First Homemade Pick

[SwiftyPick]

So I'm new here, and i though I'd post the first pick I've made. I was limited to just hand tools, and a hacksaw blade, so it was made with solely files and a vise.
Any tips on what i could do next time?
Oh, I also plan on making a set of slim lines and a tension wrench also. Does anyone know if rake prongs are any good?

[ady1989]

Excellent job with this pick! I have 2 suggestions though - the end that goes in the lock seems a little wide. It might be too fat. Also, you need to grab some finer grit(s) sandpaper and sand that sucker till' it's mirror finish. Start with 300 grit and go through 400, 600, 1000 and 1500.

Other than that awesome job!

[ToolyMcgee]

Wow, that is pretty awesome. Excellent job, especially for a first pick.

Although it is difficult to judge the size acurately, ady1989 is right. You would find the pick more useful if the shaft was thinner. Also, round off the squared corner on the bottom where the tip meets the shaft so you can snake upside down without getting hung up.

For the next pick you make I suggest a short hook, or a half diamond. If you are confused about the size I usually go with slightly larger than the tooth of your average house key is about a perfect half diamond. Check out Raimundo's thread if you want some step by step instructions on making a good bogota carry set. http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?t=8205
It seems like you might find it useful since you were able to file that beauty.

As for the metal rake tines, yes they work just fine. I prefer them over hacksaw blades for making stiffer picks because I don't have to file for 86 hours to make a good shaft. I suspect they aren't the same quality steel, but they have worked well for me.

-Tooly

[SwiftyPick]

Yeah, I was pretty sure that the shaft was too wide.
What are Bogota's generally used for?
And would the rake tines also work for a tension wrench?

I'm fairly new at this. I only know the general picks, wrench, and lock picking techniques.

Thanks for all the tips guys

[ady1989]

You should learn to pick single pins using a hook or half diamond. I suggest you make either of those and start there. Raking won't open all locks, where a simple hook would (in the right hands). Bogotas are used for raking/jiggling but in order to get them to work you need to be decent at picking first. They can be quite tricky. Trust me on this, I have dozens of picks but I use my good ole' hook for almost everything.

[ToolyMcgee]

Agreed. SPP'ing with a hook or half diamond is the proper way to learn. Even a perfectly made bogota can't defeat "all" locks using the jiggler method.

Bogota's are made to be a tool that can be used on all standard pin tumbler locks. They are incredibly effective with a little practice.

[SwiftyPick]

So today I took a hour or so and knocked out a new pick and a tension wrench.


Penny for size reference. I don't think it was soo bad this time. But i do think that the "tooth" on the new pick (far right) needs to be slightly smaller. The tension wrench was bent with the flame from a BBQ and has yet to be trimmed (black bit on the end).
What do all you people think?

[LearningTheArt]

Nice, but I would put a 90 degree twist on the tension wrench and make them a little slimmer they still look to fat.

[SwiftyPick]

Here's a close up of the pick:


Yeah, the wrench is made from a rake tine. I didn't worry about it too much because my summer/free time is coming close to an end. I tried to put a flex on another wrench test, but the metal never became hot enough to put a proper flex on it.