Info on modifying a SouthOrd 8-Pin Tubular Pick to a 7-Pin

[UnLock]

I replied on another post regarding this procedure however I feel there should be a post dedicated to this modification. If anyone wants to add to this, please do so. The more information, the better it is!

Recently I purchased the SouthOrd Tubular 8 pick and the rubber handle just spun freely which seems to be a defect that another member also encountered. The loose handle actually worked in my favor. I removed it completely and was able to clamp it together between 2 pieces of wood to hold it steady while drilling. I used a drill press with a 1/16th drill bit and bought a 1/16th spring pin. The original pin and hole are just slightly smaller but replacing it with a 1/16th works just as well with NO difference. Below are some pictures of the procedure.

To hold the pick steady all I did was drill a 11/32 hole, which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the pick, and clamp it between two pieces of wood.




This close up picture sucks but I'm hoping to use my buddy's camera that'll take excellent close-up shots. If you look carefully you'll see both pins in there. Depending what type of lock you'll be picking, you'll have to remove one of these pins. I'll try and have the new close-up pics posted by Tuesday.

Please note that removing the pin is easy enough with needle-nose pliers but putting it back in takes some time. To make it easier, I squeezed/squished the very tip of the pin so that it could be inserted easier in the hole. Once it's there, just push the rest of the pin in by pushing the pick against a hard surface.

On the original 8-pin model, the spring pin is located between two of the sliding blades while on a 7-pin model the spring pin is located directly under one of the sliding blades. I drilled the whole about 90 degrees from the original spring pin.

The final product is an 8-pin tubular pick that will work on any 7 or 8 pin tubular lock!

To do this mod, it took me about 30 minutes and cost me less than $5.00 Cdn. The Crazy Glue was $1.69 and the 1/16th cobalt drill bit was $2.29. Not bad at all considering a new pick would run about $70.00 US.

If anyone has any questions or aren't clear of anything, please PM me and I'll help out.

Thanks goes out to Chucklz and Nasydave for their tips.

[Mad Mick]

Great post Unlock, but could you please describe the method in more detail (I'm probably not going to do this myself as I don't own a tubular pick, but others will ask)

Thanks.

[UnLock]

No problem Mad...what part of the procedure should I elaborate more on? Most of it, I believe, is pretty straight forward. The two most important things to do is clamp the pick securely so it doesn't move while drilling and definitely use a drill press to make a straight hole.

The original spring pin is 3/8" long and the new pin I purchased from Home Depot is 1/2" and cost a mere $0.15 Cdn! (almost free for all you US folks) Instead of cutting the new pin down to size, I just drilled the hole a little deeper until the pin was flush with the tip of the pick. The result is that the pin is in there nice and secure.

Below is a good question Chucklz had asked me in a different post and I've copied it here.

One small clarification question, When you were preparing to drill the second hole, did you use a center punch or something similar to mark the hole so the bit didn't wander? Or was this simply not necessary?

I didn't find the need to mark the spot with a punch when using the drill press as the bit doesn't wander as it would with a hand drill. I did a practise hole on a seperate piece of steel I had and the hole was drilled perfectly straight.

If anyone has any specific questions please post here and I'll do my best to answer them all.

[Mad Mick]

As I said before, I don't have a tubular pick, I'm just using my own custom tools. But if I were to buy one, where would I drill the holes for the mod? Having not yet used or seen a tubular pick up close, I'm unsure as to what the mod is for.

Thanks.

[UnLock]

The only thing you have to do to turn the SO Tubular 8 into a 7 model is remove the original spring-pin and move it 90 degrees to the left or right. I'm using 90 degrees as an example because that's how I did it but it really doesn't matter where, as long as it's lined up and centered with one of the picking pins. Once converted, there will be a picking pin directly above the spring-pin that won't be used when picking a 7-pin lock.

Phew...I hope this makes some type of sense! Hopefully when I borrow my buddy's camera I'll take some good close-ups of what I'm trying to explain here. Pictures are so much better!

[Mad Mick]

Thanks for the clarification, it makes sense to me now.

[technik]

now you have made this mod, would you reccomend buying the 8 pin pick over the 7 pin? I have only seen 7 pin cylinder locks, or i am just not seeing them? I am interested in buying a cylinder pick

[UnLock]

Only if you have access to a drill press would I recommend purchasing the 8-pin model and converting it. This way if you ever do run into any 8-pin or any of the offset 7's, you can just swap the spring-pin back. In my opinion, the mod was quite easy to do as long as you make sure to secure the pick properly before you drill the hole.

If you order the 8-pin model and need help with anything I'd be happy to guide you.

[technik]

thanks unlock. You answered my question fully. thank you

[technik]

actually one more thing. Have you got around to taking a clear close up shot of your tool yet? I am realy interested, as this will make me understand exactly what you did, as i am still fairly unsure about what mod you did. Thanks in advance.

[UnLock]

Well here are a couple of better close up shots of the pick. They came out larger than I wanted them to but I haven't figured out all the settings on the camera.

On the first picture you can see the original hole on the left and the new spring pin in the newly drilled hole on the right. If you notice, there's a thin slit running down the depth of the hole. This was caused from the 1/16" drill bit being slightly larger than the original hole. This is completely fine and does not cause the pin to be loose by any means. The pin is in there very snug and doesn't move at all.

On the second picture you can see the new spring pin centered under one of the feeler pins.



Hope this helps understand what I was trying to explain. Any other questions...just let me know!

[technik]

oh, i get it onow good explanation. You thought of this idea your self? If so well done! good close up pictures too. Well done.

[UnLock]

As much as I'd like to take credit for this mod, I can't. I received help/info from Chucklz and Nasydave. The only original thing I came up with is the way I clamped the pick. Of course, this isn't rocket science but hey...at least it works!

[technik]

isthere any chance that you could re-dent the dent on the TPXS-08's and then put a spring pin on one of those? they are cheaper, and coz of currency/shipping etc. it would make more sense to go with one of these. Does it have the ridge that the hole can be drilled into? has anyone ad any success with doing this modification yet?



the pic shown is a 7 pin, i know, couldnt find and 8 pin pic sorry


Thanks guys

[UnLock]

I'm not sure how you'd go about modifying the older model as I don't have one nor have I seen one other than pictures. All that I've read regarding these is that it's not that easy to use because of the tension collar. There have been posts of people fixing this issue by using rubber bands though. On the new ones, they have that big silver tension collar wich is very easy to control as well as it staying in place. I would definitly recommend spending the extra money and getting the new model. I think you'd be happier with it in the long/short run!

Maybe someone who has the old version can take some close up shots of it.

Go ahead and treat yourself!