Tension Tools

[MarkMcGrath]

Alrighty so I have been running with Raimundo's Bogota picks for a while now, and while they fit 99% of my needs, I have found I have a quest for a better Tension Tool.... OK Tools. The more I pick the more I feel that using his Bogota picks as tension tools seems to prohibit some benifical angles, now this isn't to say its a bad pick, and I will carry them every place, but I am expanding and learning. Frankly I need to get the feel down, make it easier to pick these Euro locks, and generally just upgrade.

My questions are....

1. What Tension Tools do the Moderate to advance usually get?
2. Do you have any specific styles that work better on small/big locks?
3. Would you recommend any specifics.
4. Any thoughts on modifying a tension tool to work better?

[atticRR]

custom homebrew tensioners are where its at. I got three tools with the set i purchased all were 'L' shaped, one had a twist in it. within a week i had modified the ends of each one, mostly to get top of keyway tensison-not so good for raking though.... Now my main wrench is a double ended wiper blade that has bends that are only about 1/8 long with grooves chomped in by wire cutters (for better grip). These give great TOK tension in brass padlocks.

Raking is fun and oh so satisfying. I encourage you to start SPP, for me its way more satisfying to figure out whats going on and then have the lock bow to my awesomeness. If i get a new lock i usually rake it first though just to show it who daddy is.

R

[MortimerDuke]

I second what atticRR said about making your own TOK tensioner. It has made all the difference for picking smaller padlocks.I have seen videos of others raking with TOK tension but I have not had much luck with it. I also have a couple of Peterson pry bars. I don't see needing anything else for a while, but I'm a relative newcomer just through with the Masterlock padlock phase.

[raimundo]

I seldom use TOK tension largly because of the falling out problem, but sometimes only a TOK is the only thing that will work so I still have them.

question 1, im going to suggest the best tension tools are DIY because you will make it to your own spec's
questions 2 3 and 4 are essentially the same,

here are things I do to tensors,

I will bend a sweeper bristle laterally just a little bit, to do this use two vise grip locking pliers and place them half an inch apart on the bristle in this way:
clamp the pliers on the edges of the bristle by placing the edges in the deep serrations in the plier jaw so that when you put lateral pressure on to make a slight bend
then clip off the length you want with the bent part as the tensor blade, approximately half an inch in length and bent a slight amount, when the tensor is made this way it slightly curves and the further the blade is pushed into the keyway, the wider the three point footprint of it is.

another modification that I have been looking at recently is to make multiple slight bends in the blade but not bending the wide plane of the metal as already described but bending two opposite slight waves into the blade so that as it is inserted it wedges against the sides of the keyway this helps to keep it from twisting down into the bottom of the keyway and can give you a grip on the plug from pressure on both sides of the inside of the keyway

years ago I think it was legion 303 who told me how he serrates his TOK tensors,
he does not cut serrations with a file or any tool that removes metal,
he does a controlled pinch with a dykes (wire cutter) leaving knicks on the edges, and the metal is not removed but spalls out of the grooves to make a more secure grip

then there is split tension, commercial products are probably good enough or you can modify them, and there are several ways to DIY them that are probably found somewhere on this forum. Split tension grips the keyway at the top and bottom, some are spread by spring tension and the falle type can easily be made simply by filing a groove in a flat piece of metal stock and bending the edges of the groove down, to grip the keyway, this is easiest on the end of a half inch strip of metal or it can be put on side of the end of that strip as falles are made,
falle also has an adjustable one and there are various ways to make these too, often with a screw and nut to tighten it.

Forget the commercial "featherlight tension tool" this thing is an abortion.

[atticRR]

Hey rai, do you think you can take a close up photo of the tension tool mentioned in your first paragraph? I think maybe i get what you are saying, but maybe not. A pic would be so awesome.

raimundo gave a very good description of what the dikes do to texture the end of the tension wrench, its not removing material just redistributing it. I usually clamp down on the thinnest edges of the wrench (opposite each other) and squeeze then gently rotate a few degrees each way parrallel with the cutting surface. I do this right at the end and onece more a bit deeper.

