Kaotik's Tension Wrench "How-To" Guide

[jordyh]

A good stickyfication.
Great thread, all there is to say about it.

[zeke79]

There are a few easy solutions, an easy flowing medium in pick molds using ambient air temps and not nearly as costly as high temp injection moulding. Some could be mixed and poured in if the mould was made right.

[raimundo]

thanks for the Tension Wrench Kao, You do beautiful work, maybe I'll send you some of my ideas that need welding. Its a beautiful little flat wrench, well sanded. I have tried it on a best cylinder, using it at a center turn, (top of keyway) but this best is still fighting me. I have made similiar flat bent wrenches and also used the flat bend to make pick tips that are taller than can be cut out of the width of the stock, for pick tips, you do not need a 90 degree bend, and if you hold the metal stock in a geometric plane by gripping it in the inner grooves of the locking pliers, you can make a cold bend in well tempered bristle (some bad tempered bristle may break) this tends to cause a thinning on the outside of the bend that may start to fracture so you have to keep an eye on it, but by forcing the metal to remain in a plane while bending, you have very little to flatten out when its made. Also, by avoiding any heat, you will not have unexpected hard or soft areas that can result. Well, there are two ways to do this, and Im not knocking yours, just saying that its possible to do it cold. thanks again for the nice tr you sent.

[Kaotik]

thanks for the Tension Wrench Kao, You do beautiful work, maybe I'll send you some of my ideas that need welding.

I'd be happy to help.

I was saving the best bristles I have for later and used one that was a little pitted on one end but fine on the other. Before I got a good bend (less than a 45) in the side that I thought was fine, it snapped. Tried it on a good one and it bent but not on the same plane I was going for.

I wasn't getting the results I was looking for so I opted for heat and re-tempering.

[Kaotik]

After further experimenting with bending the bristles along the same plane using no heat, I have come to the conclusion that they will not bend without buckeling even before a 10-15 degree angle is achieved.

The bristle tends to slip out of the pliers causing it to look like a mess and when handeled with two pairs of vice grips it buckles and leaves ugly gouges from the teeth of the vice grips. The only way to get the buckles out is to hammer flat which also did not work to well because of the memory in the bristle.

In conclusion, the best results with following this guide is to use heat and create the desired bend.

[Spossum]

Hi Kaotic,
I was out practicing with some scrap bristles today. I got pretty good at making the "Kaotic Curve". I hope you don't mind if I call it that. I did better than I expected at welding them too. I am not a good welder, all I have is an arc welder. But after I grind it down and hide it under some shrink wrap I think it might be OK. Let me know what you think. I may be able to make one of your tension wrenches this weekend.

[Spossum]

I don't know why I always spell your name wrong, I am sorry Kaotik.

[Kaotik]

Spossum Excellent! Glad to see someone giving it a try, and the welds don't look bad at all. After I weld I just use my Dremel and a medium-course grinding wheel to even out the profile, after shrink wrapping them you can't tell at all.

"Kaotik Curve" That's cool, I like it. No worries about the name, it happens.

[Tygart]

Thank you very much for the info I just read somthing about this on the MIT Guide to Lock Picking..


Rob..

[Boosted_Phoenix]

ty

[triruth]

There is a product called Crystalbond 509 that could be used to make water resistant, heat resistant handles. It has a flowing point of about 170 C, and would require a hotplate with decent temperature controls to melt and set, though it will cure much faster than a typical epoxy resin you'll find in stores.

To speed the process and achieve even heating (and more importantly - even cooling) partially immerse your mold in an oil bath - canola oil will be adequate. Also, place the handle end of your tool on the hotplate, not in the mold. Place this oil bath on a hotplate set to 170 C. When the Crystalbond in the mold has completely melted (it will be somewhat thick), place the handle end of your tool into the Crystalbond. Turn off the hotplate and allow to cool slowly in the oil bath.

Notes:

1. Do not stir the Crystalbond. This will cause air bubbles and you don't want any of those in your handle.

2. Round all sharp corners and rough the metal handle surface with an abrasive wheel or other grinding media.

3. Wash tool with methanol or isopropanol before heating.

4. Use a mold release agent on the inside of your mold.

5. Crystalbond 509 dissolves in acetone.

6. Crystalbond can be ground and polished.

This method should work for almost any thermoplastic and some thermosetting resins.

[TOWCH]

Massive credit for an excellent guide.

[xnoobandrew]

Well just gotta buy all the equipment..

[a5an0]

Thanks for the great guide!

[Exodus5000]

In light of this thread, I think we as a community need to conscript Kaotik, raimundo, and anyone else who's up for the challenge to create a better tension wrench for picking SFICs! Those tooth-wrenches just don't cut it.