This article was taken from the June 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
British escapologist David Straitjacket talks us through a crowd-pleasing act favoured by sideshow performers and Hollywood heroes. Get your friends to lock you in, and follow these steps for an impressive party trick.
Find a tool
Standard handcuffs, such as Hiatt Speedcuffs, use a fairly simple mechanism that can be manipulated with a pick. "Bits of rubbish can be used," says Straitjacket. Your best bet is a paperclip. "Scour the floor, or check any nearby women's heads for a hair grip," he says. "Or always keep something suitable in your pocket."
Fashion your pick
Once you've found a suitable tool, pull it as straight as you can and locate the keyhole. Insert one end of the pick into the narrow part of the keyhole and bend it. "You want to bend the first four millimetres or so over at about 60 to 80 degrees,"
Straitjacket says. Now you have your makeshift key, you're ready to escape.
Spring the lock
Relocate the keyhole, and push the bent end of your pick into the round part: "It should point towards the locking arm at a 90-degree angle to the keyhole." Rotate the pick as if it were a real key, and you should feel the pressure release as it catches on the locking arm. Keep pressure on the pick and open the cuff slowly.
Practise -- but not alone
It takes practice, so try at home first. Just make sure you always keep the key nearby and don't try it alone. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to completely stuff yourself and end up unable to get out -- even with the key," Straitjacket warns. When you're more confident, you can try it blindfolded, or with your hands behind your back.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
