tool selection

[JohnnyWalker]

Hi all,

First off, I hope I'm posting this in the correct section of the forum. I have read the rules and guidelines for the forum, but I'm still trying to figure things out here, so if I have posted this in the wrong section then I apologize.

I know that a lot of how people choose their tools to use to pick a lock is based on personal preference, but I also know that to some extent there are proper tools for the job. Obviously you wouldn't use a hammer and sand paper to pick a lock lol. I have an understanding of the basics. I know that a single hook pick is probably the best one to use for SPP method (at least for beginners), but I also know it can be used for raking and I know a variety of other pick styles can be used for the raking method, too.

In terms of tension wrenches, I know there are a variety of those available, too. Currently I have a short tension wrench with a twist. I prefer the type with a twist because I find that one most comfortable to use, but as I mentioned earlier, I know to some degree the tools one chooses is a matter of personal preference. Although this is my preference for now, I see that there are longer tension wrenches as well as double-sided wrenches (I see this is sometimes referred to as a "wishbone" tension wrench) available on the market.

With that being said, I was wondering if there is a guideline to choosing the proper pick and tension wrench to pick a lock? Even if there isn't an official guideline, perhaps a rough guideline can be provided.

Thanks for any information you can provide.

- JW

[gloves]

With that being said, I was wondering if there is a guideline to choosing the proper pick and tension wrench to pick a lock? Even if there isn't an official guideline, perhaps a rough guideline can be provided.

Hello and welcome

I'd say go with anything you're comfortable to use, and anything that fits nicely in the lock. Really, it's that simple.
You may get a bunch of different tension wrenches and end up like me with a couple wrenches with filed ends of progressive width.

Cheers

[raimundo]

locks are all a little different, the size and type of keyway matters, and dustcovers matter,
there are a lot of different tensors as a result, you pick the one that will not fall out or bind the plug when you use it, be mindful that a tensor blade in the bottom of many keyways can slip sideways and dig its sharp edge into the cylinder wall at the bottom of the keyway.
you should have a selection of tensor blade shapes and sizes, to fit whatever comes up
its your knowlege of the lock mechanism itself that matters most, and that comes from widening experience, so after a while you will have greater understanding.

[JohnnyWalker]

Thanks for your responses, gloves and raimundo. You two have confirmed most of what I've been thinking already. It seems I'm going to need to add to my collection of tools over time. For now I have what I need as a beginner, but I'm sure as my skills improve and I move on to more challenging locks I will need a little more diversity in my tool collection. I only have five locks that I practice on now and already I can see how it would be convenient to have a few more tension wrenches of varying sizes (maybe even a few flat pry bars) and some picks that are a little thinner, but what I have works for now. I was thinking there might be a rough guideline about picks and wrenches based on brand and/or number of pins in the lock, but it seems it's more based on size of the key hole in terms of height and width.

I'm still curious about double-sided tension wrenches, though. Are there certain lock types that make it better (or necessary) to have a double-sided wrench compared to a conventional wrench?

Thanks again for your help, you guys.

- JW

[raimundo]

Split tensors are mainly for automotive work as they hold open the dustcover and are robust so will not bend when operating the bolt mechanism.
Don't think about buying tensors, you should absolutely make most of the ones you own, collect sweeperbristle windshieldwiper inserts, and all the various flat spring steel that might apply.
one advantage of the sweeperbristle and the wiper inserts is that they do not have sharp cut edges, the edges are rounded, most likely they are made from wire drawn through a round wire die and then rolled flat, retaining the round edge as they widen out

when bending or twisting this wire, use two pliers and I usually have one of them a locking plier (visegrip) it is important that you leave a quarter inch of separation between the pliers, as this is the length that the bend will use.

If you use only one plier and just grab the metal stock by hand it will try to sharply crease at the edge of that single plier and this crease will probably crack. Listen to the metal, when you bend it this way and you can hear the fracture, even when its just a start of one almost too small to see, that will break later,

by holding the metal in a clamping plier and a slip jaw plier, you define the distance between the start of the bend and the end of it, and it will not crease at the edge of one plier. If your metal cracks when you give it this quarter inch of space, then you have brittle metal, or metal that has been weakened by rust or cuts and scores dug into it. you can go an inch down the stock and try again to see if the problem continues through the metal or is just in one area.

you should file the ends so you don't have sharp corners that will cut your hands,

Making a tension wrench of the common type is just so easy and quick that there is just no reason to buy them, however some of the automotive split tensors are worth buying.

for very wide or oddly shaped keyways you can use the end of a bike spoke, where it has a bend and a nail type head, this nail head can easily be shaped with a file to fit and fill a space at the bottom of the keyway, but it makes a stiff tensor so you will just have to learn to feel with that.

grinding an allen wrench is something that most will do sometime, but these are stiff tensors too, and grinding is not as universally available as the file that is used to shape the nailhead end of the bike spoke.

[JohnnyWalker]

Thanks for the clarification on split tensors, raimundo. I have already made an additional tension wrench from a pen clip and that actually works as well, if not better, than the tension wrenches that were professionally made. However, I will come back to this thread if I make more of my own in the future. The problem I am having is that I'm having trouble finding good metal to make more wrenches with. I went to Home Depot the other day and I couldn't find good strips of metal to work with. I'm going to try to find a machine shop in my area to see if they have good metal to work with and if they will sell it to me in small quantities so I don't end up with way more material then what I need for my purposes. Although it's not necessary, I think I might invest in one of those tools I've seen sold online to aid in making tensions wrenches because it would make it easier to work with for this purpose. Thanks again for your help, raimundo. I really appreciate it.

