windshield wiper blades + one day @ home + bored

[PaleHorse]

Picking the lock on your cash register is a good way to break the cruddy lock on your cash register.

Also among the quickest ways I can think of to get fired.

[ToolyMcgee]

Yeah, those little wafer locks get shredded easy. I've ruined a few old rusty file cabinet locks I salvaged as a moving man from raking them. In fact pretty much every wafer lock I picked as a newb got trashed before long. I guess they just don't make stuff to last against 10 lbs of allen wrench tension and snake rake ripping.

[PaleHorse]

10 lbs! Good Lord! I just touch the tip of the 3" or so long tension wrench with my fingertip. Maybe we're thinking of different locks here.

[ToolyMcgee]

No, I was slightly exagerating, but I did wreck a few locks with massive tension as a beginner. In the past frustration would cause me to snap picks and wreches off in the keyway. So I guess if ten pounds is enough to shear the tip off a wrench made from 4mm hex key, then ten pounds sounds about right. I still pick one lock I wrecked that way. It still opens fine with the key, but is tougher to pick because I widened pin chambers 4 and 5 torquing on it with the wrench like a meathead. Basically as hard as I could. "More tension = more feedback. You really gotta put your back into it!"

Fingertip weight tension is all you need for most locks. The hard part is learning to stay frosty when you aren't getting anywhere with a new lock.

Also among the quickest ways I can think of to get fired.

No doubt. You wouldn't have to bust the lock of course. I'm just picturing the look on the bosses face if he comes out and sees you picking the cash register lock. I would imagine a quick metamorphoses from puzzled to furious and several things in between. Hilarious. Whatever explanation you could come up with wouldn't lead to you keeping your job. "I lost the key? No, I left my cell phone in there? No, my car keys. Yeah... that's it."

[PaleHorse]

Actually, my boss is extremely understanding of the hobby. He lets me practice on the Master lock on the shed and unlock customers cars when someone locks the keys in. That said, I do leave the cash register alone. If I mess up the shed lock, it's 5 seconds with bolt cutters and $5 at WalMart to fix, the same can't be said for the register lock.

[PaleHorse]

And also, as I told him, once he knows I can pick, it's not like I'd have a snowballs chance of getting away with anything there anyway...

[ToolyMcgee]

Your boss sounds cool, but I can see how he would be since you work on cars. Picking could be a good skill to have as I'm sure it comes in handy from time to time. We aren't allowed to talk about automotive picking on the open forums though.

The wiper blades do make nice picks, but I think their best use is as wrenches. You can twist them alot tighter without worrying about snapping the metal or heating it. You can pretty much cold bend a good stainless wiper insert into any shape you can muscle it into.

[PaleHorse]

Oh yeah, I could have a 5 gallon bucket of tension wrenches by now if I wanted. I know about the rule re: auto entry, which is why I didn't give the first detail about HOW I do it. Some of the wiper inserts have different shapes of tabs on the ends, I'm experimenting at the moment to see how much protrusion I can get with a feeler pick made from one particular style.

[PaleHorse]

Some can be cold bent, some don't handle it well. I suspect it depends on where the manufacturers get the particular batch of steel. I gave up on trying to retemper them long ago with the tools at the shop, I keep the metal cool while working and if I do mess up, it's not like the inserts cost me anything.

[Vamprite]

Another good metal to make tension wrenches from is a rake. It might need to be filed or grinded down depending on the brand of rake. And no i didn't go buy a 10$ rake or break mine i picked one up from a yard sale for 50 cents

[Squelchtone]

Picking the lock on your cash register is a good way to break the cruddy lock on your cash register.

Also among the quickest ways I can think of to get fired.

It amazes me that companies like NCR, Sharp and others who make cash registers, use cheap wafer locks to secure the drawers. A Medeco cam lock would go a long way.

Squelchtone

[ionizer12]

I also did an auto zone trash can run last winter and got like 5 blades. I made some nice tension wrenches from them, and a few i made with the twist in it so the handle is flat instead of on edge. Ill post some pics when I can. I also made a longer than usual one which comes in handy for locks that are set in more in their enclosures, etc. I like some of my wiper blade wrenches better than ones in my set. Those weird ends on the wiper inserts seem interesting in trying to make a pick from. Still working on that.

[ElbowMacaroni]

You were so bored you made 23 tension tools!!!

yeah...sitting around watching your 7mth old doesn't lend itself to get out or have much time but sit in the same room and play with'em.

Well, I have a 9 month old daughter, and I just use my needle files and my full size half round with some rare-earth magnets on the floor in plastic bags to catch the filings and make picks often. Well those and my sandpaper wrapped around door shims, which I gotta say give a nice amount of control. Much better than a traditional sanding block. So, I understand completely. Don't want to wake her up or scare the heck outta her with the dremel!


-EM

[Rohlex32]

I just taught myself how to pick a lock. other then cash register locks being cheap and braking easily how many pins do they have? and is there a special trick like there is for normal houses and padlocks?

[Rohlex32]

One more thing I'm using regular house items right now what brand would you guys suggest for a beginner but learning fast?