Made my first pick from the templates document, and a makeshift tension tool. I ordered some Southord picks last week, but they haven't arrived yet and I was getting impatient. Decided to hand-file enough to get started with some of the pick-fu threads. Plus I just like making things, so this was a good place to start. I'm not nearly as tool-impovrished as the photos suggest, but I'm an apartment dweller and keep most of my stuff at a workshop I share with a friend. I also have access to a full machine shop, but decided to make a first cut using just what I had immediately on hand. I cannibalized an old drain snake for material. The pick is the standard hook from BazookaMedic's bare necessities template.
Ghetto fabulous vice-grips. I'd left all my regular vice grips in my toolbag at work, but this actually works pretty well provided you're aggressive with the frapping. Used the gas burner on the stove to make the bend.
My fingers still hurt from all the filing. This steel is harder than I'd expected.
Finished them with 240, 400, and 800 grit sandpaper and then did a final polish with
Iosso bore cleaner and 0000 steel wool.
Started on digitalBlue's beginner's lockpicking exercise, but turns out I filed the tension tool just a bit too small for the Kwikset deadbolt cylinder I'm practicing on. That started getting annoying pretty fast, so I practiced picking a MasterLock padlock a few times. Fun stuff!
