Make an electric pick from Black and Decker Power Scissors

[tacedeous]

nope no other handles... Im just trying to figure out how to tone this thing down a bit... shes violent... lol!

[Jeckel]

I have purchased the electric scissors, but the pick is hard to make can some one scan in theirs so the I can use it to cut from.

[ToolyMcgee]

Tacedeous posted a photo of his pick tip next to a ruler on the previous page. I bet you could scale that to use as a template.

[kromedge]

just like picking there a learning curve... its a cool little tool (sorry for the rhyme) but chews up pins and key ways, my first look i started practicing on with this tool, when i removed the pins they where all filled down, to triangles on the tip, I know its said over and over but, DO NOT TRY TO PRACTICE OR USE THIS ON A LOCK IN USE!

SERIOUSLY!

also i found the power of this thing to be to much, so go easy keep the tool low in keyway, rock blade up and down out and in, using the tip also to lift pins while pulling out the blade... happy trails! good luck...

I bought one these puppies at WalMart and did the modifications. I used banding for the pick needle (some people refer to this as brickstrap) using tacedeous's method because it just looks a lot more professional. I also wired in a small potentiometer to slow it down. I've got to tell you that this is one awesome toy and the best part is that after adjusting the speed, it will bounce those pins with no noticeable damage to them though there probably is because all pick guns do damage the pins. I still prefer manual picks but this was just something fun and cheap to try.

[tacedeous]

im hearing alot about brick strap.. as a construction guy (data/telecom/fiber install. tech) im gonna grab some next time i see it layin there on a site... also glad my post helped you.. but can you please post more about your mod... such as part number for the potentiometer and where inline you placed it.. my thought was just to place it on the + on the way to the motor...but im am far from an electrician

[tacedeous]

Man i wish there was an edit button, sorry for the extra post...
but wanted to add my .02 this question and answer -

Tacedeous posted a photo of his pick tip next to a ruler on the previous page. I bet you could scale that to use as a template.

I honestly don't have a template made.. what you see in my post was and is the original, just trace the shape of the lower jaw ( obviously just the back end) onto your substrate. Then, using a ruler make a narrow somewhat tapering blade... the tolerances in design are very menial...

[ToolyMcgee]

I also wired in a small potentiometer to slow it down. I've got to tell you that this is one awesome toy and the best part is that after adjusting the speed, it will bounce those pins with no noticeable damage to them though there probably is because all pick guns do damage the pins. I still prefer manual picks but this was just something fun and cheap to try.

So... a variable resistor? Like a knob to control the voltage output. I worked 2 years final prep in amplifier production, and I fixed alot of broken electronics. Truthfully though I'm not that confident with my limited experience. Could you say where you wired it in, or maybe show a picture. How were you able to fit it inside the existing case, or do you have it externally mounted?

I put 20 years of wear on an old kwickset in 10 mins trying to feather the trigger effectively. I tried to limit the range of motion by moding the pieces to limit vertical motion, but the truth is the frequency is just to fast even with the mechanical reduction to be comfortably in control of it. This thing would be much more useful to me if I could dial in the picks vibration frequency. Any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

-Tooly

[kromedge]

A potentiometer is for all intents and purposes a varible resistor. I have to go out of town for a week on business this afternoon but when I get back, I will tear the unit down and post pictures of how I wired it and where I placed it. As for a part number, this was just something that I had in my "junk" box but I will measure the value of it and post that as well. Its probably around a 10K OHM pot. I do a lot of electronic projects so I have lots of this sort of stuff kicking around - most of it canabalized from old boards etc.

[tacedeous]

A potentiometer is for all intents and purposes a varible resistor. I have to go out of town for a week on business this afternoon but when I get back, I will tear the unit down and post pictures of how I wired it and where I placed it. As for a part number, this was just something that I had in my "junk" box but I will measure the value of it and post that as well. Its probably around a 10K OHM pot. I do a lot of electronic projects so I have lots of this sort of stuff kicking around - most of it canabalized from old boards etc.

Cant wait! I've been tinkering with this thing a lot

[kromedge]

Well, it appears that it is back to the drawing board on the speed control. Was playing around with it on Sunday - was going to show the wife how well this thing worked. Squeezed the triger and turned down the speed and out came a puff of smoke from the potentiometer. I guess it wasn't heavy enough. It was actually a speed control that was originally from a CPU fan which could handle 12 volts but clearly the amperage on the scissors was a lot higher. Stay tuned.

[tacedeous]

hmmm... so does rat shack sell potentiometers? my assumption is it works like a dimmer switch? is that right?

[kromedge]

hmmm... so does rat shack sell potentiometers?

Don't know. We no longer have rat shack in Canada besides which I doubt if anything they sell would be heavy enough. I may wind up designing an entire circuit to regulate this. Alternatively, if one could find a small automotive (dashboard) dimmer switch, I'm sure that this would be ideal as I've used them in the past to control the speed of heavy 12 volt motors without any problem. Just a thought to get everyone thinking. FYI, when I wired in the potentiometer, I removed the on/off switch and used that space to mount it. Also, when I speak of a small automotive dimmer switch, I'm thinking something from an import as anything from a North American vehicle would likely be too big. Think I will vist one of the automotive boneyards this week if it isn't too cold and see what I can find.

[Violent_Vegetable]

Well, just made one out of B&D scissors.

The pick is direct drive like tacedeous' and made from a hacksaw blade... it works very well but I expect the blade to break/wear out fast. I'll have to make many spares. Drilling the hole was an adventure, I needed to use a diamond powder tipped bit on my dremel.

[tacedeous]

lol try drilling the actual scissor blade... my carbide bit didn't even help.. that what spured this design... as for blades you shouldn't be applying so much pressure as to cause damage, other than what the chainsaw of a motor is already doing...

[Violent_Vegetable]

Indeed, I used the direct drive setup as I didn't want to have to drill the scissor

I used a high carbon hacksaw blade. Tried drilling it with my HSS bits as well as my carbide and cobalt bits... they were a exercise in futility! On the other hand the diamond powder bit in my dremel kit went in like butter. (That bit looks like a tiny little disco ball a the end of a steel shaft and it made a hole the perfect size for the pivot pin).

I'm not too worried about snapping the pick in the lock (been picking manually a few years so I have a reasonably soft touch). I work for the fire dept here and in non urgent situations I'll sometimes use my picks to open a door, but I think I'll make another electric pick to keep on my engine as it really streamlines the door opening (specially at 2am when I am half asleep and have 5-6 guys looking over my shoulder). Thats where the fragility of the hacksaw blade worries me.

It is my first electric pick, and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to use.