List of Lock Picking Materials

[Kaotik]

Like I said, it was meat cleaver size, but much thinner.

I gotchya, I was just messing with you. Meat clevers are up to a 1/4" so I was making a joke out of it, hence the laughing smiley. Oh wait I must have clicked the wrong smiley...well here it is.

[mrdan]

Are you making a pick of T/Wrench out of this B/Knife? IMHO they work better for Wrenches than picks. Unless, it happens to be thin enough to slide fully to the back of the lock. I say this because some B/Knives start out pretty thin at the tip but widen more towards the handle area.

Jason13 made some picks out of B/Knives, I remember seeing something of that nature in a thread, can't remember where, you may ask him how they turned out and which ones he used and what picks he made from them or search "homemade picks" or "homebrew picks".

There will be tons of reference pics in one/both of those searches, that should help you with some ideas on designs.

Yes I did have to grind down the surface to make the blade thinner. ( I know, too much work but I am having fun) Just went out and bought a 10 pk of Hacksaw blades to play around with too. I have chosen a design for the Butter knife pick (I believe it's called camel back. ) And yes, it does fit nicely inside the keyway all the way back.

[Kaotik]

mrdan,

Great, sounds like your on the right track. As long as your having fun like you mentioned, that's all that matters no matter how much work is involved. I have always heard that if you like doing what you do then it's not really work at all.

[raimundo]

two that haven't been mentioned in the original post, cheap steak knifes made from flat stainless and wood handles, the cheaper the thinner the blade stock. also, the headband from cheap walkman type headphones can be madeinto picks, you have to know how to make it straight as its set in a curve, but thats remediable

[Kaotik]

I remember seeing those two materials mentioned somewhere on here...good advise none the less.

Also if anyone has the Pen Pick Set like this one:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g55/K ... ickSet.jpg

You can also use the stainless blades from the small paring knives with the plastic handles for making the replacement blade if one breaks or gets lost.

Like these:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g55/K ... Knives.jpg

[unbreakable]

I remember seeing those two materials mentioned somewhere on here...good advise none the less.

Also if anyone has the Pen Pick Set like this one:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g55/K ... ickSet.jpg

You can also use the stainless blades from the small paring knives with the plastic handles for making the replacement blade if one breaks or gets lost.

Like these:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g55/K ... Knives.jpg

That is one awesome looking pen pick!!

So you made the pick bits yourself? They look excellent, nice curves, even tangs.

[scampdog]

as you can see i've got the same pick set. i made a set of computer picks to fit inside, along with the normal picks

the nine on the left are the homemades, and were made from engine oil dipsticks,acquired fron the local car breakers yard. their a bit of a tight squeeze to get in, but they do fit.

[undeadspacehippie]

as you can see i've got the same pick set. i made a set of computer picks to fit inside, along with the normal picks

the nine on the left are the homemades, and were made from engine oil dipsticks,acquired fron the local car breakers yard. their a bit of a tight squeeze to get in, but they do fit.

Very nice - thanks for the picture.. \

[bpc293]

toiletplumber what you want is the small drain auger. there like 7 to 10 dollars for 25'. it's the thinest one they make. that thick one you seen was the next size up and it probably cost about $25 you real dont want the bigger one. theres to much sanding. there also called fish tape.

[grim]

It would be great if other people could post other materials that have worked well for them, or advice on which of these materials have worked/not worked for them and why.

pick:
fish tape (hand-filed down to a "6-mountain" style rake)

tension tool:
large copper box staple

why? i just wanted to see if i could get it to work. it did. i still carry these in a small pocket of my wallet as a "just-in-case".

[raimundo]

A couple of years ago, when I first found this site, there was very little talk of making picks, everyone was talking about what to buy, where to buy, etc. personally, I am pleased that so many people are now talking about making their own picks, commercial picksets do not cover all the types of locks, especially the really small ones. Pick making is finally a primary topic on the lp101. I'm pleased

[Gordon Airporte]

Picks: bananas

I've also found use for putty knives. Some have the thickness taper along the length and some are of uniform thickness. The steel can be a right bstard though, it might need heat treatment.... old thread:
viewtopic.php?t=9500&highlight=putty+knife

[machinist]

I used bandsaw blade to make a few picks. Its high carbon steel plentiful, and only .002" thinner than hacksaw blades VERY strong stuff.

[mjwhit]

yea bt unless you can scam some from somewere theyre expensive... another idea is the metal off a computer case... anyone used it? found a sheet of stainless steel in the shed thats a good thickness. next lot of picks will be out of that.

[raimundo]

bandsaw blades break, then they become available free, look in the trash at a meatpacking plant, or ask a cabinet maker.