24 Keynotes March 2025 aloa.org AUTOMOTIVE Lishi Troubleshooting Another less general rule of thumb for tension is that if you hear each wafer make an extremely loud audible click as it is picked, you are using too much tension. Someone standing a few feet away in a quiet room should, for the most part, not be able to hear each wafer set. At most, picked wafers should be heard only by you and preferably only felt. This comes as a surprise for many locksmiths who want to put as much force as possible on the tool. Two-Arm Trouble In deeper conversations about Lishi tools with fellow locksmiths, I discovered a pattern. The number of lifting arms on the tool made a large impact on their willingness to attempt to use it. The TOY-48 4-arm tool (pic- tured in Figures 3 and 4), for example, was feared and avoided at all costs. While I can agree that the tool is sig- nificantly more difficult than domestic standard security tools, I will argue that with proper technique, the low number of spaces and depths make it no differ- ent than any domestic high-security keyway. When using multi-arm tools, the key is to develop a consistent picking pattern and stick to it. Some locksmiths like to keep a mental note of which positions have been picked and try to skip them entirely. This is a bad idea while using Lishi tools. Because there is no conse- quence for checking a position to feel if it is set, you should develop a sequence to pick in and stick to it until the lock is open. Personally, on one- or two-arm tools, I pick the positions in order. I will pick three, for example, then go down to four, then back up to five and go back to the beginning once I have exhausted positions. On four-arm tools such as the one mentioned above, I will pick all of side A, then all of side B and then restart at side A, using the above method for each arm. Using this method, there is no need to keep track of each picked space, and you will save time that you would have wasted skipping over a position that unset itself and needs to be picked again. Final Notes There are a few other issues that can be encountered while Lishi picking that are not mentioned in this article. As with anything else in this trade, the only way to know everything is to sit down with a tool and practice until you have per- fected it. The next time you are tempted to bypass Lishi, take the time to trouble- shoot and refine your technique — it will pay off in the long run. Aidan Coates, CRL, is an employee of Crowell Lock & Safe in Ada, Oklahoma, and a Certified Registered Locksmith. As well as being an ALOA member, he also serves on the board of directors for the Oklahoma Master Locksmith Associa- tion. He enjoys learning new things about the locksmithing industry and conversing with other locksmiths to understand new techniques, tools, and discoveries. FIGURE 3. The tension bar closed on the TOY48 Tool. FIGURE 4. The tension bar opened, revealing all four lifting arms.