- JW

[unjust]

rai nailed almost everything i could think of, but i'd add two things.

one is that i've found that for some individual locks one tension tool may work a lot better than a seemingly identical one. similarly on a tool of the same dimensions (i made a few identical at the same time), i've had ones that i've tossed because they just didn't seem to work at all compared to another from the same batch. i'm sure it's minor differs w.in the metal or angles i bent, or how i filed the tip smooth, but it happens.

the other is that if you meant the z style of tool with a business end on both ends as double ended, those often incorporate minor differences. e.g. you may have a .5" tool on one end and a .75" tool on the other to deal with deeper/shallower locks, or have put a twist on one end to give you the option of using the edge of the metal (more rigid) or the flat (more flex) on your finger to vary the tension applied with the same (or varied) business ends.

[JohnnyWalker]

Hey unjust, sorry for the delayed reply, but I've had a busy week and I just noticed your comments here. Thank you so much for the additional information. Although my experience in this area is very limited, I have already found that subtle differences in one tension wrench compared to another have made a big difference for me just like you have. Mine have arrived from the thickness and width of the tip that is inserted into the keyhole. I have two tension wrenches that I use. One is a standard tension wrench with a twisted handle and the other is one that I made from the metal pocket clip from a Pilot writing pen. I'm not sure why one works better than the other in certain situations, but I've just noticed that is the case for some reason.

I don't have a z style one yet, but I'd like to add one of those and a few other styles to my collection. For now, though, I have what I need to learn the basics and when I develop the skills to use other types of wrenches I'll gradually add them to my collection.

The other thing I've noticed is that some pick styles seem to work better than others. It just depends on the lock I'm trying to pick. The two styles I've had the most luck with is the short hook and the standard raking pick. To a lesser extent I've also had luck with the double ball style. I think the most frustrating thing for me is that I have one lock that I have only been able to pick once and I'm certain that was nothing more than dumb luck. I have a very basic set of picks I purchased many years ago, but I'd like one with a little more variety in it just so I can see if some of the different styles of picks would make a difference with the locks I haven't been able to pick with the three styles I have in my current set. Oh well, I have enough to keep me busy for now, so I'll continue to work with those and purchase another set later.

Thanks again for your advice and comments, unjust.

- JW

[sandplum]

Hi Johnny. See if you have a hobby shop in your neighborhood, and ask them where they keep the piano wire. Sometimes you can find a wide variety of metal strips and wires to play with.

[JohnnyWalker]

Thanks for the tip, sandplum! I never even thought about looking in a hobby shop, but it makes total sense. Luckily I have one just down the road from me, so I'll be heading there tomorrow. Thanks again for the tip.

- JW

[Daggers]

I like to use a medium hook the best but most people i talk to like the half diamond the best. The hook lets me get a better feel for the pins but if it's a small lock I use a small diamond because my hook won't have enough room.

[JohnnyWalker]

I like to use a medium hook the best but most people i talk to like the half diamond the best. The hook lets me get a better feel for the pins but if it's a small lock I use a small diamond because my hook won't have enough room.

Thanks for sharing this, Daggers. I don't have a medium hook yet, but I've been looking at getting a new set of picks and the ones I've been looking at will have one of those. For now all I have is a short hook, a C rake, a half diamond, and a double ball. All of them have worked for me, but the short hook and C rake are the two that I have had the most success with. Perhaps it is because I am using it the wrong way, but the half diamond has been the one I struggle with the most. Do you have any tips for using that one? Should it be used differently than a short or medium hook?

On another note, I took sandplum's advice and went to my local hobby shop and the only metal strip they had that was the right width and thickness for making a tension wrench was way too springy for me. I am going to try looking for a better strip at some of my local machine shops when I have a chance to do so. I've tried making a tension wrench out of the metal bristles from a street sweeper, but I keep breaking them when I bend them. Maybe I've just found ones that were too brittle because they were too old and used, but I've tried this with three different bristles I've found on the ground and all have broken when I bent them. If anyone has suggestions on where I can get metal strips for making my own tension wrenches (I've tried my local hardware stores and no luck) or how to make one from a street sweeper bristle without breaking the bristle I would certainly appreciate it. Thanks.

- JW

[Daggers]

Use the metal from old windshield wipers to make the tension wrench. Auto stores will sometime have old ones they are planning to throw away and those will be perfect. The metal bends but doesn't break (unless you bend it more than once in the same spot). If you have a dremel, you can also grind out a hook from the pieces of metal. That's the way i make my picks and they are sturdy, and exactly how I want them to be. Templates are on this site but here's the link directly: http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p251 ... /mouse.jpg . Tips on using the diamond: same as a hook. I prefer diamonds for smaller keyways such as padlocks since they slide in and out easier, but i can't get as much feedback from them. So if you are picking a regular sized lock, then the hook is the way to go. You can also use the diamond to rake the lock. So basically, the diamond has average performance and is well rounded. One size can pick regular locks, padlocks, and rake. The hook is best for regular sized locks and poor in smaller keyways. It is also poor in raking. Whatever you are doing, pick the tool based on that. That might be why it's harder for you to use the diamond if you are using it on a lock that would open easier with a hook.

[JohnnyWalker]

Thanks for the rundown, Daggers. It turns out I made a mistake about my hook picks, though. I thought I had a short hook, but it turns out it is actually a medium hook and the sets I've been looking at have both medium and large hooks in them. I have also found that the hook does not work so well for raking, but I have one lock that is easily raked with a hook. All of the locks that I own have large enough keyways that any pick I have has no problem fitting in it, but I'll definitely remember your advice for the diamond pick for locks with smaller keyways in the future. Thanks again for the help, Daggers. I really appreciate it.

[Daggers]

no problem!