The difference quality steel makes

[pickmonger]

Most people get acceptable results using hacksaw blades and various other sources of steel.

I know my homemades and SO picks work resonably well.

However, I have seen some examples of lockpicks, where the steel stock used was very carefully choosen

The pickmakers then very carefully, by tempering and annealing the stock produced picks that were amazingly shrunk down.

[UWSDWF]

huh?

[zeke79]

The thin red line in the keyway picture represents the pick shaft size difference that can be obtained by using quality steel and treatings.

[Anero]

this is very true, i know just between hacksaw blades and wiper insterts there is big differance in the metal used. only problem with the inserts is you have to make so kind of hanle to make them comfortable

[pickmonger]

Woops, I hit submit rather than preview.



In the image, there is a comparison between a regular size pick and a shrunken pick inside a lock. The important thing to remember is that the pick that is thinner and narrower, is still strong enough due to the difference made by using the proper steel.

Obviously there is more room to move the pick in the lock. In locks with very tight spacing, or awkward warding, a skinny pick could make the difference between opening the lock or not.

Unfortunately, picks thinned and narrowed to this extent, made with the usual steel stock, would lack the required strength and be very fragile.

I have read that the answer is to use highest quality stock with a high carbon content.

It is my understanding, that a lot of the steel stock produced, has not been manufactured with the required degree of consistency in carbon content and physical properties. This steel is more expensive to produce and this strict quality control is overkill for most applications.

When selecting feeler stock, can anyone suggest specific products that meet the needs of a picky pick maker ?

Is there a drawback to having too high a carbon content ?

What percent of carbon content would be ideal ?

Any other factors, if one is looking for steel stock that will be strong enough for thin and narrow lockpicks?

[devildog]

ahem...cough FALLE-SAFE!!! cough cough TOOL STEEL IS BETTER THAN STAINLESS LIKE I'VE BEEN SAYING FOR EONS!! cough cough....aheeeemmm....pardon me, my throat is scratchy...

[devildog]

Pardon, does anyone have a lozenge or troche?

[Romstar]

The Starrett shim stock is made of chromium molly steel. A 12 inch x 1/2 inch feeler will touch both ends together, and spring back without leaving any bend in the gauge.

The .015 will leave a bit of a bend, but it will not crack, fold or tear.

Proper grinding will allow you to get a pick shaft as think as .046. Consider that this is 0.015 x 0.046 inch, with the tip of the hook or diamond only 0.125 from base to top height.

Proper spring steel when ground properly will acomplish the same effects, but does not have the shear resistance of chrome molly. It also is prone to corrosion. However, if you can acheive that much stress, you shouldn't be picking a lock.

316L, 304L, 440C and 409L are all excellent choices for picks, as is standard EN42 blued spring steel.

Let me see what I have around here, and who sells it and I will get back to you.

Romstar

[REparsed]

The Starrett shim stock is made of chromium molly steel. A 12 inch x 1/2 inch feeler will touch both ends together, and spring back without leaving any bend in the gauge.

I've been looking at a 25' roll of that stuff:

http://www.mansontool.com/cart/shopexd.asp?id=284

Still trying to decide what thickness would be best.

[Romstar]

There are 60 picks in a 25' roll using a five inch piece for each pick. This saves you money when you consider that the seperate gauges cost as much as $1.50 per foot.

I would go with the 0.025" stock, as it allows you to make regular sized picks, and then you can sand down the sides if you want to make slimline picks at .020 or thinner.

Romstar

[linty]

the tempering is at least as important as the composition from my experience.

i once bought a really cheapass torx set thinking oh cr-v is cr-v, how could i possibly go wrong. they showed wear after the first use.

[Romstar]

Indeed, that is correct. You will find that a lot with cheaper tools.

One of the interesting things about starting with a good steel is knowing how to harden or temper it as required.

Some steels are air hardenable, others require oil or water. Some are really good in that they don't have to be heated for long periods, and others are great because they can take the heat from a torch and not get too brittle if you make a mistake in heating or quenching.

Some steels are not heat hardening, they are work hardened.

Generally speaking, although as you have seen there are exceptions, good quality alloy is generally a mark of a good quality steel.

Romstar

[FiapFiak]

Hrm, while we are on this topic, has anyone else noticed a difference when using wiper inserts vs street bristles?

I find that wiper inserts transmit the feel/vibrations a hell of a lot better than street bristles.
When i have two picks of near equal dimension, i can tell which is which just by feel alone, the street bristle pick feels like it's dampened and duller.

What type of metal are street bristles made of?
I know wiper inserts are stainless steel, but am unsure of street bristle.

[J.D.]

What type of metal are street bristles made of?

I looked up gutter brushes a while back and found they come in different qualities. The better ones use oil hardening steel.

I haven't done much experimenting yet with retempering the ones I found. I heated one bright red several times (was widening the end with a hammer). When I was done I heated again, quenched in water, sanded a clean spot so I could see the steel color, then heated to a medium blue. I let it air cool. Not bad, but seems a little on the soft side. Straw or pale blue would probably be better.

Could experiment with quenching in oil or transmission fluid and also different methods of drawing (tempering).

[SAL]

i havea wendit electro pick gun ,and want to make some new blade picks can anyone suggest a good material?