HOW TO: Feather touch tension tool

[nekret]

You could probably use that shorter wrench on there and make it double sided...

[bumber]

Also you could use that JB weild to hold on the spring to the wrench and handle!!!!!!

[NIC]

Also you could use that JB weild to hold on the spring to the wrench and handle!!!!!!

The handle is a very thin piece of feeler gauge, it bends alot. So my handle is actually the spring.

[MaximumCheese]

This works better than any commercial one I've tried.

[BlackPowderMan]

Good, job NIC

[bumber]

Also you could use that JB weild to hold on the spring to the wrench and handle!!!!!!

The handle is a very thin piece of feeler gauge, it bends alot. So my handle is actually the spring.

I was refering to the spring and handle one, But yours is good too. I havent made one yet because the dumb rats keep running away with all my traps J/K

[Trip Doctor]

Cool man. Nice job. Very simple, and works.
Is the spring you used from a particular appliance ?
I have no idea where I would a spring simular to that, lol.
Do you think a mouse trap spring shortened in length would work, or is it too strong and too little diameter (making it even more useless here) ?


P.S. If some electronic guys here only have rosin core flux, there are these 'markers' you can buy, and you use them to coat w.e you want to solder to. The markers come with different coating: copper, nickel, gold, etc (copper I'd think would be the most applicable and least expensive here). I've seen these work pretty well. If just for this project this would be kind of pointless though, as buying the acid core solder would just be cheaper and easier to find, but these 'markers' can be useful for future projects, where an acid core would be inapplicable. Sorry if I ranted off topic a little (considering there probably won't be a need for rosin core solder when making lockpicking tools).

[ThirdDegree]

Maybe try braizing the pieces together. Not sure how that would work with applying constant pressure. Well, I guess it would not be that much pressure. I will give it a shot with some spring steel and see if it works...

[muskratt]

very good job!

[vitti]

i love the feeler gauge handle idea. I can tend to get a bit heavy handed with the wrench when handholding a lock. I might have to experiment with that design and see if it helps me.

[vitti]

Forgot to ask, with the feeler gauge handle, do you lose much feedback feel due to such minimal pressure and having the pressure spread over a larger area of your finger/thumb?

[Picky-picky]

CONSTRUCTIVE observation:

Picking has been a hobby of mine for years, and I'm only fair at it, but it seems to go hand in hand with the ability to make somethin' out of nuthin', in which I excel, so here goes.

In making this tool, you will face the problem of bonding two pieces of spring steel together. Ever notice you rarely if ever see a spring soldered, brazed or welded to anything in manufactured designs? Brazing and welding typically exceed the annealing temperature of spring steel, and so when your joint cools, you will have two pieces of soft carbon steel instead of the spring temper you started with.

Soldering does not reach a temperature sufficient to anneal a spring temper, but neither does it reach a temperature that will allow the solder to wet the steel.

Note that in the photos, the solder has formed a bead with convex surfaces wherever it touches the steel bristle or torsion spring. When you see a convex or bead-like surface on a soldered joint, you have what is known as a cold-join, cold solder, etc. It may stick for awhile, but will certainly break in short order, especially when subjected to even low cyclic loading.

Soldering and brazing, by definition use a dissimilar metal to fill the gap in a joint, and in order to have any strength, the fill metal must wet the pieces being joined. When making the joint, it should appear as though the fill metal "soaks in" between the pieces being joined.

So you say, "OK smart guy, what would you do?"

1. Although it may be breaking the "materials at hand" rule, use a piece of some sort of small tubing as the handle. Slip the end of the spring far enough inside to provide some strength, and either crimp the tube to the spring (if metal) or bond it with JB weld or other metal-filled epoxy. If you haven't tried it, get some of the epoxy putty that comes as a stick, You slice off a piece, the hardener is in the center of the stick, mush it up real good, and away you go! Great stuff to have if you typically carry tools and such with you, as it doesn't leak, require measuring, or a mixing container. If you let it harden slightly, you can use it to form handles on small, hard to grip tools.

Attaching the blade that engages the plug is a harder problem. I've avoided a separate piece entirely by *carefully* heating just the very end of the spring wire until it loses enough temper to bend without breaking, and bending it into a sharp 180 degree "U", small enough that it's width functions as the blade. Even with a significant amount of the temper removed, you'll still have enough strength for the seriously low torque it will see, although you may need to use a stouter wrench to actually turn the plug.

2. Use brass, which is compatible with soldering temperatures. You may have to wrap your own spring section, but it's easier than you might think. Again, while not spring tempered, it will have enough to set the pins.


Neighborcat

[jamie79512]

Very nice! as soon as i get my picks in I am going to start experimenting with making my own tension wrenches. I will definitely try this.

[dynil]

tupče

[Solomon]

I like feather-touch type wrenches for getting past security pins. Sometimes I just can't apply gentle enough torque to get past the false set, but using these it's a breeze. I have some stiff springs lying around which came out of centre punches so I may incorporate one of those into a wrench at some point. Here is what I've made so far though:



I made both of these from wiper inserts; they're simple and took very little work to make. The one to the right is my own design; it's mainly for working on locks in your hand, although it also works well on mounted locks... not to mention it's extremely comfortable to use.