Making my own set with a Dremel - need help.

[thepassionofchad]

I've decided to make my own lock pick set, but don't want to invest in a bench grinder just yet. I thought about just using hand files (can you use just hand files to make a basic set?), but discovered a friend has a Dremel tool I could use. All I have to do is buy my own head pieces to use; so my question(s) is:

What heads would I need to buy, and what purpose would each serve?
Should I go ahead and buy a set of hand files, or will the Dremel be all I need?
Will I need a vice to hold the blanks or just a wrench?
Any other advice you can throw my way.

Thanks guys.

[BraveHeart.]

hmmm well

You can make a basic set with hand files but i dont think you want to waiste a whole year on one set =D

-You will need a vice
-you need to buy cutting heads and grinding heads
-personally i dont use hand files, but all the really good people do.

But you should really invest in a bench grinder, IT makes things MUCH faster

good luck

[lock2006]

Well i did that just like you make my lock pick set and ofcourse you
need to get your own Dremel about hand files would take you
longer to make your tool picks i never did that, but instead i use them
to details my pick tool.also you need to protect your eyes
get a face musk,eyes protection at the end you going end up buying
others lockpicks tool you can't make there is more info here
in this page ok i hope this helps good luck
http://www.gregmiller.net/locks/makelockpicks.html

[lock2006]

Here is more info sorry i miss to add this page on previous post
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auQbi_fkdGE

[thepassionofchad]

Thanks for the replies. On the grinding and cutting heads - are there any specific ones I should get? They seem to have a lot of different choices.

[Riordian]

You can try my way also because I didn't want to invest on a bench grinder.
I use the cutting wheel as you can see and the small grinding wheel for details, also i demonstrate a bigger grinding wheel so you can decide what you want.

(try visiting the site of Dremel to get the exact part codes)
For making picks you can use the technique pyro uses (in the above video on youtube) when he takes a strip to make it a tension wrench but instead you could mark the material you want and cut it the same way he cuts it just following your lines.
Below is a filing set which i bought for 1.50 Euro which is a bargain price (I haven't found any file set that cheap anywhere else). If you can find some really cheap files i suggest go for it.

I use them to smooth out surfaces and for some details that dremel can do but it will make the surface more rough. Also some fine-sand papers that would make your picks even smoother.
Also try and find some protection for eyes and a mask they are relatevly cheap.
Now about holding the blanks I don't use anything, just my hands. I had some momments which I really needed something to hold them but I always managed to figure it out another way.

[thepassionofchad]

Thanks mate, really helped me out. I'm heading out to the hardware store in a bit, I'll write down of list of stuff I need.

Thanks again.

[tballard]

I've hard great success with just dremel cut-off wheels, some basic mill files, and a LOT of sandpaper. It's the last step people forget. I can shape a pick to where it "usable" with just a dremel, and to where it is "decent" with hand files, but to get it to where it actually works in a way you like, you'll need to sand. Start with 100 grit, then 240, then 600. Each time you should be sanding until you have a consistent finish on the piece. After the 600 grit sanding, you should be respectable. (I usually go further, 1000, 2000, and then polishing for a mirror finish, and I think this helps, but it might be purely psychological)

The more picks I make, the less I use the dremel. If you have the workpiece properly secured in a vise, you can remove metal shockingly quickly with a file. It's more physical work, but it gives better results and takes about the same time.

Anyway, a few dremel tips:

• With the dremel you need to be very careful about heat. I like to "nibble" my way down the stock, never cutting much more than 1/32nd of an inch or so. Basically just tap-tap-tap down the length, repeating until you get close to where you want to be.
  Quenching in cold water is a good idea, and I do it often, but it is no substitute for not overworking.
  
• It's already been mentioned, but safety glasses a absolutely required. Do not turn the tool on without them. I have removed tiny, razor-sharp slivers melted into plastic 5-6 feet from where I was working. A dust mask or respirator is a very good idea as well. (metal dust is not good for you, neither is grinding wheel dust)
  
• Grind so the sparks fly away from you. This is not just for safety, but also because it means the tool is rotating in a way which is less likely to "bite" into the work and mess it up.
  
