Stuff to do to your Tension tools.

[Chucklz]

We get alot of posts about making/modifying picks, but very little on the most important tool, the tension (torque) tool. Heres some little things I have found helpful.

1.) Make a single tool for a wide range of lock sizes.

Take a regular sized SouthOrd (or make your own out of street sweeper bristle) tension tool. Take the end you insert into your lock, and grind it with a gentle taper. Take off about a 1/4 of the width from each side. Burnish your pick with some 100 grit sandpaper, or a Scotchbrite pad. Now, you have a tool that will fit into a variety of keyways, and locks of several sizes.

2.) A tension tool designed for the top of the keyway. Take a bit of sweeper bristle, or a Southord regular tension tool and make your 90 degree bend only about 3 or 4 mm from the tip. If you use the southord wrench, you can either cut off the excess on the original bend, or make a new bend on the other end of the tool.

3.) Combine the two above options , one on each side of a double ended wrench to make a pick for an ultra-minimal set.

4.) A weighted tension wrench for pick guns/ people having trouble with tension.

On this one, you really need some street sweeper bristle, or a metal strip from windshield wipers, or a very long comercial tool. Make a standard tension tool, but with about a 6 in handle. Go out and get a film canister, preferrably one with a tight fitting lid. Cut a small slit in the top of the lid, and push about a 1/2 inch of the handle through it. Glue the handle in place using your favorite adhesive product. You can fill the film canister with whatever you wish. A few coins, some sand, lead fishing weights, etc. Just remember to keep the tension light!

5.) Modify your wishbone tension wrench so it doesn't fly into your face.

When using a wishbone wrench on automotive locks, the tension tool has a nasty habit of flying out into your face. Take a standard SouthOrd, or HPC wishbone wrench and bend the tabs that go into the lock at about a 30-45 degree angle. One "up" and one "down". Now, when you insert the tool into an automotive lock, the tool will "set" into the lock, and keep itself in place.


6.Broken pick tension tool

Usually, a broken pick is call for a bit of sadness. Instead, just bend a 90 degree near the tip, and there you go, instant tension tool. (Broken picks should be few and far inbetween, but its nice to know theres something you can do with them)


7.) Turning tool for stiff locks/ locks youve had to drill.

Get a Stanley or Craftsman 90 degree screw driver. This has a standard, and a phillips end. Grind down two opposite fins of the phillips, and/or thin down the flathead end. Now you can open those stiff locks, or easily turn those plugs that got the Dewalt Pick.

[Mad Mick]

Chucklz, excellent tips on the tension (torque) tools!!

I don't have access to street sweeper bristles, so I have made a few from windshield wiper blade strips, but find that they can slip into the lower part of the keyway, and bind slightly on the plug housing. I did make one from an allen key and tapered it, but I'm not sure if I did this correctly as it tends to slip quite easily - maybe the taper is too steep?. If you could give some rough dimensions based on a particular size of allen key, it would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

[Chucklz]

I've never used allen keys before. I tapered about 1-2mm for about 5 mm of length. Try gripping the allen key near the bend.

[Mad Mick]

That degree of taper is approx. the same as on my allen key. I can guess now, that the smooth finish is responsible for slipping (I didn't want to damage the keyways, so I polished the allen key smooth after grinding).

Thanks.

[Renotesse]

ive used an allen key before... i didnt like it it hurt my hands a bit too much, meaning i was concentrating to much on not hurting my hands that i couldnt pick!



i highly recomend against them! my tension tools are usually made on spur of the moment out of anything i see... quite often hairpins (to females in my family)