[atticRR]

heres a pic of my tensioners The center one looks the same on both ends and is made from a wiper insert. Both sides are super short for TOK tension in brass padlocks. You can see one of the nothches from the wire cutters, its on the thin upper edge with a matching one opposite that you cant see.
The wrench to the right is one i got with the picks i ordered, the end in the photo i custom made for top tension for master locks-its long enough to get around the rivets and into the recessed keyway. The other end is standard bottom tension-in other words, long.
The one on the laeft is showing the stock end, the other end has a custom, shorter, bend on it. Really, i promise, i just suck at photo composition.
Hope this helps you out.

[Buzo]

I wholheartedly agree with atticRR on this one. Homebrew wrenches are the way to go. I have used everything from The wiper blade inserts (my favorite) to allen wrenches, to coat hangers and each serves it own unique purpose. Some of my wrenches can be used on many different locks while sometimes I can't get a single one wrech to fit a particular keyway/lock. I actually keep pieces of wiper blade inserts in my kit so if I ever need a custom wrench its right there ready to be turned into the perfect tool for whatever lock I'm trying to open. Using the cutters is great for getting more grip but you have to be careful you don't cut through the material you're working with (speaking from experience). I use 80 grit sandpaper to just scuff the metal to get more grip. I don't do it enough to re shape the metal, just enough to get the job done.

[atticRR]

heres another pic you see the 'teeth' i cut into my wrenches. The new color is there because i'm tired of having to locate them when they go flying into the grass between the stones in my patio while picking.

[MarkMcGrath]

For all intesnive purposes.... I live on the moon. The dust is just as fine, and the terrain is just as rocky. The only things metal here aren't worth making tension tools out of, and I don't have the tools to do so. With that said whats the cheapest simplest way to make or get some better tension tools? Figure I have a multitool and can order small tools.

Now my thought was get a flat tension tool and sereat it a bit for the european locks, would that be a good start? Anyone know of decent quality tension tool destributors that have a harder more responsive feel like the steel used in the bogota picks?

[mhole]

For all intesnive purposes.... I live on the moon. The dust is just as fine, and the terrain is just as rocky. The only things metal here aren't worth making tension tools out of, and I don't have the tools to do so. With that said whats the cheapest simplest way to make or get some better tension tools? Figure I have a multitool and can order small tools.

Now my thought was get a flat tension tool and sereat it a bit for the european locks, would that be a good start? Anyone know of decent quality tension tool destributors that have a harder more responsive feel like the steel used in the bogota picks?

Even the moon buggy has wipers, right...?

Seriously, wiper inserts are great for tension wrenches. One pair of wipers can make a dozen wrenches, and different end treatments can be used to suit different keyways. The only thing wiper inserts don't work well for are wide keyways, like dimple locks. I use bike spokes for big wrenches, with the ends hammered/filed flat to suit the keyway. Did lunar rover have spokes..?

[cyrano138]

Can you get hold of a Peterson Pry Bar? That's mostly what I use.

[atticRR]

if you're not actually on the moon maybe i can help you out with a bit of tension wrench raw material. PM me w/mailing info please.

[MarkMcGrath]

if you're not actually on the moon maybe i can help you out with a bit of tension wrench raw material. PM me w/mailing info please.

I am at a FOB now but supriseingly I found some windshield wipers in the trash in Bagram Afghanistan. Some of the local nationals, had stripped every bit of metal out of them they could get. Thin metals don't hang around long here, or are so mangled as to be unusable. Also the wipers never go bad here because they are rarely used, minus dry rot.

[gibson]

look around - nails, staples from packing crates, spring from an old magazine (are the ones from AK's thicker?), ALICE clips, pt whatever they use on MOLLE gear, spoon from used grenades? i'm not trying to be a wise-ass, just thinking about things that might be in your environment.

[atticRR]

that would be awesome, having a tension wrench from a grenade spoon