Electric Scissors or Electric Pick

[ju_]

nooooo i just been to spotlight and they said they wont be getting any Electric Scissors in till 4-6 weeks

Fah_Cue - I do feel for you. Mine took over 2 weeks to arrive and I was expecting them next day delivery

[ju_]

Bad news

I have completed the modification to the electric scissor/pick and the results are the same as before.

The modification was made like the diagram above, but with a slight modification to the position of the pin and the pin being cut down to fit in the space available.

Both previous locks still open in around the same time and others I have tested don't seem to open. Exactly like DB's experience.

Anyone still interested in the modification with respect to description and pictures, I will gladly post if there is a need, otherwise I would suggest people use these electric scissor/picks as the original design.

Good news

Manual picking this week has reduced my time opening the ERA lock, from 16mins to less than 10 mins (single pin picking).

Plus I am starting to get that "feeling" through the pick and tension wrench, which people seem to talk about on this site, but which I have not been able to "feel" before.

Give is a few more years of practice and I might open the lock on less than 1 min.

[digital_blue]

ju_: There is a really great exercise you can run yourself through that will help you develop that feel very quickly. The down side, it gets a little boring and you'll be tempted to cut corners. The up side, if you are diligent with this exercise, once complete, you will have a significantly better understanding of what you are feeling, how to detect a set pin, an overset pins, etc, and how to deal with tricks as they arise.

I'm gonna type this out again (I know I've typed it a few times) and then after this, I'm just gonna link people to this post.

Start with whatever 5 or 6 pin cylinder you like. Probably best to start with something that an experienced picker would consider easy. Disassemble the lock and pin it with pins only in chambers 1 and 2 (closest to front of lock). Ensure than none of the pins are security pins... you're not there yet, and it would ruin this exercise. With only two pins, this lock will be fairly easy to pick. If you just poke around in there, you'll get it pretty quickly. However, just picking the lock is not your objective. Apply light pressure, and using a small hook (or feeler pick, and this is why it's called that) gently feel the bottom of each pin. Make sure that you can distinguish between the two pins clearly. You'll notice fairly quickly that they will feel different, as one will be binding and one will not. This feeling is what you're trying to get comfortable with. Get really good at feeling out the binding pin and lifting it gently until you feel it set in place at the shear line. Once done this, gently lift the next pin and when it hits the shear line the lock will be open. Do not rush through this. Take your time and try and get as much as you can from this stage. Don't move on until you're absolutely comfortable with what you are feeling, and can clearly envision what is happening inside the lock.

Once you've completed this step, take the lock apart and add a third pin. Repeat the process. This time, of course, you'll have three pins to feel out to determine which one is the binding pin. Once you've found it, lift it gently to the shear line. Again, you'll know the shear line by the distinct physical click (sometime auditory too, but don't rely on that). After setting the first binding pin you can move on to the other two pins and determine which one is binding next. Repeat.

Again, this exercise is not about getting through it quickly. The slower you go and the more attention you pay to what you're feeling, the better the results will be in the end, so if you have it in you to be patient and methodical, this is the time to apply those traits. Once you've learned all you can learn from this three pin lock, it is time to add pin number 4. You see where this is going.

Along the way you can mix it up a bit by adding a combination of high/low cuts side by side. In other words, if your three pin lock is pinned:
4-6-5 (4 cut, six cut, 5 cut) you might decide that before moving on to four pins, you'd like to repin the three pin lock as a:
4-8-3 (or whatever combination you can make out of the pins you have available to you).

If you follow this advice, when you get up to 5 or 6 pins (whatever the lock can hold) you will have a far greater ability to feel the inside of the lock and determine what is happening when you are picking. You will figure out when a pin is overset because you begin to notice that it is not falling back down into the keyway when you let go of it with the pick.

So give it a try. I promise that you'll be happy with the results.

Whew! I made it through all that.

db

[ju_]

I'm gonna type this out again (I know I've typed it a few times) and then after this, I'm just gonna link people to this post.

Start with whatever 5 or 6 pin cylinder you like. Probably best to start with something that an experienced picker would consider easy. Disassemble the lock and pin it with pins only in chambers 1 and 2 (closest to front of lock).

DB - Thanks again.

Already tried this except the previous posts I read suggested starting with the pins at the back of the lock and then adding pins moving to the front of the lock.

With the ERA lock (which by the way does not have any security pins) I did spend 2 days on 2 pins, a day on 3 and then jumped to 5 pins.

Perhaps it is time I went back to the 2 pins and started again. I must admit that the feeling of the pins reaching the shear line is very much increased when only using 2 pins.

