Homemade Security Pins

[Guitar_J]

I'd posted about this a while back, but something was going on with the server and the post went away, I never bothered to repost... but I've decided to, since I've made improvements.

Anywho... on with the post... I made some security pins... I made one mushroom and one Spool... check em' out!



I put the pin in my dremel tool, just enough to hold it, and tightened it in... I turned the dremel on the lowest speed (about 10k RPM I think) and used a small hobby square file to file away the middle of the pin. I think they turned out nicely, and they work pretty good...

I'm sure this has been done before... just thought I'd post my experience with it...

[HeadHunterCEO]

i like that!

[plot]

very interesting idea.. i wonder what type of effect a spool with imperfect/rough edges around would have on picking the lock... as well as the overall normal performance of the lock.

[Guitar_J]

They'll bind almost every time I try to set them unless I'm really light on the tension.. and i mean REALLY light... I'm going to make a few more spools tomrrow and put them all in a practice lock and see if it makes a big difference...

[reg]

Brilliant idea, Guitar-J.

Thanks for sharing it.

[mcm757207]

It seems to me you'd have to be very carefull to remove all of the burs from around the pins, as they might break off during normal operation and possibly jam up the lock. But for just practice locks that's a great idea! Nice work.

[Guitar_J]

Honestly there are very few if any burs... the files I use have a VERY fine cut... but I concur.. I could see that as being a potential problem..

[quicklocks]

try putting them back in the dremel then smooth it with some wet and dry paper you can get them realy smooth with that try 1000 grade or more

[jimmythelock]

Wow, they look really good. I made some of my own security pins last weekend too. They work really well. I made some mushroom pins to try. I put my pin in a small 14V hand drill and used the dremmel to shape when both were turning.

It is great to be able to make them as it is cheaper than buying more expensive locks which seem to be the way of getting these extra security pins. I bought a cheap avocet to practice on and now I can make it hard to pick without dissmantling the yale on my front door for some harder pins.

Once I have got a feel for the mushrooms and spools I think I'll have a go at serations in the key pins. Great picks by the way. I hope to have some of mine posted soon.

[Hojo]

Good job, I had this idea ages ago but never got around to doing it, I planed that after I grinded them they would bea ll rough, so I tough mabey get some twine and runn it over that and that would buff em up a bit, and about buying expensive locks for security pins, thats not always true, go into a shop and find a cheapy deadbolt that has Pick resistance or somethine like that on it, I once bought one for $10 (aussie dollars) It didnt even say pick resistance or anything but it came with two drivers...so there you go

[S3rratedSp00L]

I like those pins! Then again I haven't tried to pick them yet I could grow to hate them if the lock just wouldn't open! hehe

The fact that those pins are slightly different than the standard security pins we all normally may run across can't be bad for security either Slightly different feel I would imagine. Great stuff!

I am sure someone else may have thought of this, but how about a double mushroom pin? Kinda like a spool, and kinda like a serrated pin.... Nice flat ledges for the pin to catch on
hehehe add some nasty V grooved serrations on the wide parts and have a whole lot of fun, or a lot of frustration!

I like the dremel lathe idea! I may have to try this after I get some of my other non-related projects done

Keep up the good work... Next you'll be using the dremel to make cylinders, heheheh

[jimmythelock]

Here are my homemade pins, now I have got my digital camera working. I made them by mounting a normal driver pin in a 14V hand drill, then used my dremmel to shape when the hand drill was switched on. Shown is an unaltered, spool and mushroom pin, respectively. They wre pins from an avocet (UK only lock (I think) with no security pins).

Enjoy

[eric343]

Clever!

I'll have to try that with my lathe sometime.

[frollard]

fancy - I've thought about this - a dremel chuck is prefect to hold pins that size.

[jimmythelock]

In my experience the dremmel chuck will hold a pin of these kind of diameters, but you have to insert them half way or more to get a decent grip on them to stay put and to be straight in the chuck. A hand drill works much better in my opinion to keep the pin true and the hand drill needs less pin to grip.

Have a go at a couple of different pins mushrooms, spools or serated pins.
And of course try and post some pictures

Jimmy