Molten metal lockpick designing

[immolate]

Wondering if anyone has ever explored this avenue of pick design?

I have been thinking lately that designing my picks 1 by 1 is tedious and boring while entertaining at times.

If I could make myself a die and pour some metal into it.. perhaps with some research and practice I could be on to a faster method of creating picks? Stronger ones at that..

Any comments/suggestions on cost effective solutions to perform this?

[LocksmithArmy]

tell you whaat...

you figure it out... and id be happy to test em for ya...

I dont know if its the best idea... but it sounds fun for sure lol

[raimundo]

If you want metal to flow down a mold that is as narrow as a pick shaft, your gonna have to use a hot mold,
Ive cast silver and gold by lost wax process, you make a ceramic mold of special silicon ceramic by I believe the name is ransom and randloph,
this is burned out for hours at 1400 degrees and then taken out with a tongs and set very hot still in a centrificlal casting machine where metal is quickly melted in a crucible just in front of the mold and when the centrifuge is tripped, the metal is very quickly thrown into the mold, and this is then broken off simply by dropping the very hot mold in water.

Iron is a cast type metal but would be brittle I think, you would have to control the alloy the temperature and the rate of cool down, which should be slowed to give the metal time to settle into a comfortable crystalization.

most cast metals are intially soft, but can be work hardened or heat treated I suppose. but thats only playing with that crystalization that was already mostly determined when the metal froze after casting.

I suppose you could cast steel but I just don't know of any process that does this, outside of a steel mill.

[sfi72]

If you want metal to flow down a mold that is as narrow as a pick shaft, your gonna have to use a hot mold,
Ive cast silver and gold by lost wax process, you make a ceramic mold of special silicon ceramic by I believe the name is ransom and randloph,
this is burned out for hours at 1400 degrees and then taken out with a tongs and set very hot still in a centrificlal casting machine where metal is quickly melted in a crucible just in front of the mold and when the centrifuge is tripped, the metal is very quickly thrown into the mold, and this is then broken off simply by dropping the very hot mold in water.

Iron is a cast type metal but would be brittle I think, you would have to control the alloy the temperature and the rate of cool down, which should be slowed to give the metal time to settle into a comfortable crystalization.

most cast metals are intially soft, but can be work hardened or heat treated I suppose. but thats only playing with that crystalization that was already mostly determined when the metal froze after casting.

I suppose you could cast steel but I just don't know of any process that does this, outside of a steel mill.

Maybe picks made of gold are the solution to the anti-forensics picking?

[LocksmithArmy]

doubt it... gold will leave gold particles in the lock...

[BIGORNEX]

" The man with the golden Pick ? "
Sorry but it remember me an older James Bond Moovie...

[immolate]

If you want metal to flow down a mold that is as narrow as a pick shaft, your gonna have to use a hot mold,
Ive cast silver and gold by lost wax process, you make a ceramic mold of special silicon ceramic by I believe the name is ransom and randloph,
this is burned out for hours at 1400 degrees and then taken out with a tongs and set very hot still in a centrificlal casting machine where metal is quickly melted in a crucible just in front of the mold and when the centrifuge is tripped, the metal is very quickly thrown into the mold, and this is then broken off simply by dropping the very hot mold in water.

Iron is a cast type metal but would be brittle I think, you would have to control the alloy the temperature and the rate of cool down, which should be slowed to give the metal time to settle into a comfortable crystalization.

most cast metals are intially soft, but can be work hardened or heat treated I suppose. but thats only playing with that crystalization that was already mostly determined when the metal froze after casting.

I suppose you could cast steel but I just don't know of any process that does this, outside of a steel mill.

I figured it would be quite difficult... I watched a few youtube video's on jewelery crafting, which is similar to this process you have described... Perhaps I will avoid this altogether as it will require a bigger workspace and more tools than I currently have at hand! Designing by grinder is by far a bit easier for the moment.

But... it is an interesting idea... and having a gold pick would be entertaining at the least! You would have the most expensive picks in the world with a full gold set!

[Rickthepick]

I wouldnt waste your time, cast is too weak and certainly in lockpick sizes

[Jaakko]

If you really want to make them fast, learn to design/make/order a punching/stamping die and then you can use it in a hydraulic press and just feed a roll of desired thickness steel plate to it and it cuts the picks for you

[LocksmithArmy]

then sand the crap out of em