learning with homebrew

[totos]

I don't know if something similar was posted before (I don't want to read all the 38 pages ),
but is it okay to use homemade picks to learn how to pick or it's better to buy them

[freakparade3]

You don't have to read all 38 pages. Here's a handy little tool that I find very useful. search.php

[Olson Burry]

I'd say if you've never handled a professionally made tool it might be worth investing in a couple just to get the look and feel of them. All you really need is a couple of hooks, a half diamond and some tension wrenches.

After you get a feel for what works, you can take the best bits you like and incorporate them in to your own.

[totos]

the problem is I don't have the money to buy any picks ,but I do have a big sheet of thin'n'springy stainless steel and the tools to make picks out of it. Just wanted to know if i could learn to pick with them.

[phippoD]

yea you can i have only ever used home made picks
and i am goodish a picking..........i hope.......

[freakparade3]

If you look at the stickys in this forum you will find all of the info you need to make quality tools. Unfortunately the info itself is not enough. You also need a talent for working with metal, I do not have this talent. I wish you luck.

[Safety0ff]

I've never had commercial picks either (although I've almost ordered some,) it's fine to learn on homebrew tools.

Just make sure that you use light tension and that the picks don't deform easily (because breaking picks sucks, and making them is time consuming.)

[yanksfan]

I think it would be better to learn from the tools you actually make. Plus it makes the hobby even more interesting, in that, we [the pickers] can make the "tools of the trade" for ourselves and can add that much more customization.

[tballard]

Homemade tools make you think a lot about how locks actually work, and for me have been a fantastic learning experience. If you really want to be sure you are "doing it right" try to make one of the simple hook or half diamond picks in the templates found on this site. When you are done, the business-end should look just like the pictures you see. More importantly, you should use a pair of calipers or a micrometer to check the thickness. Finally, post a picture. People here aren't shy about telling you if you're on the right track.

[totos]

I'm in europe, so i'll need those "slim line" picks and I have some questions.
First, what is actually thinner in the slim picks?
Second, how long/wide/thick are they?

[barbarian]

Slimline picks might not be required, depending on the keyway you are trying to pick.

The long- same length as other picks. Long enough to reach the back pins in whatever lock you are picking plus a little bit extra.

The wide- As narrow as they can make it and still keep enough strength. If it's too narrow, it might bend in an old crusty lock, too wide and it's hard to just move one pin at a time.

The thick- I think most picks are about .030 (0.762 mm) and the slim ones are about .020 (0.508 mm) I would like to think they use stronger material to make up for the reduced size, but I really don't know. Maybe someone could measure their sets and give you exact numbers.

The slimline picks are just stamped from thinner material, so everything is thinner.

[Olson Burry]

I believe SO use 0.025" for both the slim and regular picks. At least, mine look the same. The "max yield" may be a bit thicker.

[tballard]

The thicknesses I prefer are 0.025" and 0.020" inches. Almost every pick I make starts out life as a .03125" (-ish) blank, which I first form the pick shape into and then thin down. A good file will easily take several off at least several thou's with each pass on high carbon steel. You're working with stainless, which is generally a bit tougher, but not insurmountably. Thin by hand! Working metal this thin with power tools (dremel, grinder) builds up way too much heat quickly, and is very difficult to get even. Don't underestimate the power of a 100 - 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a wooden block.

[TheSkyer]

It sounds cliche but what I learned by making home brew is thinking about what I like in my picks and why I like it. This results in a better understanding of how locks work (because your thinking about what defeats there security features) and therefor more successful lock picking attempts.

I made a weird kind of cross between a bogota and snake rake a few days back and it absolutely love it, it also showed me that with the right tool you only need minimal pick movement to successful pick even hight security locks. It was a great learning experience.

So in short: Your homemade picks may not be all that great but making them is a great learning experience, I can really recommend going for it!

[totos]

thx everyone,
i'll try to make some picks and post how they work.
I just broke my right hand , so i cannot continue my pick making process, or try to pick any locks in the following 2 months