I Need A Guiding Hand

[JASE_Tech]

I Need A Little Help From You Guys/Girls....I'm Making Picks For Me And Some Friends (Ones I Can Trust Not To Be Stupid With Them), But Their Style, I Guess You Could Say, Is Kinda Limited. I Only Use Hacksaw Blades Because They Have More Material To Work With And A Dremel To Cut With. I Can Make Hooks, Diamond Tips, Half Balls, And Okay Tension Wrenches (Only Works In Dead Bolts). I Need Some Variety. I Need Help Making Rakes/Snakes/Bogotas/Whatever Else You Call Them (Not Real Up On My Lingo Here). I Know I Can Print Out A Templet And Tape It To My Hacksaw Blades And Go At It Like That, But That Isn't What I Want. I Want Someone To Sit Down, Hold My Hand, And Slowly Tell Me How They Make Their Picks Step by Over Simplified Step. Yes, A Few Goo Goos And Gaw Gaws Might Help Here. Also, Tension Wrench Plans Would Help. I Make The Kind With One Prong At A 90 Degree Angle. I Will Come Out And Say I Don't Know Much, But You Can't Say I'm Not Ready And Willing To Learn

[MacGyver101]

I Need Help Making Rakes/Snakes/Bogotas/Whatever Else You Call Them (Not Real Up On My Lingo Here). [...] I Want Someone To Sit Down, Hold My Hand, And Slowly Tell Me How They Make Their Picks Step by Over Simplified Step.

The first thread "stickied" on this forum is a step-by-step guide for making Bogota picks. I'm not sure from your post: have you read that guide? What in particular are you having trouble with? People here are always happy to help, but we'll need to know a bit more about the trouble that you're having with the existing step-by-step guides before we can offer any good tips.

(And this is just an aside, but please don't capitalize the first letter of every word: it makes your questions incredibly hard to read... especially for the many folks here for whom English isn't their first language.)

[Squelchtone]

Also, Tension Wrench Plans Would Help.

If you seriously need plans from us on how to take a windshield insert, cut it to 6 inches, and then take pliers and put a bend at one end that is 3/4 inch long, then there's a problem.

We're not a full service tutor center. You gotta at least poke around the forum and look at some posts, we don't just take requests and look things up for 3 hours and then bring you back a list of links to check out. You're gonna get out of this what you put into it, just like most other things in life.

Happy Reading!
Squelchtone

[JASE_Tech]

Well my main problem was making them too tall, but I overcame that problem last night when I made my first one that fit into a lock. I haven't had a chance to test it yet because I'm visiting my grandparents. Don't pick locks that are in use. I tried a new method where I cut the top side then hallow out the underside. Now that I know how to make them the right size (well at least once), I want to know how to gauge what you need for a lock: one bump for the Kwikset deadbolt, a capital S for the Master lock, and a Loch Ness Monster looking thing for a Trailer lock, or maybe two on top and three on the bottom for a set number of pins? I know all locks are different but if there is a rule of thumb I'm missing please inform me

The guide was nice and I had seen it before but didn't help a lot. I see how I left out my main point before. I hope this cleans things up however.

Also, I'm sorry for capitalizing everything in my post; it is a bad habit I picked up from Facebook.

[JASE_Tech]

I have looked around the site for tension wrenches and found a lot of answers, but what I was hoping for on this part is if there is something special you always do to your wrenches and would like to share with a noobie...here is your chance. Everyone likes to brag a little. I don't want to start an internet battle here, I'm not even mad, but i can make a wrench like you said. An example of what I'm looking for would be : "I always bend the end that goes into the lock at a 45 then I heat up and twist the handle around to give a more springy feedback."

Note to self: I need to be clear when I post

Sorry peoples

[psychofish]

Secrets to making a tension wrench? Get as crazy as you want as long as there is one side that fits into a lock, and another that is 45-90 degrees from that. Browse all of the stickies in this forum, I can't think of any other reading that is going to show you how to make anything more that what is found here.

[pjzstones]

when making picks it's mostly preference and trial and error. your first ones aren't going to be the greatest no matter what. you just have to experiment and find out what works best for you and build upon that. as for tension wrenches it's best to have a wide variety so the ones that aren't turning out the way you want them now maybe useful later. also you should try using wiper blade inserts if you can get some (you can always buy them if you can't find used ones). they make the best tension wrenches.

[JASE_Tech]

*Sigh* Everyone is stuck on the wiper blades...I guess I'll have to get some.

Thanks for the posts.

[Squelchtone]

*Sigh* Everyone is stuck on the wiper blades...I guess I'll have to get some.

You asked for help so we're giving it to you, if you don't like the answers, then I doubt anyone here could make you happy.

And what's wrong with wiper inserts for tension wrenches? Why do you want to reinvent the wheel so bad? It's a proven material and a very easy to get and work with material which is just the right width and thickness for wrench making, so that's why we use it.

You know, you could just go buy a set from Southord if the whole making your own becomes too much of a project. It's certainly an option.

Squelchtone

[pjzstones]

*Sigh* Everyone is stuck on the wiper blades...I

for a good reason though, they work! all you have to do is bend them and boom you have a tension wrench.

[JASE_Tech]

Well I live in Nowhere, West Virginia and I'm sure I could find a junk yard to sell me some wiper blades, but I wouldn't have the foggiest idea where to start looking for one. Also, paying for a new wiper just for the little bit of metal sounds a little ridiculous right now. I'd like to get my hands on some wiper blades but they seem just a little out of reach right now. I can get hacksaw blades at just about any store around here however. I have read a lot about the wiper blades being the better product, but I just thought it was what they could get their hands on easy and that I'd Probably say it too if all my picks were made out of them. But, a challenge is part of the game in lock picking and what makes it so much fun. I guess I have to try harder and get me some of those blades.

Also, to answer Squelchtone (who I think don't like the noobs too much) I like making picks better than I do picking even if I don't Know much. Then again, with all my complaining I'd probably say the same to someone else, and I still appreciate the replies. Buying Picks seems almost like a sin to me after seeing what all you can do with your own on this site.

Thanks to everyone who is posting

[pjzstones]

if you have any type of auto/auto repair shop shop near you, you have wiper blades(for the most part). all you have to do is look in the trash outside or ask if they have any laying around or ask if they could save you some. if you don't feel comfortable with any of that go to the junk yard and pull off as many as you can and they'll most likely only charge you 5-10 bucks. only take the metal inserts (from inside the ruber) and leave the rest because if you show them the whole wiper blade they will see that as more money.

[psychofish]

Actually that's my best secret I think! Here in Az we don't get much rain in the valley which means most of our wipers dry rot long before they are used. When the first rain hits, Hit up every auto parts store in the area and you will walk out with handfuls of all different sizes to test!

[tjweaver84]

I want to know how to gauge what you need for a lock: one bump for the Kwikset deadbolt, a capital S for the Master lock, and a Loch Ness Monster looking thing for a Trailer lock, or maybe two on top and three on the bottom for a set number of pins? I know all locks are different but if there is a rule of thumb I'm missing please inform me

A lot of us here use hooks mostly. They work great for single pin picking. It seems to me you are asking more about rakes which work ok on cheaper locks but once you start to get into the higher end stuff or a tricky bitted lock you will definitely want hooks. If I even get a rake out I just use it to set some of the easier pins and get out the hook to finish off the lock.