Tubular tension wrench

[Wolf2486]

I have bought a CD on lock picking (it was cheap, so I figured I might as well buy it, you never know when you'll learn something new). There was an excerpt on tubular lock picking. He used a tension wrench that he said could be purchased from the site. However when I did go to the site, I could not find this tension wrench. I've been looking for it for quite some time now. Is there anyone out there who knows where a tubular tension wrench could be purchased. My tool set is VERY small so I could not make one. Thank you. Wolf

[CycloneJack]

What does the tool look like?
Could it be AKA a circular tension tool?

[TOWCH]

I wouldn't bother, most normal tension wrenches work for me.

[Wolf2486]

Unfortunately, they do not work for me, they keep slipping outside the groove.

[S3rratedSp00L]

Wolf2486,

Hmmmm... if you want to manually pick a tubular lock and don't want to purchase a tubular pick... Have you thought about using a tubular key as a tension tool? All you need minimally is a key and a file. Just file the key cuts so you can get a straight pick of some sort in the places you need to! Keep in mind that manually picking a tubular lock may lead to some frustration as it will relock itself every 1/8th of a turn from what I understand. If you use your tubular lock to actually lock things up, then you may want to get another lock just for practice.

You could also try to find some small square stock (Square rod?) that is the right size to fit the notch in the tubular lock and bend it to a useful shape! A pair of pliers or access to a vise/clamp may help you bend. This should be of a size that will fit snug in the notch for it to work properly.

Fortunately, it doesn't take a lot of tools to make "picking utensils".

A thorough search for anything about tubular locks should give you some ideas! Good luck and have fun!

[Mad Mick]

Grinding a small allen wrench, to fit the notch, works perfectly.

[TOWCH]

Has anyone had any luck picking a tubular in this manor? I've tried on both a Kryptonite U lock, a Kryptonite Padlock, and an ACE II cam lock and it's like playing wack-a-mole. One pin goes down, another one pops up. Is the key more tension?

[Wolf2486]

I've picked a good deal of tubular locks manually and one was a kyriptonite. I have found the trick is to put a medium tension on the cylinder, and just find which pins are binding and press them down until they set.