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Homebrew Hall of Fame!

When it comes down to it there is nothing better than manual tools for your Lock pick Set, whether they be retail, homebrew, macgyver style. DIY'ers look here.

Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby femurat » 11 Mar 2013 8:18

Image

Image

I had an oil dipstick from an old car laying around so I made a huge diamond. I've never made a pick this big, it's almost 5 mm tall... I'll try it and let you know how I like it.
It's also thicker than my usual bristle ones. The idea is to have a strong pick for big and gunky locks. I guess it'll give great feedback also.
I'll play with it for a few days to see if it really needs to be a little thinner or not. Since there's a small file mark at the diamond base, filing it down a little would improve its appearance too.

Cheers :)
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby zeepia » 11 Mar 2013 13:45

femurat wrote:Since there's a small file mark at the diamond base, filing it down a little would improve its appearance too.


Yes, now it´s ugly as he** :wink:

Do you cope well with so tiny handles? I personally need a bigger diameter to get a good hold, but maybe that´s only me.
Otherwise that´s a good solution, I know I would have needed a sturdier pick some times. But didn´t even think to make one then... so maybe now. Thanks.
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby femurat » 12 Mar 2013 3:49

Hey zeepia,

I hate tiny handles, can't control the pick without a handle. I use a heat shrink tube just to test if the pick works. Once I file it down a little and polish it again I'll make a bamboo or gillette handle for it.
Based on the test I made yesterday this pick sucks. I'ts too big and the tip is too step. I'll work on it and post some pictures in the next days.

Cheers :)
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby femurat » 15 Mar 2013 4:06

Image

Here it is after some filing and sanding. I wrote the dimensions in mm before and after. Usually I don't use the caliper but this time I had to. I measured my favorite diamond and discovered that its tip is 3,2 mm tall, this one was 4,3 so I decided to shorten a lot the tip of this new pick and to thin out just a bit its shaft. Now it's 3,6 mm tall, just a bit bigger than my usual picks but it's still agile in standard keyways.
I'll play with it for a few days and then make a handle for it...

Cheers :)
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby gunny » 29 Mar 2013 20:44

OUTSTANDING!

Semper Fidelis

- Gunny
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby zorro » 1 Jun 2013 15:10

Some of these links show some really nice stuff and while some are clearling marked as being dead links, others have not had the decency to remove the link when removing the photos from Photobucket. Just hought to let everyone know to let the rest of us know when a link is dead or when removing the photos from photobucket, to make note of it on the link so the rest of us will not be wasting our time.

This is not a citicism, just a suggestion.
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby GWiens2001 » 1 Jun 2013 17:32

There is no 'edit' button to remove old, dead links. Also, sometimes the person is no longer a member here. Sometimes people run out of space, and clear out old pictures to make space for new pictures. There can be a number of reasons for the dead links, not all of them repairable.

Gordon
Just when you finally think you have learned it all, that is when you learn that you don't know anything yet.
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby mattc » 17 Sep 2013 3:02

Image

I've begun to wonder if the muscle memory from all the polishing helps make the picking action intuitive
[One day, I'm going to apply for the Advanced section, just to see if I get accepted....]
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby Milock » 18 Sep 2013 12:03

Hello,

Beautiful tools on all the thread, many shapes i've never seen, and much more never tested or built, many people got high level :shock:

The lasts hooks i made, with table knifes, shaped with Dremel, some steel brush at the end and for finishing i shake the tool in a bucket of beach sand for few minutes and the job is done (for me :wink: ).

Image

Image


Bye

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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby Milock » 18 Sep 2013 18:15

The first picks i made and started lockpicking with

Image

Image

Image
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby Milock » 18 Sep 2013 18:27

Dimple lock picks and a half diamond made for my wife, bangkiraï wood, dacron ligature, bee wax finish

Image

Image

Image

Special shape i made for Tesa T60
Image


Bye

Milock
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby phrygianradar » 18 Sep 2013 22:26

@Milock - Those are some really nice looking picks there! Does your wife pick locks as well? Lucky man, if so... Thanks for sharing!
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby femurat » 19 Sep 2013 2:39

mattc wrote:I've begun to wonder if the muscle memory from all the polishing helps make the picking action intuitive


Hey mattc, I wonder that too sometimes!

Milock wrote:Dimple lock picks and a half diamond made for my wife, bangkiraï wood, dacron ligature, bee wax finish


Great dimple picks Milock, I like them very much. Is the dacron ligature strong enough to keep the pick in place, or you added some glue?

Cheers :)
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby Milock » 19 Sep 2013 6:15

Thanks :D

My wife picks some easy locks and padlocks, she has a particular way to practise raking-picking but it works :lol:
I decided to give her his own tool when she deciced to "pick" her nails with my hooks !

Femurat, you're right i put strong glue before ligature
For the splines on the half diamond handle, i put the rod of wood in a drill machine and use sand paper around a screwdriver

I like very much make my own tools, i think it represent 40% of pleasure of lockpicking. Like a fisherman making lures before fishing :wink:


Bye

Milock
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Re: Homebrew Hall of Fame!

Postby Squelchtone » 19 Sep 2013 7:08

Hi Milock,

I like your picks, very nice! Are you using bicycle spokes for the Tesa dimple pick?

Thank you,
Squelchtone
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