tension wrench

[kaosone]

hi all
i made 5 days ago some lockpics
here the screenshot

the problem is the tension tool, i tried with different matereals, but none suitable;
the picks are made with carbon steel hacksaw blades, but they broke really easy (i look at pyro's video, his hacksaw are harder than mine)
someone got some advice?
i dunno english very well, so if u can post a photo of suitable materials i'll understand better
thx for the help
btw.. my lockpicks are fine? (i bought my dremel 6 days ago, so i cant use it very well, and i don't have a metal grinder)

kaosone

[Romstar]

One of the best, easiest to use materials for tension tools is the steel reinforcement pieces used in windshield wiper blades.

If you can't use this, find mini hacksaw blades, or try flat plumbing snake.

Another option you can use is welding rod. I'm not talking about brazing rod here. I mean arc welding rods. Tap them against a solid surface or tool such as a vice or a wrench. That will remove the flux coating from the rod.

Once you have made your bends, you will need to file or grind flats into the ends. Obviously the round stock will not enter a lock.

Good luck.

Romstar

[mcm757207]

Your picks look good Might want to make them a little longer though, you might have trouble reaching into the back of some locks...

[CaptHook]

There are brazing rods from Harris that make great wrenches. They are stiff, flat, and almost to size, just need to sand the thickness about .015-.020 to be able to enter the keyway. The width is perfect as is. I have several I made from this material that are some of my favorite wrenches, doesnt need to be heated for bending either. I also use this material for a different style of sfic control wrench.
Chuck

[Eyes_Only]

another great material for tension wrenches are bicycle wheel spokes. First just cut off as much as you can. Then place the spoke on a hard flat metal surface like the anvil part on the back of a bench vise and just hammer the thing untill its flat and you cant seem to make it anymore flatter. then find a way to bend the tip for the prong that goes into the lock. Finally just cut off the excess metal to bring the wrench to you own desirable length. Hope this can help

[Mad Mick]

Picks look OK, a little more length on the blades would be more desirable though. As for tension wrenches, as Rom suggests, wiper blade inserts are excellent. Dipsticks are very good too. Have fun with that Dremel......my first one wore out!!

[kaosone]

ok next picks will be longer
can i have a photo of things you are talkin about?
i can understand only bicycle's spokes
google couldn't help me

[Mad Mick]

viewtopic.php?t=2867&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Look here and read the entire thread for the standard by which all home made picks are to be judged by. These excellent picks were produced by Pick_Maker and give us all a quality to aspire to.

[technik]

haha, those picks are growing as famous as Pyros movie (almost..)

[Romstar]

Am I really going to be forced to get a digital camera just to show that pick_maker isn't the only master tool maker here?

Seriously, they are an excellent set, and something all pick makers should aspire to.

Now, where did I put that laser cutter?
Romstar

[kaosone]

i can't see that photos
404 error , not found

[Mad Mick]

Just left click the link and another window will open.

[mupet]

Picks look good

Try any old small allen wrench ground down to fit in the keyway

[benzy2]

For mine i went to walmart. If you look at the different type of windshield blades there was one really cheap type that was all plastic. The next one nicer (second cheapest) has 2 metal rods that hold the blade in place. I found that these work really well as they do give a litte(but dont give a perm. bend) and keep you from really over torquing the lock. It helps me personally because if i notice a lot of bend i realize i am putting too much force on the lock. Also street sweeper blades are a good option if you live in the city. Us country boys have to stick to bike spokes or wiper blades. Allen wrenches make good stiff wrenches too. The biggest problem with breaking tension wrenches is too much torque. Everything works a lot better if you put the right pressure on. Good luck getting a good wrench and good luck on the next set of picks.

[Hojo]

Howdy when I began picking locks I used hacksaw blades for tention tools but i found I broke them to easy so i went searching...and i found a great material....Arc welding sticks, basicaly it looks like a sparkler so you start of with this rod with powder stuff on 2/3's of it so get a hammer and smits it all off (dont hit it to hard or bend it) once its all off polish it on a polisher....duh....then your left with a nice round rod, grind the end down to make a screw driver like object and slowly bend it (i put it in a vise so its bent at 90 degree angle then your left with a super long wrench so cut it where you want it and what i like to do iw where you cut it make a mini screw driver (it comes in usefull for undoing I-Core screws) so heres a picture of my one:



Keep me updated on how it goes, I might make a video too