[Another quick tip (all credit to another member) for a new member is to mark the positions of the pins on the pick so that you can concentrate on lifting the pin instead of wondering whether you have the pick in the right position first]

[Another quick tip (from quicklocks videos all credit goes to him) for a new member is to put a couple of lines on the cylinder front and lock face. Which can be seen in the picture of the ERA lock on page 1 of this post (sorry a bit out of focus). This enabled me to see the cylinder turning easier. Believe me when I say the cylinder does not turn that much, so any aid is helpful]

Along the way you can mix it up a bit by adding a combination of high/low cuts side by side. In other words, if your three pin lock is pinned:
4-6-5 (4 cut, six cut, 5 cut) you might decide that before moving on to four pins, you'd like to repin the three pin lock as a:
4-8-3 (or whatever combination you can make out of the pins you have available to you).

I do not have a pin set to enable me to do the above but I know what you are getting at, perhaps moving to pins around in the lock I already have. This would stop me from lifting the pins to a height, which I know already for pin 1,2,3,4,5 and make me feel more for the pins reaching the shear line.

If you follow this advice, when you get up to 5 or 6 pins (whatever the lock can hold) you will have a far greater ability to feel the inside of the lock and determine what is happening when you are picking. You will figure out when a pin is overset because you begin to notice that it is not falling back down into the keyway when you let go of it with the pick.

So give it a try. I promise that you'll be happy with the results.

I am always ready to follow advice, especially in a subject I know little about. Perhaps when I have read all the posts on this forum (I recon I am about 30% of the way through after 3 months of reading) I will have more knowledge and better skills.

Whew! I made it through all that.

db

Once again thanks. I can see why they made you an administrator, it must take lots of patience going over subjects like this time and time again for new members.

Ju

[digital_blue]

[Another quick tip (all credit to another member) for a new member is to mark the positions of the pins on the pick so that you can concentrate on lifting the pin instead of wondering whether you have the pick in the right position first]

I could be wrong, but I think that was me.
viewtopic.php?t=7767&highlight=pencil+marks

Whew! I made it through all that.

db

Once again thanks. I can see why they made you an administrator, it must take lots of patience going over subjects like this time and time again for new members.

No, they made me admin because I'm the only one who can reign in Luke. j/k, glad I could help.

db

[Fah_Cue]

Do you have spotlight over in Sydney Fah_Cue?

They sell many different kinds i believe, if there is no spotlight look in hardware and sewing shops.

well after a while i called to see if they had any in... still no. but this time i asked how much for 1....$120 and they didnt mention any different types. so iam thinking to my self hmm how much do i really wat this.... lol i would never buy for that much ill just buy a real eletric pick on the internet

so now back to find a new place to buy from..

[cL4y]

Fah_cue,did you go to the spotlight in Bondi Junction?

Becouse i am thinking of either buying the scissors,or a Oral-B hummingbird,and doing some mods on it.

[Yadkci]

Try officeworks? there's one in bondi junction.

[Knows-Picker]

I don't know where the 120 bucks came from...lol. I made this exact same set(which actually opens locks faster and quiter than the southord store bought 3 c cell battery version I bought) out of a set of electric scissors that I bought at K-mart for 6 bucks. check out walmart.com or kmart.com and order there. Good luck

[Shrub]

120 bucks was 2 years ago so i guess prices have come down

[ju_]

Shame the UK price has not fallen in 2 years, still £9.15 + P&P.
Checkout URL from first post.
By the way this site is still nothing to do with me.

Shrub - liked the new Bosh pick, even though we did not have all the pics

[jimshorrock]

Dont bother going around car boots etc., Draper Tools manufacture a 6v Cordless scissor, any half decent egineers supply company will get these for you. Draper list price is only £9.76 plus VAT in the UK Draper code is 80509 SC6V

[Shrub]

Hey Ju, i will ask the person i made it for if he fancies pulling it appart, i thought he would have posted up but didnt,

That said the next one will be THE one to read and ill make sure its good guide this time initial results are that it eats the wendt alive

[lockpick1968]

Nice electric pick,
I made one from a electric shaver but the thing is to bulky to handle and work with so started on a new one and your idea looks pretty sweet, may give it a try

[Servalite6354]

Nice! I tried the old electric toothbrush as well, and I agree with the post that said they have too little vertical motion.

Do you think it would decrease overall pick time if you stepped up the voltage a bit? I'm thinking the motor would run faster, and give more vibrations, which I'd think would reduce the time even further. I wouldn't give it too much, don't want to burn up the motor, but I think 1 or 1.5 volts more wouldn't kill it.

This is definitely a "gotta try it" idea.