lockpicking making tools help please

[jack0 smacko]

hello i am new to the art of lockpicking and have read good information on this site to help me undersdtand how it works i want to make some picks and a tension wrench to start practicing with.
I dont have a grinder or dremel so i plan to use hacksaw blades for the picks and file them down to the right pick size and shine them up with sandpaper and for the tension wrench i plan to use a thin allen key or the little bits of metal in windscreen wiper blades and make the tension wrench skinny enough to fit into a key hole am i going the right way about this i also plan to buy a set of picks if my homemade ones arent good enough can anyone tell me the ups and downs of baught picks and homemade ones which has worked better for you thnxs

[psychofish]

I don't think you can go wrong buying a small "blemished" kit from South Ord. That way if in a few months you realize that this hobby is not for you, then you are only out a few bucks. Even more so if you can make your own picks.


Personally I am very fond of my half diamond pick that came in a small set, and home made tension wrench. Seems to work well for me compared to the hooks that are about the same size. Along the same lines making the bogota picks was a lot of fun and they work so I don't see the need right now to spend the $30 on them.

Unfortunately if you are only using files it may take you a little longer, but you will get good results if you follow the templates closely. I would suggest if you are going to make your picks to start with some basic ones. Like an easy rake, short hook, half diamond and maybe a longer hook. No need to get all fancy right off the bat with so many choices until you get the hang of what you are doing and feeling for. At least thats what I think.

[jack0 smacko]

thnxs alot i plan to start out with some homemade basic picks and start of on padlocks to learn how to apply the right tension and get the hang of picking and when i get better make more picks

[Squelchtone]

thnxs alot i plan to start out with some homemade basic picks and start of on padlocks to learn how to apply the right tension and get the hang of picking and when i get better make more picks

If you're making your picks using a hacksaw blade and then files, prepare for 6 hours of filing and tools that will not be as nice looking as if you had used a grinding wheel. My point is that you will probbaly pick up bad habits and learn to pick on a very rough pick set. You may be better off to spend $10-$20 on a Southord like someone else already said and learn how to pick first using proper tools, then go back to the workbench and make your own to your liking.

In the mean time, might as well use paperclips and junk you find around the house, and save yourself the trouble of filing a hacksaw blade for hours and hours into a rough shape.

Squelchtone

[raimundo]

there is a lot of mass wasting involved in using hacksaw blades, and this is best done on a grinder while quenching very frequently in cold water.

If you use sweeper bristle or windscreen wiper inserts, you have much less to cut away.

files will not cut hardened steel and if you cause the hacksaw blade to harden by heating it on a grindstone, it will get very hard, thats the kind of steel it is. When you find that the files are getting dull but the workpiece is not getting cut, thats the hardening Im talking about. Quenching very frequently will avoid this.

[SquallLHeart]

i would say the best picks that i have used and had most success in, were the ones i fashioned and took the labor to make myself.

most of them did take days to file down by hand as i can't seem to find my dremel or power tools.. but i also work with wiper inserts, bristles, and bicycle spokes.. so i have less material i need to file away compared to like a hacksaw blade.