Homebrew Hall of Fame!

[Squelchtone]

just finished a new set. still working on the kneeding to get the marble effect. if you kneed the clay a lot you get more of a wood type look. little kneeding gives you tiger stripes and medium gives you a marble look.

very nice work!

is the half diamond and riffle rake huge or are the other pick profiles small?

Thanks for sharing,
Squelchtone

[pjzstones]

just finished a new set. still working on the kneeding to get the marble effect. if you kneed the clay a lot you get more of a wood type look. little kneeding gives you tiger stripes and medium gives you a marble look.

very nice work!

is the half diamond and riffle rake huge or are the other pick profiles small?

Thanks for sharing,
Squelchtone

i think they may be on the large side but i'm not too sure as i have never owned a commercial set. i have smaller versions too. the height of the of the peeks are just under the width of a wiper blade insert (around 4 or 5mm). the other three are made from the smaller type of inserts and i bent the angle in them.

[Kaotik]

For those who have recently added there works of art, from metal work to handle materials. Excellent job!

Remember! Take your time, be patient and stay safe.

Keep them coming. I'd love to see more

[Wizer]

Here are picks that I mostly use.
Hacksaw blades, Topy Pyratop rubber and adhesive.
-Wizer

[greenman]

some pretty amazing homebrew. I need to get started on my new set soon.

[rissp]

I can't belive what masters are here, now I'm ashamed what piece of sh.t made I (I made my first 2 lockpicks and 2 first tension wrenches) - my stuff can't be putted in side with your homemade tools, but here I post images you can see. Next time I will make better tools too.

For lockpicks, I printed a template from templates-post , then I cutted out the template from paper and atached it on hacksaw blade with paper-glue. Then I cutted a hacksaw-blade with knauf-profile scissors. That's why the lockpick is so ugly. (i didn't have an electrical file to file it).
Tension wrenches - I made them from Torex-keys (just filed away one end so it can enter the lock..)
My next tools will be much better I hope .


My first picklock (i made 2 but 1 of them already broke) and my first 2 tension wrenches :

[socraticd]

i certainly wouldn't call this "hall of fame" worthy, but figured i'd post my first pick:




made out of some SUPER cheap hacksaw blades from Harbor Freight (50 for 5 bucks). it seems to do just fine as a pick, though it's not "springy" as i think it would hold a bend a lot more than the HPC picks i got at HOPE. just crappy steel, methinks. but, for proof of concept and getting used to making picks, they'll provide me plenty of practice material.

i need to source some wiper blade inserts or sweeper bristles for tension wrenches and to make some better picks, though, i think. no clue where to find those. maybe i'll do some dumpster diving at local auto parts stores...

[texguy]

I am pleased to oblige, though it took so long because I only now had access to a quality digital camera that could take the closeup images. I hope this will suffice

Wow now this is so cool, I am new to this all but this is really nice for a home made toy

[viduata]

Here's a little DIY that you can make for about $0, out of stuff you probably have around the house or shop, and you can make it in 20 minutes. I've used it to pick every lock that I have around here, and it works about as well as any small hook I've bought.

It's made from a woman's hair pin which is cut to size, heated slightly on the stove, and quickly bent to shape. From there, a little filing is recommended to make the angle on the point a little shallower and smooth out the edges.

Then, a small channel groove is cut into a wooden dowel with an Exacto blade, down to the center. Now, the hook that you've made is pushed far down into the groove, and a small shim is place on top of it, made from another cut piece of the hair pin. (You can't see this in the picture because it's embedded in the handle.) If you don't use the shim, the hook will wiggle all over the place, so it's a necessity.

Finish off by wrapping very tightly with copper wire. Later, I'll probably cover the wire with electrical tape or shrink-tubing.

It's actually a pretty good tool for beginners, because it's a little fragile and will teach you a gentle touch. And, of course, the price is right.

[Ortin468]

While keeping the wrapping tight, a dab of solder would make it permanent. Heat shrink after to make it pretty.

[texguy]

yalls came a out alot better than mine lol. I just got done making my set and they work alright but dont look to pretty.

[shiny]

I just made a bogota (well have now made 2) out of windscreen wiper steel.

I've opened the 6 pin euro lock which used to be on my front door twice now. Am waiting for my picks and a cutaway lock to arrive so I can practice some more!

[peo82]

congratulations to all the picks for good job!

[vov35]

I can't belive what masters are here, now I'm ashamed what piece of sh.t made I (I made my first 2 lockpicks and 2 first tension wrenches) - my stuff can't be putted in side with your homemade tools, but here I post images you can see. Next time I will make better tools too.

For lockpicks, I printed a template from templates-post , then I cutted out the template from paper and atached it on hacksaw blade with paper-glue. Then I cutted a hacksaw-blade with knauf-profile scissors. That's why the lockpick is so ugly. (i didn't have an electrical file to file it).
Tension wrenches - I made them from Torex-keys (just filed away one end so it can enter the lock..)
My next tools will be much better I hope .


My first picklock (i made 2 but 1 of them already broke) and my first 2 tension wrenches :

I like the simplicity! Have you had significant success with these in action?

[dodo54360]

more info can be found here:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=48105