Are my picks any good?

[tiki700]

Alright so i made some of my own picks to pick a lock that I have. Its a simple Master lock with only 3 pins model 121T (in case you were wondering) and I simply can not pick this think to save my life. I'm not really sure whether its my lack of skills or my picks just need some refining to make is easier.

Here I have my feeler pick (maybe a hook?) that i made out of a hack saw blade
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k68/tiki700/Pick.jpg

And here is my tension wrench made out of an old tent stake
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k68/t ... zontal.jpg
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k68/t ... rtical.jpg


Any comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Kaotik Edit - Changed IMG tags to direct links due to the size.

[vitti]

Looks like a perfectly functional pick and wrench. That lock you're trying to pick has a small keyway so simply putting the pick in the lock could be lifting the key pins above the shear line. You may want to try making the shaft of the pick a little more narrow.

That should be an easy lock if you have tools that will fit it.

[criminalhate]

get some sand paper on the pick with a bunch of elbow grease and it will be a good pick to practice with.

As long as the tension wrench fits the key way it looks good to me.

[Archive555]

I agree with the above.
The shinier they are, the easier they will glide in and out of the keyway, and the more feedback you will get.

I personally (having virtually no experience with a grinder or dremel) ordered some picks from SouthOrd, and have recently sanded them to a great extent (near-mirror-finish), and it has greatly improved my picking.

[tiki700]

Well this morning I was once again trying to pick the lock and i finally picked it! I did end up narrowing it a little and that helped. But on my second attempt to pick the lock I accidentally broke my pick. Whoops.

[Olson Burry]

Ouch!

If you broke it, might i suggest there is too much tension being applied, or whilst grinding, the metal got too hot and the temper was ruined. It needs to bend some but will break under pressure.

The 'pics of the picks' look good, although a little rough around the edges, you could consider keeping the factory made flat surface at the bottom of the blade and just machining the top to give the right shape. This way the pick will glide easier over the tension wrench or wards and not stick.

Finishing is the key really. I got myself a set of 10 "needle" files for next to nothing and after filing off the rough bits - as said above - "use some elbow grease" and 200, 400, 800, 1200 grain wetordry (or similar) paper to really smooth them out.

The ultimate key is in the tension, and the wrench. It must hold fast and not slip and give good feedback especially when encountering security pins.

I struggled with padlocks for a while figuring that because they've got a spring back mechanism more tension needed to applied. Not so. Just enough to counteract the spring will be enough and hold it there if the plug moves, just keep it where it is and see what happens when you prod a bit more.

Unless the thing is old and rusty you shouldn't need much force.

I suggest you get a cheap 7 piece set from southord and have a look at their picks. Thats what I did, just do get an idea of the feel and finish of them. From there you'll be able to make your own mind up as to what works and what doesn't.

All the best

Olson

[TANGO]

In my opinion the tension wrench where the portion enters the lock may be too long. It can hinder the hook trying to lift the pins.

What kind of hacksaw blades are you using? There are 2 main quality. If you can snap it easily with your fingers they are the cheap ones. The quality blades I prefer are the ones where they will not snap with bare hands.

[tiki700]

In my opinion the tension wrench where the portion enters the lock may be too long. It can hinder the hook trying to lift the pins.

What kind of hacksaw blades are you using? There are 2 main quality. If you can snap it easily with your fingers they are the cheap ones. The quality blades I prefer are the ones where they will not snap with bare hands.

I was using the kind that wont snap in your hands. I broke it because when i was pushing the pins up i set the first pin but for some reason once it was set the pin didn't want to go up very high so i was trying to force my pick in it and it just kind of broke.

[StabbyJoe]

take a look at what kind of hacksaw blade you used... quench before it gets any more than luke warm when grinding and when you pick, 'the weight of your hand on the wrench should equal to the weight of two butterflies' and be gentle... the pick from the pics was a REALLY well shaped first pick.. might have benefited from a good sanding, but very nice. Make another, quick =P
Never give up
~Stabby