Question about tweezers

[petemoss]

Hey gang,

So I went ahead and bought a pair of the pinning tweezers from Sparrows. They had a couple of different sizes. They indicated that the small was for a travel kit or whatever. So based on that I assumed that they were the same except for their length. Now I'm not so sure, and I hoping for some insight.

I purchased the large version as I am going to keep it at the bench. The problem is that after trying it on some pins from a Master lock, the curved portion of the tweezers are larger than the pin. So, if I pick the pin up and completely close them, the pin can still freely fall out of the tweezers. Does this mean that the large and small tweezers are for actual different pin sizes or that the pair I got are just made badly.

I suppose I can "form" the pair that I received to make it grip more properly, but I wanted to see if that seemed like the right course of action or if I actually needed the small ones instead.

[billdeserthills]

I'm a locksmith and my pin tweezers pick up any size pin tumbler or else I throw them and get another pair
https://www.internationalkeysupply.com/ ... tm_content

[petemoss]

Thanks billdeserthills.

So it sounds like mine should work but just don't. Time to take some pliers to them.

[Raymond]

I don't think I would use pliers. Instead grind the tip off and remake it with a small file or Dremel. Clean up the tip with very fine sand paper or a belt sander.

[petemoss]

Good call. If I grind a bit of the tips off I should be able to form a tighter radius.

[jeffmoss26]

I have a pair of these, bought them used from ebay. They had a round notch cut into the tip. I use them daily!
https://www.generaltools.com/industrial ... rrated-tip

[petemoss]

Well, I filed the tips down and then reformed them into a tighter radius. This worked pretty well, I could actually pick up pins without them falling out, although it still didn't hold them very firmly. So I decided to take it a bit further and immediately snapped one tip off. Looks like I will have to get another pair. I think I will go with one of the recommendations above rather than the Sparrows pair this time just to see if I have better luck.

[billdeserthills]

Well, I filed the tips down and then reformed them into a tighter radius. This worked pretty well, I could actually pick up pins without them falling out, although it still didn't hold them very firmly. So I decided to take it a bit further and immediately snapped one tip off. Looks like I will have to get another pair. I think I will go with one of the recommendations above rather than the Sparrows pair this time just to see if I have better luck.

I have an old Rytan set of tweezers that looks the same design as Sparrows, after one side snapped off I ground the other side down on a bench grinder and filed my own holder groove in at the end & I've been using them for over 25 years. I just used one of those mini round files

[petemoss]

I have an old Rytan set of tweezers that looks the same design as Sparrows, after one side snapped off I ground the other side down on a bench grinder and filed my own holder groove in at the end & I've been using them for over 25 years. I just used one of those mini round files

I've been thinking of it from the standpoint of needing to form an actual rounded tip. I had not considered just filing a groove into the tips. I'll have to give that a go and see what happens.Thanks.

[GWiens2001]

I have done the same thing as Billdesert hills. Those cheap needle files (around $3-$5 a set at Harbor Freight or any cheap tool store) do the job beautifully.

Gordon

[CaptHook]

Pinning tweezers are nice, but not needed. A cheap pair of 6" sharp point tweezers works great.

2 for $6
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K0 ... UTF8&psc=1

[petemoss]

That pair of tweezers that I was using originally (as seen in the first photo of this post: https://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=65698&p=488643#p488640) are a really nice (not cheap) pair of watchmakers tweezers. They work great for picking up things that are non-symetrical, like gears and screws. The problem with them is that they are not serrated or anything so pins tend to rotate out of the perpendicular alignment that you are after. Additionally, the sharp points tend to pop inside the coils of springs, which causes them to go in all screwy directions when that happens. I've been thinking though, that any regular pair could have a groove filed in the end and should work pretty well.

[CaptHook]

That pair of tweezers that I was using originally (as seen in the first photo of this post: https://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=65698&p=488643#p488640) are a really nice (not cheap) pair of watchmakers tweezers. They work great for picking up things that are non-symetrical, like gears and screws. The problem with them is that they are not serrated or anything so pins tend to rotate out of the perpendicular alignment that you are after. Additionally, the sharp points tend to pop inside the coils of springs, which causes them to go in all screwy directions when that happens. I've been thinking though, that any regular pair could have a groove filed in the end and should work pretty well.

Again, you dont need pin grooves. You need to learn what you are doing, and practice it with whatever tools you have until it becomes natural.

[petemoss]

Again, you dont need pin grooves. You need to learn what you are doing, and practice it with whatever tools you have until it becomes natural.

While I will agree with you in principal. Tools do have a purpose. Can I turn a phillips head screw with a flat head screwdriver, yeah maybe. Can I open a paint can with a pocket knife, yeah maybe. Should I forgo the snap ring pliers because a thin pair of needle nose plies might get the ring off okay? I don't disagree with what you are getting at, but I totally do disagree with the use whatever you have sentiment. Do you use lock picks or just go with a bent paperclip because it is what you have on hand? I agree that anything is better than nothing, but suggesting that tools don't matter at all and it is only about skill is rather short sighted. I think forums like this are here to serve this purpose of education, otherwise we really don't contribute to helping each other very much. Thank you for your insight, and again I am not discounting your statement, I just don't feel that a "stop whining and get better" solution is always the correct one.

[pemlock]

I've also noted that the Sparrows tweezers are a bit wide for some pins, but I'm not too bothered by it. I mostly use them for springs actually, and I have some others to choose from:



From the left:

• Sparrows
• "Inverted", i.e. you squeeze to release
• Wide flat tip
• Super fine tip (actually from a watch tool set)
• Standard straight
• Standard with an angle

The inverted pair is quite useful, but the spring tension is quite high, so I'm planning to file grooves in them to secure whatever they're gripping a little better. As it is now, there's a risk that they shoot things across the room...