What pick set for italy? Normal o slim?

[JackNco]

LOL, nice.

I don't really do the whole making picks thing. i tried your cut down Key for BS locks but had more luck with some twisted garden wire and copied the "lever lifter" with the same garden wire.

Levers are something i haven't got in to yet. I will when i have the time and some spare cash to get a decent file sit to get the lifter just so.

[Shrub]

On lever locks though you often have to knock a tool up on the door out of some wire, its true that the more you do it the less you need to make if you keep them all but in my area i get a lot of old locks that are often quite unique to what ive seen before,

We have a lot of wooden locks around some of the old estates,

When time allows ill get some more vids and guides up on making lever tools etc,

[JackNco]

What thickness of wire do you use? I just measure what i have and its about 1.4mm, but as its garden wire it doest hold its shape as well as i would like. and its a bit soft to feel exactly whats going on in the lock.

[Shrub]

Depends on lock but i use mainly 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 for all my projects,

1.6 is probably your best for normal use but 1.4 can be used if its stiff enough,

If you can bend in your hands its likely not goign to be any good for picking with,

Ive recently been useig some wire that can only be bent after its been heated red hot and hammered in a vice, once cooled and destressed i cant bend it by hand at all (all in relative terms of course, a 1.4mm diameter rod 1 mile long will be tied in knots but over the 6-8 inch length a pick needs its pretty stiff),

Get to your local model shop and get some piano wire, if you can get the best grade they have you should be ok, some model shops wil hold better stuff than others and if you can get to one that caters for the big models then you will be laughing,

If your useing that green garden wire stuff for tieing up your plants your weeing into the wind to be honest,

[JackNco]

No its not the green stuff, its bare metal wire but it does bend in the hand easily. ill nip in to a couple of hobby craft/model shops next time im in the area of one.

Any idea what the stuff ur using made of? IE Steel or a composite of metals?

Cheers for the help shrub.

[Shrub]

The stuff ive been playing with is an alloy (as in more than one metal in it) but im not sure what materials until it comes in,

I got given a sample on asking for the stiffest hardest wire they could get (a local steel suppliers) and they said they could get me a load of it,

Now a load of it could mean a drum of it costing in the thousands or it could be 10 metres of it costing less than £50 i just dont know until it comes but i oredered it anyway,

[JackNco]

If only i could justify spending even £50 on wire. but im a member of another forum thats got quite a few engineers/mechanics/guys that build things in there shed, on it. ill have an ask on there and see if theres anything they can suggest.

[Shrub]

As i say opiano wire is gogin tobe your best bet, its what most use and its cheap and accessable,

£50 will be a bonus but its mor elikely to be a lot lot more than that but then again its also likely to be in a 50-100m drum

[JackNco]

Im sure its what ill end up using. and u never know u might get a decent price for it. i remember NKT telling me how much the stuff costs for his curtain picks costs and its some stupid amount. like £18 for a small amount.

plus the original cost of the tool. trust me im going to be playing with wire for long time before im shelling out costs like that.

[Shrub]

Oh trust me, i will make some good money off it, im not spending thousands on a reel of cable for my own use you know