My homemade plug follower

[LuckyLefty01]

Hi everybody,

I just started picking locks, and ended up buying a cheap kwickset deadbolt to practice on.

Since I wanted to be able to remove and replace pins as I got better, I needed a plug follower, and didn't feel like paying $3 for a 4 foot length of dowel.

What I ended up doing was wrapping a piece of paper several times around a AAA battery and taping it up real well (including kind of cutting and folding it over the end), and what I ended up with was a perfectly functional plug follower without having to buy one (I've since started at 2 pins and worked my way up to five, although I can't do 5 every single time yet, still need more practice).

Just wanted to put the idea out there in case anybody else wanted to try it.

[jujitsu84]

I was in the exact same situation a while ago and I ended up using the handle of a staining brush. One of those 69 cent gray foam brushes you get at any hardware store; used to stain wood once or twice and then throw away. The handle was the exact size needed and if I need to do some staining, I have a brush hanging around the house now!

[digital_blue]

That staining brush is a good tip. Never noticed that they were the right diameter for a plug follower.

I have said it before, but I'll mention it again. At Home Depot (or any similar place) you can buy a 3 foot piece of 1/2 inch wooden dowel. This is a "lifetime supply" of plug followers.

As an added plus, you can cut a notch into the back of the wooden follower for pinning rim cylinders, and it makes loading springs and drivers much easier.... AND ... if you go digging through tshock's plug spinner thread, you'll see that I made a slight modification to my dowel plug follower and it became a great handle for my mouse trap plug spinner, so now I have a 2-in-1 tool that packs light and works fantastic for both purposes.

Just some thoughts...

db

[Eyes_Only]

They also sell cheap once time DIY rekey kits at Home Depot that includes a plug follower.