What are these?

[talbuz]

I have some ILCO picks including these two tools.


I never gave them much thought as I did not use them, but always imagined them as being forms of rakes. But looking at them again I was wondering whether they really are rakes or not.

The first one as you can see is very slender and unlike the rakes Im used to, the teeth do not rise above the horizontal line. This is what got me in doubt whether its a rake or some kind of key puller, or other tool. I gave it a try but did not even manage to rake the simplest pin tumbler.

The second one did work as a rake, and basically the size of a large diamond, only double of course. Did not work so well for me as a lifter, but I wonder if it might be useful for lifting in certain locks more than other.

Anyone have any experience with these tools? Thanks.

[talbuz]

I cant see the pics in this post I just made! I know my computer is playing up so hopefully they show up for everyone else! Please let me know if they dont!

[Engineer]

Hi,

I'm sorry, but I can see a legend that (currently) says viewed 21 times, but I cannot see them on the web page. I had to right-click them to see their properties and copy the location of the pictures into the address bar of my browser to see them.

With anything like this, I click on "preview" of my post first, to make sure everything is working, before I click of "submit". Perhaps this might be of help for you as well as me?

[Jaakko]

I'm seeing those pictures perfectly. Those look both like sawtooth rakes.

[talbuz]

Engineer sorry for the hassle! I did try preview and could not see them properly there, but since I did exactly the same procedure I did two days ago when posting other pics - which work perfectly - , I blamed it on my computer and left it at that. Weird that some of us see them and some dont.

Jaakko, thanks for your opinion. I still find it hard to imagine using the small one as a rake. As you can see, the teeth are on the same level as the top horizontal line of the rest of the pick, so the vibration it imparts to the pins is nothing like that of other rakes, even the more usual sawtooth rakes.Have you used this type before?

[chev49]

Can't see them either... unless they are little boxes with red X's in them

[talbuz]

So thats what they are chev, crosspicks!

OK I'm uploading them again. This time its better. (I amended them, as the jpgs were too big I think).

[Major Boothroyd]

Сan see it fine in both posts. Second one looks like a double half diamond and I'm not sure about the first one though Jaakko's probably right.

[Engineer]

chev49, yes, that is what I see, they are called "placeholders" for the pictures. Even right-clicking on them and then left-clicking on "show picture" didn't work...

talbuz, please - there is no need for you to apologise, if anything it is I should be apologising, since it is probably the security settings I have set on Internet Explorer that is stopping me from seeing the pictures directly. Certainly there are a few of us who can't see them, but we seem to be in the minority! Your second post shows them just fine and it is very good of you to go to all that trouble - Thank you.

[tballard]

Any chance the more saw-toothy one is a broken key extractor?

[VashTSPD]

Any chance the more saw-toothy one is a broken key extractor?

I don't see how it could be used as such.

[talbuz]

You're welcome Eng, and thanks

Vash, you're probably right, but I honestly dont see this tool as a rake either for the reasons I mentioned. But of course I stand to be corrected.

[raimundo]

the sawtooth 'rake' is probably a broken key extractor. Notice the angle of the slopes for inserting are low and easy, while the angle for extraction is sharp, sawtooth like. these do not look like a very good variety of broken key extractor, but it could work where the final cuts on the key blade are not too high for it to go over the top, with the teeth down to catch the top of the keyblade.

Many L (long) rakes have simply random peaks and a lot of them. the thicker the crosssection is along the entire picking tip the less success you will have with them. Just as old bitted keys have their skeleton keys, meaning they have all the unnecessary fat removed, so also, effective picks will be skeletonized, introducing as little as possible metal into the keyway, while striveing to connect with and lift the pins, and after lifting the pins, the rake should allow a large negative space for those pins to fall freely into. No commercial rakes do have this large negative space to set the pins free in so they are like the K&Q picks, occasionaly effective when the correct bitting profile is encountered. A thin well sanded bogota, can be used in many ways, I like the fast light jiggle and pulsed tension for opening most locks, Spool pins are not an obstacle.