What to do with a broken pick besides the trash?

[phrygianradar]

Hey everybody, I was wondering what the creative lot of you do when you find yourself with a broken pick? Sometimes picks break, it happens, right? Well, I have a couple of broken picks and they still have some length; only broke off the last 1/8th inch or so on both of them (different occasions). So any good ideas? What are some possibilities? Just thought it would be a good topic. If someone has already posted the same question, my appologies.

[ARF-GEF]

I was thinking about it ever since you mentioned this in yoru PM and maybe, if they are broken at the right place you could use it as a peterson knife style combination padlock feeler?

[phrygianradar]

It's funny you should say that. I just ordered one of those Peterson padlock knifes and a few picks from them. Getting the thin knife, American padlock trip wire, Peterson Reach, Hook, and another Jem because I love them so much! The thing about those padlock feelers

[phrygianradar]

Sorry, I ment to say that the thing about them is that they are so darn thin! Not just thin, but really flexable too. I was thinking about using one of them to make a little thin "poker" type of pick for dimpled locks. Or just cutting a little half diamond. I don't think I could bend it into a usable hook (again, as that is what it was before being a broken pick) because I would probably just break again.

[IndigoChild]

I clip them and grind them down to about an inch long tapering to a point that is about 3mm across and use them as poking tools. You can use them to pull caps off the back of cylinders and use them to pull the handles off of lever sets. The steel they are made from makes them nice and ridged and pleasant to work with. I have used my poking tools to pull springs out of cylinders that got stuck inside the top. I use my poking tool to push pins down as well too to make sure I am reading them right. I use them for manipulating brief case locks and I will even use them as a pick too. Lets say you have a deep first cut. they are not the easiest to work with and I broke many picks because of deep first cuts. This saves me time and picks cause of its shape it is a lot more sturdy. I use them to punch out wafers from cam locks and ignitions. I even use it to pull the ignition out. I have used it as a very tiny screwdriver as well. I have a shorter one specifically for changing simplex lock codes. The possibilities are endless. But you want to check the integrity of the pick before the mod because if the steel is brittle you are likely to end up with a broken pick stuck in the lock... again.

Here is a picture of said poking tool.

[Raymond]

If you want to see some old pictures check out this reference to renewing a broken HPC pick. Below is the text but the photos did not copy.

New Life For Broken Picks
by Raymond » Aug 20, 2007 In "Lockpicks - manual"
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=23530&p=260063#p260063

Over the years I have accumulated many broken picks. Then I started giving them new lives as star performers. Following is one example how to breathe new life into an old broken pick. The example I am using is an HPC curved pick with the tip broken off that will transform into a single point triangle pick. The style and variations you use are up to you. I know this idea produces plain and simple picks that work very well. Their looks dont hold a candle when compared to some like those made by Koatik and Locknewbie21.
Original broken pick before modification and a new HPC curved pick.
First I knocked the rivets out with a punch. You can reuse the same rivets if desired when reassembling but you will need one additional rivet. I personally prefer brass pins.
I then cut the tip of the handle end off, close to the rivet hole. This short piece will be replaced at the end of the handle to provide the original spacing. I dented the spring steel with a sharp punch where the new hole will be. After opening the hole up with a Dremel, I drilled it to size.
Regrind your new pick using the handle end of the remaining spring steel. Design your own style. Smooth and finely polish the finished pick.
Because I am using spring steel and not stainless steel, I will treat it with cold gun blue to prevent rust. I have drilled out the holes to.110 using a #34 drill bit. Since this is no longer a true HPC pick, I have turned the handles over so there is no name on the outside. I counter sunk the holes a very small amount to allow the brass rivets a place to spread..
I have reassembled the pick using #11 pins from a Falcon keying pin kit. When hammered down this length does not have to be ground off very far.
After peening the new brass rivets, the handle was sanded to remove sharp edges and to smooth the finish.
And behold, a new pick.

[daniel22747]

A pick with a broken tip, if it is thin enough at the end, could be usefull in picking a keymark lock.

[jeffmoss26]

Good ideas here. I wish I would have saved some of my broken ones!

[LockDocWa]

And here I thought I had an original Idea.
I normally just pitch them, But if you have more time than money.....

Broken Pick



Remove the rivets


Fashion whatever type of pick you want : Spring steel is tough to drill.


I needed a hook pick

[bembel]

Replace the broken blade with a beer bottle opener, pocket knife style.
Cheers.

P.S. Looks best on stainless steel handles.

[emptech1]

Funny, I was just doing the same thing, see my post viewtopic.php?f=4&t=56686

I always collect spring steel, old springs, clock springs, etc. As long as you don't overheat
them, you won't ruin them. I've been saving the steel bristles from street sweepers, great
pick material. I just clean them up, solder them to my old broken picks, after shortening
them first. I paint the new spring steel with some machinist's layout dye, then scribe the
shape on the new metal, then take a dremel <sp?> tool to it. Just don't overheat the metal.

I probably have some old hack saw blades laying around too somewhere.

Jim

[zeke79]

If you have a new sharp file I've made extractors similar to the peterson "saw" extractors in the past. They work pretty well for that.

[dirtymoney]

I dremelled one of my broken picks to a very thin point so that i could use it to pick/push down the pins of a tubular lock while using a tubular key as a makeshift tension wrench (that I had enlarged the pin notches on so that I could poke the pick in).

However I have misplaced my one tubular lock so I have yet to try it out. I will find the lock eventually.

[escher7]

If you have one break near the tip, round off the end, thin it way down and polish it for a padlock shim or lock decoder.