curtain pick woe

[mickramsey]

Hello all

im hoping someone can help, i bought the full set of chris belcher pocket curtain picks at the telford show, but now cannot make any progress with them.
I broke the standard wire that came with the set, so bought another, when it arrived it was a totaly different shape than the old one and alot fatter on the blade of the wire, im having problems even in finding turning and lifting levers with it ??? yet i had no problems with my old wire.

I also ordered 3 new fortress wires 2 of which do not even allow me to turn the curtain properly, so impossible to get under a lever, though 1 of them was fine and does work, but at the price of them id have liked all 3 to work.

I try to follow the instructions and use light tension, but to my dismay the 5g stem has buckled ( twisted slightly) as is very soft indeed, can this be easily straightened again ? and can it be hardened as very soft? and it wont fit into a 5g legge at all.

The problem with the wires is very odd, as i was told they are all handmade and tested before dispatch, and for 1 wire to work and 2 not to work is strange, and my old wires were spot on, so im at a loss as to send them back or do they need a slight modification

any advice is most appreciated.

[bonez]

your post is a bit vauge!

have you opened any thing yet?

are you picking fortressess?

if you've broken a wire and bent a stem your using
way to much force!!

check out shrubs curtain pick video.

j.

[mickramsey]

Sorry i didnt mean to be vague, new to forums.

i picked the 3 fortress locks i have with my old wire, but can only pick them with the 1 of the new wires, i cannot even turn the curtain fully with 2 of the new wires.

ive no problems with ERA and union locks, though it was a union 2134 that i twisted the stem on, i used less force than with my rb tool, though more than an era, as nothing would set until more tension had been applied.

The main question is can i restraighten my stem easily or do i need a new one, and can it be hardened as it seems very soft.

Have i been unlucky with a few wires or are alot of these fortress and standard wires having problems at present, as if only a small modification is needed, id do this rather than send wires back for new ones and have a long wait and postage costs.
I wondered if the manufacturer of the wires had changed and hadnt quite got it right yet, or if i was just unlucky.

[bonez]

i'm not sure if the stem can be repaired!
maybe cutting the damaged part off and shortening it
may be an option?

as for the wires have you been sent the max wire by
mistake!?!

wait to see if shrub answers this post as he does tool repairs
etc,he may shed some light on it.

good luck for now and welcome by the way.

j.

[Shrub]

Well the fact youve bent your stem says youve put way way too much pressure on and most probably not had the tool in the curtain fully or had it in the wrong size curtain at some point,

I admit i have slightly deformed the end of one of my stems due to seriously abuseing it,

Is it possable youve got a dud stem? i would say not as they all come out of a block of material, if ones dud the whole batch are,

If you want the stem can be examined by the maker to see if it is infact your abuse or a dud tool,

The 5/5.5g stem does fit in the curtain of a 5g Legge, there is some inconsistancy in the finish on those locks which gives a thicker or thinner plateing on top, ive had them where if you push it the tool does go in and then others that needed a drill running through them,

As for the wires,
So youve picked a Fortress with a standard wire? and then a Fortress wire?

The wires dont tend to come in odd shapes, they do run through a quality check and im sure your perhaps looking at them wrong,

The best thing for you to do is post up a picture of the bent stem and the odd wires against the right wires,

[mickramsey]

Thanks
il have a go at putting up some picks.

The pick is excelent even though twisted at present, i had a pm telling me to pull the stem through the collar, which has straightened it up a bit for me.

sorry if i was vague, no never picked fortress with standard wire just my initial f wire that came with the set, i pick my 3 locks quicker now as i know the lock, but 2 of the 3 wires just wont even locate in the lock, where 1 does and works fine, they all look the same, baffled me.

il send them back to duffels and get a replacement.

thanks for tip on legge , il try forcing it in, just didnt want to do this having already twisted the stem, is it possible to file the tip of stem to fit these without damaging the tool ? or maybe il file curtain a little.

again thanks, it must be either me or maybe just a duff wire.

[Shrub]

No dont modify the stem, they are quite hard anyway,

As i said clean out the curtain with a drill bit,

You say youve twisted the stem? maybe we have a differant thought on what the stem is, you dont mean the tension bar coming off the color do you? i just cant see you being able to do that on a normal lock, maybe if you held the stem in the vice and tryed turning it, i know what i had to do to just bend the end lip on mine so you must be doing somthing wrong,

As long as the stem fits into the curtain then i see little point in trying to straighten it but rather like i say let someone else see it to see what your issue is,

[chip]

I too have been having trouble with the F wire for the CB pick.
One end of the wire seems ok but the other in bent inwards.
At first i thought it was something i was doing wrong but after speaking to others then reading this post, obviously not.

This is now the third wire that has been bent on one end. I could understand if it was bent in on both end but it's only one.??

I'll try and get a photo up of it so i can show you,

Hope someone can shead some light on the matter.
cheer all

[Shrub]

Contact Chris with regards sending it to him personally for inspection and he will sort it out one way or another,

[jiggler]

The ends on my F wire came bent at funny angles. I just straightened them to square with the shaft and it's fine now.

[chip]

I know that they can have a slight bend in the to get over the warding in the lock, mine just looks like some one stamped on it

[Bump]

Thanks
il have a go at putting up some picks.

The pick is excelent even though twisted at present, i had a pm telling me to pull the stem through the collar, which has straightened it up a bit for me.

sorry if i was vague, no never picked fortress with standard wire just my initial f wire that came with the set, i pick my 3 locks quicker now as i know the lock, but 2 of the 3 wires just wont even locate in the lock, where 1 does and works fine, they all look the same, baffled me.

il send them back to duffels and get a replacement.

thanks for tip on legge , il try forcing it in, just didnt want to do this having already twisted the stem, is it possible to file the tip of stem to fit these without damaging the tool ? or maybe il file curtain a little.

again thanks, it must be either me or maybe just a duff wire.

Have you modified the stem in accordance with Chris Belchers instructions? If so there should be more than enough room to pass the wire and turn the stem without forcing it. Go to the CB website to download the instructions.http://www.chrisbelcher.com/index.html

The F wire is supposed to be bent inwards/outwards in order to overcome the warding. I am suprised anyone managed to lift the number 5 lever with a standard wire. Lucky I guess!

If you have any problems with the CB pick, contact Chris or Suzzie and they will deal with your complaint very promptly.

Its not the easiest of locks so can I suggets you get hold a of perspex cover for the Fortress so you can see how the wire works, some of the lower levers are not so easy to pick up as in the older ERA locks.

[Bump]

I just noticed that Chris seems to have taken the instructions for modifying the 5g stem down, or maybe they were only there on request. Nevermind, if any one needs the instructions you just need to e-mail Chris or Suzzie and they will provide.

[jiggler]

The ends on my F wire came bent at funny angles. I just straightened them to square with the shaft and it's fine now.

Now having picked a fortress lock I had to rebend the ends of the wire as they need to be off square to get around the case ward - so don't go bending your's straight like I did! They are supposed to be offset.

Serves me right for thinking I knew better!

[Shrub]

New you would get there in the end,