Falle style hook vs. standard hook - which do you prefer?

[vitti]

I just made my first falle style hooks this week. I started playing with them tonight. Wow, it's my new favorite pick. This thing eats kwiksets for lunch.

So now I wonder, why don't more people use them? What are the downsides that make you prefer the standard hook?

Either way, for now this is my new favorite.

[eurolock fan]

What are you using for a tension wrench?

[eurolock fan]

Are you using a regular tension wrench or are you using a falle safe style tension wrench?

[vitti]

for now I am using a standard tension wrench. I am experimenting with trying to duplicate the falle style wrench though. I'm having a hard time bending the prongs without breaking them off since I'm using hacksaw blades for raw material. I'm trying to find a more malleable material that will make them easier to create.

[vitti]

ok, I made a wrench that worked out pretty good this time. It's in extremely roughed out form here as I wanted to make sure it was going to work before finishing it out. Also I made this at 1:00 am and I didn't think my neighbors would appreciate the grinder or dremmel (i'm in an apartment) so I did it all with files. I still need to trim off the extra material from the top and of course grind off the teeth and polish.

After filing out the rough shape I annealed it by torching it to a nice bright cherry red then letting it air cool. Bent the prongs with a pair of needle nose pliers. Then re-hardened it by going back to cherry red and ice quenching.

The prongs, as small as they are, are still very stiff and don't give any at all even with strong pressure on the wrench. It can withstand more torque than you'd ever need to put on a lock. I made it to fit a standard kwikset or schlage keyway. I'll go back and make some more for different sized keyways later. Been playing with it for about an hour. Takes a little getting used to since it doesn't fit as deep into the lock as a standard wrench would but I like it. Gives you so much more room to pick.

Here it is in all it's unfinished glory...

[JK_the_CJer]

Great job, man!

That is one slick-looking Falle-style wrench. This makes me want to make a few of these. Thought about making an adjustable one yet? Also, I too know the pain of using only files; my grooved plug follower was hand-filed when I was working 12s one night.

[eurolock fan]

Looks nice.

[vitti]

Thanks.

I thought about making some adjustable ones but I need to find a different metal stock to do it with. All the hacksaw blades I've found at all my local hardware stores are wavy along the cutting edge. To maintain strength I'd be afraid to grind down past the waviness. If I put two wavy pieces together they wont sit flush with each other. May be perfectly functional but wouldn't look very good. Also I haven't found any good quality, small wingnuts. All the ones I've come across are some cheap alloy that wouldn't hold up to being tightened over and over. Then there's also the issue of finding screws with a square neck just below the head to keep it from turning in the slot when you try to tighten it. Though I guess if I had to I could silver solder the screws in place. Now that I think about it silver soldering might be even better because I could grind most of the screw head off and make it almost flush on that side. Now I'm just thinking 'out loud', I'll shut up now.

[dmux]

i prefer a regular hook, i have falle tools but feel that i have more practice with regular hooks and can do a lot better with them

[Abus]

I have a good number of each, and have to say that on most things I use a regular hook pick. In fact, I use a polished Petersen regular hook about 95% of the time. The falle shapes I tend to think of as for use on really ticklish things, though they certainly work well enough on everthing from kwikset up.

[raimundo]

Falles adjustable tensor is for places where the non adjustable two prong tensors won't fit. Or if you wish to try to do various different jobs with only one tool. From what I have heard of them, there is room for improvement, regarding the screw. this could be redesigned in a better way, possibley using the screw in the way it is set up on steel strap hose clamps.

You can easily make your own two prong tensors, find a suitable piece of metal, a strip that is as wide or just a bit wider than the blank for the keyway you want it to fit, then just cut a groove down the length of the strip on the end, so that you have two prongs sticking off the end. these are then adjusted for dimension using the lock or keyblank for dimension standards, then bent 90 degrees to go into the lock, then you do whatever treatment you prefer to make the handle usable, I would put a diagonal pressbreak bend along a couple inches of the handle so that part of it stands up 90 degrees to the flat tip, giveing good handle for the fingers.

[dougfarre]

Falle syle hooks are the best because they can sit at the bottom of the keyway while you use top tension. Otherwise using a normal hook while using top tension is a bit harder because you dont have the tension wrench at the bottom of the keyway to rest the hook on while you use it as a fulcrum point.