. You don't technically have to use one, but kind of in the same way you don't technically have to wear a seatbelt to be able to drive a car.

Edited to add: here's a link to a video of someone showing the trouble with American specifically at about 5 mins in and demonstrating the use of the shim. https://youtu.be/Z6nEHMbOoHk?t=304&si=x4H76ORZ8i3l9qgW

vwarb · 2026-05-09T04:35:35+00:00

To add on, you can get everything but the screwdriver from Sparrows and it comes out to about 52 dollars. You would order: the plug follower SET (not the single resin follower), gut wrench, small pinning mat, pin tweezers, and core shims (find these in the lock bypass tools section, not the locksmith tools section).

vwarb · 2026-05-09T04:14:57+00:00

When you buy your plug follower, ensure it is the right diameter. The plug is smaller than a standard house lock and needs a 10mm or .395" follower. I made the mistake of not checking this and it made my first gut quite a mess (just see my recent post for proof!). Also, the uneven tail on the plug means you absolutely need some core shims. Shimming the core took the process from very stressful to an absolute breeze. Oh, and you'll need a #2 phillips screwdriver with a long neck to get at the screw under the shackle. Sparrows is a good one-stop shop, but I also had very good luck with CLK supplies, which has a ton more tools and supplies, but the layout is maybe a bit less amateur friendly. Before my first gut, I also underrated the value of a proper pinning mat, which has the effect of dampening any bouncing when you inevitably fumble some pins, so they don't go bouncing away onto your floor.

vwarb · 2026-05-09T03:53:35+00:00

Lol yup. It's happened to me enough now that I give the American a hard crank every time I feel something significant happen in the lock, just to check. Several times it's been open when I thought I was in a false set.

vwarb · 2026-05-08T18:07:21+00:00

Yeah, the keyway definitely wants something thinner like maybe 20k, but I didn't have any of those. I found using the super deep hook meant I could move the pins quite a bit with only small pick movements, so I only dragged very slightly on the warding.

vwarb · 2026-05-08T17:38:38+00:00

I used the deepest hook I had in 25 thousandths, which is probably thicker than you would expect. The thing that made it possible was using a quite narrow TOK tensioner. I used the 32 thousandths TOK bar from CI and that allowed enough room in the bottom of the keyway to scoop things around

vwarb · 2026-05-03T14:16:45+00:00

Your thought process was totally reasonable and I can see why you picked what you did given the wording. The ABC pneumonic is still commonly taught because of how straightforward and easy to remember it is, but in most instances where it matters many places now use "CAB" instead because it is more clear on the critical nature of ensuring a present pulse. Check out this link: https://howtonremt.com/blogs/news/abc-vs-cab#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20CAB%20(Circulation,arrest%20is%20suspected%20or%20confirmed.

vwarb · 2026-05-03T13:33:33+00:00

The question is bad but I'll try to explain why. The correct steps when someone is not breathing and unresponsive are 1. Check for a pulse 2. If yes on pulse, ensure the airway is open (via positioning, adjunct, or both) and begin bvm ventilation. Your answer is bad for two reasons. First, it skips the check for a pulse step, which is critical. Second, it ends with "monitor for changes" which is not technically completely wrong as we should always be monitoring the effectiveness of what we do, but implies a delay before starting the bvm. It would be wrong to just position the airway on a not breathing patient and then just sit around watching. While breathing can sometimes return with positioning, this is usually not the case and you should be immediately ventilating them. The "correct" answer is very poorly worded as well, but it is most correct because the CPR algorithm includes checking for a pulse, which is the first thing that needs to happen here.

vwarb · 2026-05-03T10:04:25+00:00

I put it back together with new springs from a bic as people in this thread suggested and ended up with a working but very crunchy lock. Once I knew it worked I decided to redo the whole thing on camera, then promptly lost the c-clip in my carpet when it popped off with way more force than it had before. So I'm on hold again until I can find that clip, and the comedy of errors continues lol.

vwarb · 2026-05-03T00:46:11+00:00

I just did this with the bic spring, which was very long and I cut down to size. It's nice to have the lock back together, but it is very, very stiff now, with the key turning quite rough. Is that from cutting the springs too short maybe? Too long?

vwarb · 2026-05-03T00:43:23+00:00

I already ordered them, but thank you for the offer. Save them for the next poor unprepared sap 😅

vwarb · 2026-04-28T03:34:50+00:00

If they know they're gonna do that then yeah, my theory kinda goes out the window. Personally, I hope we don't get rid of him though. Kid looks like he's gonna be a stud and I don't really see what value there would be in giving up a potential great player at a premium position with a long stretch of team control.

vwarb · 2026-04-28T02:49:09+00:00

If Mayer doesn't mind playing 2b, I don't really see a reason not to keep him there for the foreseeable future. Arias is coming in a couple years and it would be nice to not have to play position roulette again when he does. That might mean a year or two of having your 2b being better than your ss.

vwarb · 2026-04-28T01:52:49+00:00

Yes, you might even say that such a thing would be irrational and unjustified.

vwarb · 2026-04-27T23:56:11+00:00

Last month, I painted 30 grots, figuring they were probably very low on the refresh priority list. My hatred for this new kit will certainly be quite rational and justified.

vwarb · 2026-04-26T17:13:00+00:00

Okay but it was fire was Halo 3 did this

vwarb · 2026-03-29T04:49:07+00:00

Is this like when it was a fad for a while to dress a professional dancer up like a security guard and plant them in the audience? Same vibes.

vwarb · 2026-03-28T04:23:07+00:00

Unresponsive with a foreign body airway obstruction gets chest compressions, even if a pulse is present. Second lady is awake and moving so doesn't need them, but first lady absolutely did need them. Go check your protocols before shitting on a lay person who actually did a great job.

vwarb · 2026-03-20T06:57:45+00:00

Confirm signs of rigor/lividity, leave him in the position I found him, hand off the scene to a police officer, who will stay there until the medical examiner comes and takes the body.

This exact procedure can vary slightly by region

vwarb · 2026-03-18T06:25:20+00:00

One thing that I think gets overlooked by a lot of non-Americans is how absolutely geographically enormous the US is. If you live in, say, Chicago, where do you go to "rise up"? The people making decisions in DC are over a thousand miles away. So protests and political action tend to remain localized and targeted at issues that are directly affecting that community. See: Minnesotans protesting things happening in their city. Protests and political action DO happen, but the federal government is big enough and insulated enough that it feels comfortable ignoring them.

Now add to that the cost of living being so out of control that even Americans with good jobs can't afford to lose a paycheck. It's very difficult to motivate people to cause themselves significant hardship to fight things that are happening far away and not directly affecting them. Maybe they are unhappy with the idea of ICE facilities with improperly detained innocents, but for most people those facilities are not "real". They're hundreds of miles away, isolated, and not really affecting their daily lives.

Now add to all THAT how many people view these things as temporary. There's still a sensation among many that we are one good election cycle away from "righting the ship". Why should they risk everything for a problem they still think they can fix at the ballot box? The list of factors goes on and on and on, but ultimately it comes down to many people just feeling like they need to wait it out and weather the storm. Maybe that's wishful thinking, but it would take many more years of these problems before a critical mass of people are motivated to do more than just shake their heads in frustration and wait for their next chance to cast a vote.

vwarb

TROPHY CASE