Why Should You Clean Lock Before Lishi Picking?
It is necessary to clean the a lock before inserting your lishi tool for a couple reasons. The first being that it is much harder on your lishi tool causing more wear and tear if you attempt to pick a dirty lock. The picking tips are very thin and can break easily.
Knowing this, you will want to start by spraying a lubricant cleaner into the lock to limit the amount of dirt and dust particles in the lock. This will allow your picking tip to move freely throughout the lock with little resistance.
Take a non oil based lubricant and aim the straw down the keyway to flush out any dirt. Allow 60 seconds for the lubricant to settle and properly soak into the insides of the lock cylinder.
Pull Lock Picking Tabs Back
Again, the picking tips are very brittle. Be sure to pull the lock picking tabs back and center them on the tool before inserting lishi into the lock cylinder. This will prevent the picks from catching while inserting the tool.
Check Spaces for Proper Springiness
After the lock is cleaned out and the tool has been properly inserted all the way to the back of the cylinder, we will run a test. Go through each space one by one tapping on the pick handles to gauge whether or not the spring is properly springy or if it seems to be sticking. Most locks are functioning properly but in some cases, you will feel the wafer sticking. Sometimes you may not feel a wafer in a space at all.
Take a mental note if any are not reacting correctly. This will help with maximum efficiency when picking locks.