Picking a very small lock.

[Panoply]

I am having trouble picking a very small keyed lock. The tools are simply too big. Especially the tension wrench, but the picks as well. I've been unable to find a place to buy very small picks, though the wishbone wrench may work a charm. Any advice?

[raimundo]

You need to make your own picks for tiny locks, they don't sell them in that size,
look for metal stock that is approximatly the right size and springyness,

I have found a sort of nylon cloth clothes hamper that has a spring device in it that allows it to be collapsed and folded, has a type of spring that is useable for tiny picks.

cloth things that have this spring are used in a number of ways, one is for light reflectors that photographers use, some are just childrens toys.

The up side of all this is you can make your first picks with very little work, using needle files to cut the picktips, and be sure to sand them all over or they will not work very good.

[cledry]

Most locksmiths have a few modified tension wrenches for smaller keyways. You can also make your own using metal from a windshield wiper insert is the easiest way.

[Doctor Hexagon]

A way that I have opened very tiny padlocks is by putting tension on the plug, and then taking a bump hammer or screwdriver handle and rasping it gently but firmly against the side of the padlock that has the pin springs.

This is sort of a shortcut method, but it does open the lock. If your goal is to actually manually pick the lock then, yea...you'll likely have to create some tiny picks or modify some that you already have.

[phishtaco]

I found that my C2010 picks work well in small locks. Well, they've worked on everything I've tried so far..