Pick too thick?

[ggenovez]

Hi all,

even though my hacksaw blade did not crack like it was supposed to and bent while trying to crack it, I figured I would grind it and try to make a pick out of it.

I took a template from the stickies (thx romstar) and cut it.

I then looked at the locksport pdf and they had "the pencil trick" to mark where the pins are. I noticed my pick is a little wider than the last pin



Am I correct in guessing that the pick is too thick and needs a little more grinding?

Thanks

[unlisted]

I would say yes, I would also file off that end point.. (at the very front.. not the top point)

[vitti]

The image you posted would not be a problem. Yes the pick is thicker than the cut of the key is deep but you have more room in that keyway. The bottom of the pick can go all the way to the bottom of the keyway and still contact the pins. It may require holding the pick at a slight angle to bypass the wards but it is still possible.

Having said that, I prefer the slimline pick profile for pretty much all locks. With a quality material for the pick you don't need the extra thickness for strength and having a thinner profile makes moving around in the lock much easier for me.

Welcome to the community, hope you enjoy your stay.

looks like we're neighbors sorta. I'm on the Dallas side of town and I know there's several others on the board here in the DFW area.

[Gordon Airporte]

The image you posted would not be a problem. Yes the pick is thicker than the cut of the key is deep but you have more room in that keyway. The bottom of the pick can go all the way to the bottom of the keyway and still contact the pins. It may require holding the pick at a slight angle to bypass the wards but it is still possible.

That depends on the keyway, of course, but with most locks you're likely to encounter it shouldn't be a problem. What you might have to do is put your tension wrench in the top of the keyway, right in front of the first pin. That leaves the bottom of the keyway open for the pick to get under the pins.

If you're tensioning at the top you'll also want to use a wrench with a really, really short blade. Just long enough so it goes all the way in without contacting the first pin.