looking for feedback on my first DIY set (^.^)

[pur evil]

here are some pictures of my first diy set of picks. as you can tell i used 10" hacksaw blades and snipped them in half, so theres a decent keyhole on each... I'm having trouble making ball picks (the half ball is hacked to bits if you look closer) any suggestions would be helpful considering that i use a rotary tool for the entire process, and getting decent grooves without cutting ones self or flying through bits is a pain in the ass.

anyway enjoy!

Picks shown

Half Ball
Hook Feeler
Random Rake
Combo Key/Diamond
and my first test (looks like a rake, works like a ball)

and some tension wrenches

[gotta]

That's a good start. You'll probably figure out pretty quick all those teeth have got to go. If you're using a dremel, be sure and use the heavy duty cut off wheels, they are much harder to break. An investment in a small bench grinder will speed things up.

The nice thing about making your own picks is that if you don't like them, you can just make new. I still make new ones after 26 years. Nice job on the pictures too, they show the ends of the pick nicely.

[pur evil]

funny that you'd mention the bench grinder, i've made some hints for christmas, and yes i have ground down the hack saw teeth as you suggested, thus far ive picked about 18-20 locks (mainly just helping family members and clumsy friends) i had a decent set i bought a while back but they had been confiscated because i didnt finish the locksmithing certification a long time ago. making pick blanks will be a breeze on a grinder plus then i'll only have to buy some rounded grind bits for the rotary instead of using tons of different bits.

thanks for the advice man! i'd really like to get back into the game, plus things havent changed much since i started a while back anyway.

[Servalite6354]

Those are pretty good for a first try. Definitely better than the first lockpick I ever made.

Look forward to seeing more of your home-brew picks.

[Legion303]

Not shabby, but I predict that hook on the far right will snap before too long...it looks like it narrows a bit too suddenly, and that's going to be a weak point.

You might also want to consider taking the wide handle off your wrenches as it can lead to unintentional over-torquing. My favorite wrench material is wiper blade inserts; you can run out a twist wrench in about 15 seconds with two pairs of pliers, and the material is perfectly sized for most keyways.

-steve

[pur evil]

Not shabby, but I predict that hook on the far right will snap before too long...it looks like it narrows a bit too suddenly, and that's going to be a weak point.

yeah you're right about that, i only use it when i cant hear the pins, and i use a feathered touch, once i find all of them i can use a regular sized hook that i made just recently.

also i tried the concept of wiper inserts but getting ahold of them without arousing suspicion is a complete pain. but they make excellent tension wrenches so i'll give you that. when it comes to materials, i found that hacksaw blades are the most economical and accessible. to get more uniform notches im using a mill file now instead of a rounded grinder bit

thanks again for the advice man

[Gordon Airporte]

My favorite wrench material is wiper blade inserts; you can run out a twist wrench in about 15 seconds with two pairs of pliers, and the material is perfectly sized for most keyways.

-steve

I'll second the recommendation that you pick up some wiper blade inserts. They're practically made more torque wrenches. Go to an auto service station and ask for any wipers they're throwing away, or just do some dumpster diving outside a parts store on a rainy day.

[josh0094]

pretty good. ALOT better then the ones i use are. i just need to get off my but more then anything else.

[johnpsmith84]

thats a nice set , but i was wondering when you take off the paint of the hack saw, does it seem to be softer, because when i try to make my picks look nice, they bend alot more.

[LockNewbie21]

When you sand a pick, the the emory paper will take its thickness down a few thousanths of an inch depending on a few things. Meaning how much you have to sand based ony our desired finish.

This picks look verry good, I made my first picks from freakin reading glasses

Hacksaw blades are crappy stock..there easy to find but not the best.

Wiper inerts are just fine, feeler gauge stock as mentioned is great steal, and even better will allow you to descide you picks thickness from tenths to thousanths of an inch.

None the less, I like the set, some of the shapes need refinment as far as thick and thin points and there ability to enter the lock and exit smoothly.

But nothings perfect, And look just fine to me well done

ln21

[pur evil]

thats a nice set , but i was wondering when you take off the paint of the hack saw, does it seem to be softer, because when i try to make my picks look nice, they bend alot more.

yes it does feel much smoother, and i used a fairly rough sandpaper to do it because i was in a hurry. i believe i used a 150 grit (the pictures also reflect the amount of abuse ive thrown at them since creating them 4 weeks ago. plus i don't like having picks that bend too much.

in response to those who suggest i start using wiper inserts, i'll see if i can get my hands on some (with very little or no expense because i'm not working now) and i'll test out my new mill files and carbide rotary grinders.
the next set has to be at least 5X better before i post them. i've also started looking into creating a auto set, including slim jims, jigglers, and remote alarm sniffers (frequency signals)

aside from that i'll use the rest of the hacksaw blades for the time being and abuse them like a dirty monkey

[raimundo]

Uh, purevil, you are talking about remote alarm sniffers, shouldn't you be on criminalz101? I think your in the wrong site.

[pur evil]

Uh, purevil, you are talking about remote alarm sniffers, shouldn't you be on criminalz101? I think your in the wrong site.

aahahah, as i clearly stated before on my other posts that i do some repo on the side to help with the finances. most repo tools go along these lines of lockpicking and tactful entry especially while doing cars, motorcycles, trailers and so on. before i had purchased sets, but now im doing everything from scratch.

and no i'm not a criminal, everything i do is authorized by clients to either reposess or to gain entry

[raimundo]

Ok, guess I didn't read all your stuff.

[zeke79]

The best stock I have found is the small sink drain snakes. They are about .250" wide for good pick handles and are around .025 thick. At a few bucks each you get around 10 or 12' of pick stock to work with. Definately worth giving it a shot.