Oral-B Electric Flosser to Electric Pickgun for under $10

[OrangeCrusader]

Hoping this isn't a repost...

http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/lockpick/Page4.aspx

Found this posted at another forum I frequent (non-lp related), and seeing that it was a decent tutorial (pics and all), on how to make a pickgun, with few fabricating skills needed (not to mention the low price), I thought I'd share it with the LP101 gang.

Of course, it's not a prefect design, the 9V gives it plenty of power (which I doubt it originally had), but wears the motor out faster than the original battery would. There's also room for improvement in the pick head department, I think, if anyone would like to take a crack at that.

Considering I can get the Oral-B Hummingbird flosser for slightly under $10 ($9 and change), I might make one of these (it's on a long list of projects, though). Of course, pricier home-made picks will most likely last longer, and are more powerful than this one, but for sheer simplicity, both in building and use, this is hard to beat. Enjoy.

[digital_blue]

Aye, 'tis a repost.

viewtopic.php?t=11156

But hey, E for Effort, right?

db

[OrangeCrusader]

Heh... that'll teach me to scan over the 1st page threads, or at least search for the URL before posting. What a way to get back to LP101.

Until this is closed, I hereby transform it into the Humminbird Electric Pick Modification and Improvement Thread. Along those lines..

I'd add a way to hold the 9V in place, could be as simple as solidly mounting the 9V plug (take apart, insulate with electrical tape, mount with some glue/small metal straps), or adding a seperate container for it altogether (DIY, or salvaged from something else).

Beefing up the pick attachment (think gluing reinforcement pieces to help hold it in place) would be a good idea as well if you plan on using it a decent amount.

And one thing I've always wanted to do, adding a tension tool, built into such a pick. I'm imagining a spiral tool, a spiral of spring steel (like windshiel wiper insert, secured to a point an inch or so back from the body of the tool, and featuring several winds (always there), with a 90 degree twist bend so it can be inserted into the lock. I'm seeing it with a resting position of 90 degrees from the normal use position (lined up with the pick), so it can be twisted and inserted into the lock and contantly apply tension. Using a locking bolts, one with the spiral attached would allow the tension to be adjusted by moving the spiral start point (and therefore resting position) back and forth, increasing or decreasign the distance it has to be twisted to insert into the lock, and therefore the tension applied. With a decently small spiral, and clean setup, it shouldn't look too bulky or awkard. Any thoughts?

[devnill]

i tried doing that with a toothbrush, but it never worked too well...

[Bud Wiser]

I saw the original video and actually have a oral b humingbird that I once tried for it's intended purpose. What thru me off on it was the video showed picking a master #3 lock in seconds. Big deal! Any brand noob can pick the same lock manually just as fast! It seems the master #3 only requires setting one pin to open. Then I read it lacks the torq for larger locks and 9v wears the motor out too fast. So I skipped this experiment. The locks it can pick I can also pick just as easily

[!*AMP*!]

Sounds like my hair-trimmer idea, ahem, LOL, which only used two double A's...

[Bud Wiser]

BTW the Oral B Huming Bird is great for picking your teeth! It can floss and pick.

[UWSDWF]

BTW the Oral B Huming Bird is great for picking your teeth! It can floss and pick.

Here's another secrect, Paperclips...... are really, truly great at ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
holding papers together, but shhhhhhhhhhhhhh... don't tell anyone.

[Bud Wiser]

every one knows that paper clips are good for paper, but not every one would know that the huming bird is actually good at it's intended purpose unless they tried it. Also a pun on lock picking verses teeth picking, ah never mind, what good is it if you have to explain it

[Squelchtone]

BTW the Oral B Huming Bird is great for picking your teeth! It can floss and pick.

Here's another secrect, Paperclips...... are really, truly great at
holding papers together, but shhhhhhhhhhhhhh... don't tell anyone.

are you kidding? I thought Paperclip was the brand name for world famous server and router "reset" tools. I just don't know why they come all folded up like that? I always have to unbend one leg in order to stick it in the reset hole on my frozen servers, hubs, and other peripherals.


image credit http://www.columbia.edu/~ip71/ltohell/ltohell.html


Squelchtone

[Bud Wiser]

BTW the Oral B Huming Bird is great for picking your teeth! It can floss and pick.

Here's another secrect, Paperclips...... are really, truly great at
holding papers together, but shhhhhhhhhhhhhh... don't tell anyone.

are you kidding? I thought Paperclip was the brand name for world famous server and router "reset" tools. I just don't know why they come all folded up like that? I always have to unbend one leg in order to stick it in the reset hole on my frozen servers, hubs, and other peripherals.

Squelchtone

VERRY GOOD!

I happen to have one handy just for that purpose.