• Grind on the edge of the wheel only. It's really tempting to use a cutoff wheel like a disc sander, but resist that temptation
  
• Just like with a tension wrench, it is easy to push to hard. When I started I would go through multiple discs roughing out a single pick. These days I go 3-4 picks before I wear a wheel down.
  
• You don't usually need to use a screw driver to get the discs on and off. If you just use the friction of the disc to get it screwed on finger tight, it is on perfectly tight.

[Legion303]

Here's a quick and dirty rundown of my method. I've done it so often that I usually don't even need to file any more before sanding, but it requires a steady hand.

1. Set up: glass or bucket of water. If it's a smaller container, dump some ice in it. Safety goggles. Dremel with regular brown cut-off wheels. Somewhere you can sit comfortably and let sparks fly without burning anything down.

2. Draw pick template onto bare metal with a thin-point Sharpie.

3. Put goggles on, plug in Dremel and adjust speed (80% if you're using one of the cable extender devices, which I recommend). Fire it up and get a good grip on the metal with your bare hand so you have an idea of when it's getting hot, apply cutting wheel at RIGHT ANGLES to metal and grind down to your template line. Wheel should look like this side view:

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Move cutter from here
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...to here, keeping it at right-angles:
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4. Don't take off too much metal at a time, and don't force the cutter into the metal; if you lose control you're going to slice your hand. After maybe two or three passes the metal will be hot (not burning) to the touch. Dip it in water at this point. If you hear it hissing when it hits the water, it's too hot. if you smell the metal burning or singe your fingers while you're cutting, it's DEFINITELY too hot.

5. Be patient. It might take you several failed attempts before you get good results, and your first few picks might take you a very long time to shape until you get used to the process.

6. File if necessary, then get out your wet/dry sandpaper (mine goes 180, 220, 320, 400, 600, 1000) and start polishing.

-steve

[tballard]

2. Draw pick template onto bare metal with a thin-point Sharpie.

This works, but I've also had good results designing templates in a vector drawing program (such as Inkscape), printing them, and then gluing them onto the stock with a glue stick. The nice thing about this method is that when you start to overheat the metal, the paper gives off a nice burning odor to as an additional warning.

I also use templates only when I'm going to a specific shape. When you're just starting out, I'd advise trying things freehand for a bit. It's less pressure, faster, and ironically more likely to result in a good pick. (When you follow a template, you can't work "mistakes" into "features" as easily)

Dip it in water at this point. If you hear it hissing when it hits the water, it's too hot. if you smell the metal burning or singe your fingers while you're cutting, it's DEFINITELY too hot.

This is a very good point which a lot of people overlook. Some steels are tempered at temperatures as low as 150 C / 300 F, and while that isn't quite the same thing, it should tell you that at 50% more heat than boiling, the steel is starting to undergo meaningful structural changes. Starting at 200 C / 400 F is where you start seeing faint color changes, and 540 C / 1000 F is where it starts to glow so faintly you can barely see it, and if you think about how easy it is to get to a glowing edge, you'll realize you're above "safe" temperatures very quickly if you lose focus.

Also remember that the thinner the less metal at the point you are cutting, the faster and easier the metal will heat up. More metal acts as a heatsink. As you get the tips of your picks finer and finer, be more and more careful.

Now that I've scared you about metal, I want to counterbalance it by saying: "don't get obsessive about it" You're not making jet turbine blades here. The first picks I ever made were discolored, burnt, and ugly as hell, but they worked just fine. These days I throw out work which I think might be overheated, but that's because I can work much more quickly than I used to, and don't get discouraged as easily. If you burn a few of your first picks, keep working on them, it's good practice. (You can also heat the entire pick up to glowing and then quench in cold salt water to reharden it, but proper hardening/tempering/annealing is beyond most amateurs, myself included.)

[spangecore]

i used cut away tools for the shaping and sand paper for the polishing. remember to wear eye protection it hurts to get that dust in your eyes. i also wear a bandanna aroung my mouth and nose the dust sucks to have to cough up.