Pick & Wrench COMBO Tool! Is there such a thing?

[savatreatabvr]

Is there such a thing that combines a pick and a wrench into one tool? I was playing around on my garage one day and realized I lost the keys to my gang box, if anyone has owned a gang box you know you can't just cut the lock off with bolt cutters, a grinder or even a torch because the lock is enclosed in 1/8" thick steel. I could have drilled it out but like i said I was playing that day so I decided to try and pick it. With the wife away I grabbed an old steak knife and fired up the Dremel. My very first attempt at making a pick worked perfectly and it worked without a tension wrench! I'm not a seasoned locksmith and that lock was my first, meaning I've never tried to pick a lock before, any lock, ever! So obviously I was pretty proud of my pick and my ability to use it and I would have posted a picture of it below but I guess I need permission. So without actually seeing my pick let me down gently if it is common and everyone has one.

[mh]

If the lock is a very simple one, a single pick -without tension wrench- can work, as you experienced.
Maybe your tool also works more like a jiggler key, rather than like a pick.

[savatreatabvr]

The tool I made is pretty thick, much thicker than the other picks I've seen on this site. The lock on my gang box is much larger than a basic padlock so I would think using a normal sized (thickness) pick and wrench wouldn't work but I really don't know. I'll post pics of the combo tool as soon as possible.

Thanks.

[bobhdus]

Good job! I have had to open a few of those Gang boxes where I work. I was able to pick it traditionally with rake and by using the tension wrench backwards. I put the long end into the of the wrench into the lock and applied tension to the shorter end of the wrench. I have actually picked some locks easier this was as well, probably due to it applying less tension which has always been a problem for me (using too much tension). Great idea though. I am always fascinated with what other locks hackers ingeniously develop for their lock hacking arsenal. Thanks for sharing it.

[TheSkyer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFvfoAa12sI

[savatreatabvr]

Sorry TheSkyer, I'm not that impressed with http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFvfoAa12sI. It's a little tougher when you can't hold the lock in your hand!

[TheSkyer]

It was not meant to impress you but to show that the concept of not using a tension wrench is plausible... What is happening in the video is what MH described in his post and I thought it might be interesting for you to see...

[savatreatabvr]

Please accept my apology TheSkyer, I didn't mean to sound sarcastic in any way! I'm just proud that my first attempt at picking a lock was successful, as far as I know I could have sang it a Lady Gaga song and it would have popped open, LOL!

[TheSkyer]

Promise me you won't try the lady gaga thing XD No offense taken! You should be proud of opening your first lock, especially with a home made tool! I never managed to do that, took me months before I made my own tools and opened a lock with it.

[savatreatabvr]

Don't worry about me singing Lady Gaga tunes, I don't know any! I can belt out some Ozzy or Bruce Dickerson for ya? No one would want that but I still can't figure out how to post a picture of the tool I made. Any idea's?

[chriswingate]

Don't worry about me singing Lady Gaga tunes, I don't know any! I can belt out some Ozzy or Bruce Dickerson for ya? No one would want that but I still can't figure out how to post a picture of the tool I made. Any idea's?

Take a picture, upload it to an external hosting site like Photobucket or Imageshack, etc. Create a post here and click the "Img" button you see along the top of the posting menu. Copy and Paste the direct link for the picture you want to post within the two "[img]" tags that show up. Submit your post, should work just fine.

[savatreatabvr]

Finally figured it out but the funny thing is I snapped it in two trying to pick another lock, lol! Oh well it DID worked great!

[TheSkyer]

Well it has the shape . profile of a rake, not usually a tools meant for picking and tensioning the lock at the same time. Than again, it worked for you and I must say I'm impressed by the way you made your first pick, very nice job!

I would switched to other materials such as street sweeper bristols, wiper blade inserts or feeler gauges, I'm betting you could make some awesome picks with the right material

[CVScam]

Instead of steak knifes I grind down pairing knifes to make my one handed picks and jigglers its a LOT less grinding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7rH-eJ1V2o

http://s130.photobucket.com/albums/p272 ... etool3.jpg

[Lauren]

I posted this before. I invented it when I was in high school, years ago...