Tools for making lockpicks

by **pickmonger** » 21 Sep 2006 11:33

My darling wife, surprised me with a tool kit for making lockpicks.

A Dremel style rotary tool with flexishaft and a billion and one parts. :lol:

A $150 package on sale at Canadian Tire for $50.

I am of course thrilled with her act of kindness.

For cutting, grinding, and polishing can you please suggest what should be on my shopping list when I go and buy the required attachment pieces, for use with a rotary tool.

Hmmm, come to think of it she didn't get me safety glasses. Wonder if that should cause any concern :wink:

by **Bud Wiser** » 21 Sep 2006 11:34

She's definitely a keeper

by **Bud Wiser** » 21 Sep 2006 11:44

You might also want to consider a cheap table grinder like this one, I've seen them for as low as $29.95 US, which is all you need for making picks.

I start off with the grinder and do the finer details with a dremel, and final touch up work with miniature files.

Yes you need googles! And a cheap blow torch too. Not really required, but comes in handy some times.

Other odds and ends, small table vice, hand vice, sand paper, and your ready to rock!

by **Bud Wiser** » 21 Sep 2006 11:45

table grinder link
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none

by **Romstar** » 21 Sep 2006 12:19

After the bench grinder, I find a small belt/disc sander to be very useful. It helps flatten the edges of hacksaw blades, or even smooth the edge of a feeler guage that you have sliced with a dremel. It can be used for shaping, paint removal, and even to start polishing. Its a great tool.

Oh, and you need a tub of lard. Everybody should have at least one tub of lard. Amazingly handy stuff, make sure you get the real thing and not vegetable shortening.

Have fun,
Romstar

by **illusion** » 21 Sep 2006 12:36

Lard?

What's the magic use for this?

by **Romstar** » 21 Sep 2006 14:15

illusion wrote:Lard?

What's the magic use for this?

Oh come on. There are dozens, hundreds, perhaps thousands of uses for lard. Just use your imagination.

If that doesn't work, ask again and I'll explain it to you. :wink:

Romstar

by **digital_blue** » 21 Sep 2006 14:29

Suitable replacement for Mazola?

db

by **Bud Wiser** » 21 Sep 2006 15:20

I guess we know who the real pros are here, right Romstar?

I thought every one knew Lard (animal fat) can be used as soap, and to treat cuts, and of course lets not forget shoe wax, and yes, can be used as lubricant in a pinch

by **Krypos** » 21 Sep 2006 18:22

Romstar wrote:Oh come on. There are dozens, hundreds, perhaps thousands of uses for lard. Just use your imagination.

If that doesn't work, ask again and I'll explain it to you.

ok, we all know what rom was thinking here when he said this..........

and I* honestly dont see where you would use lard while making picks, i mean, i can understand the concept of applying it somewhere, but i really dont know how/where.

by **digital_blue** » 21 Sep 2006 20:30

Come on guys. Think about it for a couple minutes and you'll figure it out. What could you POSSIBLY use lard for while making picks?

Or... you *could* just ask Rom again and he will tell you.

Or... you *could* use the search function, as I know it's been mentioned before.

db

by **Schuyler** » 21 Sep 2006 20:34

viewtopic.php?t=10353&highlight=lard+picks

search-FU

I like that guys name "Jimmy D" didn't stick around though, eh?

by **Romstar** » 21 Sep 2006 23:25

Well, you sortta got it half right.

Basically you do NOT use lard while grinding. While grinding use water. You are not heating the steel to a point where that sort of quenching matters, and water is a fast cooling medium.

Lard is used for when you intentionally heat the steel to bend it.

Since much of our steel is pre tempered, we have to heat it to bend or it cracks or snaps right off. After you heat it however, it loses a great deal of that temper. We want to maintain as much of that as possible, so we use lard to cool the pick or wrench after heating.

The cooling speed is such that it maintains temper without having to go through the process of re-hardening and re-tempering.

Remember that a pick that has only been hardened will be brittle, and eventually snap off. Most likely at the most inopportune time. So, you have to temper the steel after hardening.

The temperature of the steel, as well as the rate of cooling all affect the overall hardening and temper of the piece in question.

While it is unlikely that many people here will have access to a metals furnace some people may be aquainted with its use. Basically, for hardening, and for tempering you raise the temperature of the steel to a pre-determined level and hold it there so it "soaks" for a set period of time. Then, you remove and quench the steel in the appropriate liquid. Most steels are either air hardening or oil hardening. After you have hardened the steel, you must temper it, and for this you raise the temperature of the steel to a lower temperature, allow to "soak" for a set period of time, and then cool the steel in a pre-defined manner.

Some steels require that they be cooled a specific number of degrees per hour, others that they be let into the air, and again others to be quenched in a cooling medium.

For us however, not much of this matters.

Lard will allow you to heat the steel you are using to a nice red and then once shaped, you can place it in the lard, move it around and you have kept a great deal of the piece's temper. Which is what we want in teh first place.

Romstar

by **Schuyler** » 21 Sep 2006 23:35

Holy crap. What a font of knowledge

Thanks Romstar!

by **Bud Wiser** » 21 Sep 2006 23:55

Romstar, ok that's one use for lard, how about 11 more?

Tools for making lockpicks

Tools for making lockpicks

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