KIKs in a vice

[sisk]

I've been meaning to ask this for a while, but I never seem to think of it till I'm right in the middle of picking a lock. When I put my kik cylinders in a vice to pick them I wrap them in leather to help prevent damage, but even with that I find that the pressure from the vice makes most of them harder to turn. I'm NOT crushing them. They work just fine once I get them out of the vice, but it definitely takes more tension to turn than when they're in the vice. Is there a better way to mount these things up or is that just the nature of the beast when you're putting locks in a vice to pick them?

[GWiens2001]

Hold them in the vise using the bible. You can hold them securely, but not risk crushing the shell pinching the plug.

Gordon

[Silverado]

Make sure nothing is on or in the way of the tailpiece. Other than that you can clamp onto the bible or just ease up the tension on the vise and see if that works.

[Daltonj21]

It sounds like either the tail piece is getting caught or you actually are crushing them. Brass is soft, so even very little pressure can cause exactly what you're experiencing. Try clamping it by the bible like Gordon suggested or I bought a Stanley 50mm padlock on amazon for 25$ to put my KIK cylinders in. That way I could hold them and pick. The Stanley lock is actually a great lock for the price & It comes with a pretty decent core , a full size 6 pin schlage with security pins and all that jazz. For me it's was a win win.

[sisk]

I'm reasonably certain I'm not crushing them because wouldn't they stay crushed if I were? But the tail pieces getting caught may be the problem. I'll try clamping them by the bible next time I sit down with a pile of kiks. Also I have one of those Stanleys. I don't know why I didn't think of putting my kiks in it to pick them.

[C locked]

Some schlage deadbolts
ive seen just use the kik cylinder mounted in a slipin housing retained by a screw
You could try that

Personally i would mount them in a key in the knob lock
Practice with the intricacies of the lock that the cylinder would be used in
Closer to how id encounter them in the field

[Davis]

Saw this, and immediately thought of another forum member who made some KIK holders for handheld use. Maybe you can adapt his idea or something. Here's his thread. http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=62382

[sisk]

Awesome. I've got a 3D printer so I think I'll try to print one of those holders. Emphasis on try....this thing was collecting dust for years before I bought it and I haven't had any luck making it work so far, but maybe that'll be the thing it finally decides to print for me.

[nine4t4]

I just use some leather strips the width of the bible. I shaped mine so that they hold the KIK in place while I tighten the vice. The leather was some small strips that I normally use for knife strops, but an old belt would work

Soak in warm water for about 15 minutes.
Trim any excess so that it's just as wide as the bible
Stretch it over the bottom of the KIK and place in a vise (The loose ends come up either side of the bible)
Leave it clamped for about a day to dry out.

An unshaped bit of leather would be fine, but I find having a piece that holds the cylinder makes it much easier to place in the vise even if it's already at an angle. I don't like clamping the bible, and my vise doesn't like things not being centered, so this was a good but complicated solution to the leather strip that most guys use