Pick Size

[tdcanam]

I attempted making my own picks from hacksaw blades but it seems I made the shaft to small and the pick was to springy. It broke after about 1 min on a Magnum 40 mm.
My question is, how thick should the shaft be on a pick made from a hacksaw blade and what should the profile measurements be for the tip of a simple hook pick?

(my pick was this long and shape on a 19 inch wide screen )

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[ToolyMcgee]

The answer is make another one that isn't so thin and if you find it too springy and it breaks, then make another one that isn't so thin.

If you continue to snap several of them, then consider the fact you might be tensioning to hard. Maybe you are removing to much material too fast and heating the steel up to hot. It could be you are using a blade that has an alloyed steel.

My favourite short hook's shaft is 7/128th's of of an inch, and the overall height of the tip is 7/64th's of an inch.

Measuring is for dweebs when it comes to lockpicks. Make 'em until you find one that works good for you. Personal preference has more to do with it than proper dimension. You need a primary pick you can manuever under low pins in the lock that can still reach a higher pin. For a short hook this means making a pick shaft thin enough it can be controlled past pins at the lowest setting, and still high enough that it can reach all but the highest of pin settings for the next pin.

T'Mcgee

[raimundo]

it must have been quite small, springy usually means it springs back and this is far better than "takes a bend", however if the springy was all at a single small spot this spot was taking the full weight of pressure, while all the rest of the shaft was not contributing to the flexing. This kind of situation comes from one area being thinner, or differently tempered.
personally as everyone knows, I think the better material is relatively new sweeper bristle. If you find this in the street, remember redish rust is new and wipes off with a scotchbrite pad, dark brown rust is deep and will cause pits in the metal after the surface is sanded. cut away at least half an inch from anywhere that it broke off, as this area may be work hardened and brittle. Cut off any parts that have deep scars that you cannot sand out.

With making picks from hacksaw blades, there is more metal to waste out, and this is usually done on a grinder, the grinder can overheat the metal and will change its temper in a small area (heat builds faster in the thin spots as it has less channel of metal for this heat to flow away.

[tdcanam]

Thanks for the replies. I have never really seen the street sweeper bristles around my area before but I'll keep an eye out for them. I guess I'll just go with the trial and error method Make'm n break'm till I get a good one. I'll aslo grind slower and dip the blade in water more often to lessen the weakening of the material.

[prag]

When we sharpen our knives (shoe repairing side of the business) we never use a use a machine like a bench grinder as this will mess up the steel composition of the knife. In fact it will get blunt much more faster. The same with most steel, if it filed off incorrectly (too much pressure at one point or not evenly) problems will occur when it is used. It will become a weak spot when pressure is applied.

Wiper blades are also good for tension wrenches. Just talk to auto machanics or auto spares shops. They just throw it away in anycase. I have done this and use it all the time. The metal part in the blades can also be use for the making of small picks. Very good for small key ways.

Good luck with your pick making and pracise all the time.