DIY Hook questions.

[WolfSpring]

First little help on the right word. What I call the lifter pick, is the hook pick on another site. I've also seen it called something else, is hook pick the most proper name?

Second Right now I am using street sweeper blades, I have no real access to hack saw blades and for my beggining skill and only having files they would take to long to file down. A street sweeper filed down has to low profile of a hook on the end to do any good. If I were to get it hot and bend it to increase the lift of the hook, would there be any down side to picking with it?(i.e. feed back, durability) I also have acess to windshield wipers, which some of them are actually thicker and wider then the sweeper blades, but they feel a little to rigid to me to use as a pick, and as I file them down after I snap them for a Tensor I notice they are a coated metal and filing a pick might not be well.

I'm just looking for suggestions with what I've got to get a better hook pick. My south Ord is getting pretty beat up and I like the feel of the sweeper picks i've made for feedback much better. Thank you.

[LocksmithArmy]

from what I understand a lifter is a hook with a little indent on the end so it cradles the pin and you know you lifting one pin at a time...

I dont understand what you meen by filing a sweeper bristle down to a hook not doing any good... maby I misunderstood your post but I think they are fine when filed down that small...

[WolfSpring]

The sweeper blades when I file them down to the hook shape are shorter on the hook, short vs. tall not long, and i have problems getting pins set on a hi low, like if 5 is hi and 4 is low to set 5 4 will bin in false set everytime. I need the length extended I could heat the metal and bend it at an angle and then file it, but is there any downside to this?

[LocksmithArmy]

OH I see. yeah you wont get much more than a short hook out of em withoug bendin em. I have heatated em to bend for tensors but never picks...

You can try bending it without heating it. Its hard to do and you wont get much more than 45 degrees but thats all you really need for a hook.

I couldnt tell you about temper though, Id try it without heating it though.

[WolfSpring]

Bending with the Gerber(pliers) and no heat worked great. Might have even bent it a little far, but it's good to go now. After some good sanding it's actually much better then my southord, now I'm working on a second one but I'm going to try and file it down a lot ot make it slimline. Thank you!

[raimundo]

A lateral bend can be made by gripping the edges of the metal (bristle) in the grooves accross the bite of a locking pliers, grip another locking pllier about three quarters of an inch away, giveing room for the bend, and you can bend while controlling the plane of the metal for quite a ways.

this is also what you would have to do if bending hot but you would take a great chance of burning your fingers, and the metal quickly cools and hardens. hot is a bad idea.

I think however that wolfsprung is underestimating the the pick he can make.
hes a newbie who probably thinks that a hook should have the room to stand a 9 pin on the shaft of and never touch it.
My theory is that the slighter hooks work best. especially if they do not have a thick shaft to interfer with movement in the keyway. Its the ability to move freely in the keyhole that makes a pick work, it does not have to fill the entire keyway like a key would.

[tballard]

I think however that wolfsprung is underestimating the the pick he can make.
hes a newbie who probably thinks that a hook should have the room to stand a 9 pin on the shaft of and never touch it.
My theory is that the slighter hooks work best. especially if they do not have a thick shaft to interfer with movement in the keyway. Its the ability to move freely in the keyhole that makes a pick work, it does not have to fill the entire keyway like a key would.

This is a very important thing to note. My hooks have been getting smaller and smaller as I become a better picker. Remember the tang on the pick doesn't go into the keyway straight, you angle it. The "hook" part is more for reaching around wardings than for elevation.

[WolfSpring]

Maybe my common sense is overriding the knowledge of picking. But the height of the pick should have at least enough clearance to get a round a low to push a high up right? I usually ride my pick on the bottom and rotate it up, on some with better keyways, i'll ride the bottom ward and use it for leverage. I was able to bend the end of the pick and get it to the same lentght roughly of the smaller pick in my southord set.