# Picking a lock with glass



## Kate (May 15, 2011)

Not sure if this is the right forum, but it is a type of writing question, so here goes....

Realistically, could a lock be picked with a shard of glass? 

I have a character handcuffed and the only thing at hand is a glass of water.  I don't want her to actually pick the lock - the captor comes in and unlocks her before she can try.  But she is meant to know a thing or two about lock picking so I don't want it to seem ridiculous for her even to consider using the glass.

Any ideas?


----------



## Ophiucha (May 15, 2011)

I don't think so, no. It would have to be really malleable glass, or at least a really large lock.


----------



## Telcontar (May 15, 2011)

It depends on the quality, age, and type of lock. If it is your standard, cast-iron, old style lock, then any instrument thin enough could technically be used to move the tumblers into the correct position. However, a piece of glass thin enough for this would be very, very fragile... it strains the bounds of credulity.

Then again, if your character is locked up, she's probably taking any possibility she's got.


----------



## Kelise (May 16, 2011)

I would believe if she was desperate enough she would try anything. 

Or could she threaten to kill herself? Is she valuable to them?


----------



## Kate (May 16, 2011)

Thanks for the feedback folks, very helpful.  

She ended up throwing the glass at a cupboard door in order to get it open a bit further and then try and wrangle one of the coat hangers out with a sheet from the bed she was chained to. The glass broke and she was all "damn, those shards might have come in handy for something". But she's interrupted before any plan B can happen, by her "captor".  She's not really being held captive (but she doesn't know that yet).  ooooh the intrigue!


----------



## Chase Simba (May 16, 2011)

*I know it's over, but...*

It all depends on the shape of the glass shard, and, as Telcontar rightly said, the lock itself.  A luckily shard that you shove in could unlock or jam the locking mechanism, and the water or spit could potentially be used as a lubricant.  But it wouldn't matter either way, as all that would matter is that the character believes it is possible.
Just doing this to make this thread feel finished to me. Sorry if it annoys anyone.


----------



## Donny Bruso (May 16, 2011)

As someone who has picked a few locks in my time, I would say no, it is not feasible. Any glass thin enough to fit into the lock is likely to be too structurally weak to take the kind of force associated with lock picking.


Also, for those who enjoy extra detail, lock picking requires two implements: A torque wrench, and a rake. The wrench is used to hold the locking cylinder against the tumblers to prevent them from falling back into place once they have been pushed up. The rake is used to actually push the individual pins or tumblers into position. So whatever tool you decide to use as either implement, there must be enough room to operate the second one as well.

My personal feeling is that the rotational force of being used as a  torque wrench would tend to snap the glass shards, and they are likely  too thick to be used as a rake. Not to mention the extremely likely  chance of slicing yourself open, coating everything in blood and making  it slippery.

Handcuffs operate a bit differently from a tumbler-type lock. They pretty much just have a lever inside you need to actuate, lifting it away from the ratchets and freeing the open part of the cuff to swing down. However, there is about a snowballs chance in hell you could use a piece of glass to do it. 99.9% of handcuffs have a pin in the center of the keyhole to prevent you from jamming in a large object and actuating the lever. Also, typically the object used needs to be bent at a 90 degree angle to actuate the lever. I don't know about you all, but my glass bending attempts have ended in failure. It's just too brittle.

Anyway, there you have my donation to the cause. I know you've already written the scene, but I felt I should throw it out there. Chances are an experienced picker of locks would not try using glass to do so.

Cheers,

Donny


----------



## Kate (May 16, 2011)

Thanks for the additional input guys. 
I think it's been settled that no, it couldn't be done.  But I think too that it's been generally agreed that anyone desperate enough might give it a crack, even if it didn't work.  Chase Simba makes a good point saying that the important thing is if the character believes it might work. Given the helpful info from Donny, I think my character would know this kind of stuff so it's unlikely that she'd have considered using the glass anyway.  
That particular scene might be done, but it's always good to know these kinds of things. For fiction purposes, right? Right?


----------



## Chase Simba (May 17, 2011)

It's always important to know.  The more you know, the less likely you are to make mistakes that critics will pick up on.  And unless you have the time to use, it's unlikely that you'll want to research a subject that'll only appear in one or two scenes of the book.  That's why I love this site.  Those people that know certain types of information can help others.
Oh, and thank you, Danny, I really love it when I'm proven wrong on something.  It means I learn something new, and stops me from having an over-large ego.
Really, Thank you.


----------



## gavintonks (May 17, 2011)

I think you have maybe not looked at the fact that the shard of glass would be extremely dangerous and would cut her hands in the process as well.


----------



## grahamguitarman (Sep 8, 2011)

TBH the biggest plot hole here is the fact that she had access to a glass at all!  If I was imprisoning someone I would remove anything that could be used as a weapon, but maybe her captors were too dumb/inexperienced to think of this?


----------



## Map the Dragon (Sep 8, 2011)

From a more fantastical perspective, I think it would be cool to have a thief who was delicated and perfectly skilled enough to pick a lock with glass or something else unusual.....a fingernail, some sort of magically hardened strand of hair, etc.


----------



## Kate (Sep 12, 2011)

grahamguitarman said:


> TBH the biggest plot hole here is the fact that she had access to a glass at all!  If I was imprisoning someone I would remove anything that could be used as a weapon, but maybe her captors were too dumb/inexperienced to think of this?



Not really a true captive situation to need to think like that.... yes she was tied up, but it was a "for your own safety" kind of thing.  
Doesn't really matter now though, the scene has been rewritten so many times it hardly resembles anything of the original. No lock picking required.  



Map the Dragon said:


> From a more fantastical perspective, I think it would be cool to have a thief who was delicated and perfectly skilled enough to pick a lock with glass or something else unusual.....a fingernail, some sort of magically hardened strand of hair, etc.



That would be kind of cool....


----------

