No wrench? No problem!

[vector40]

This may sound a little silly, but have any of you tried picking open a lock using nothing but your finger pressing on the face of the plug for tension? It's a little bit amusing when it works.

[omelet]

Now all you need to do is grow your fingernails out on one hand and cut a few of them into the shape of your favorite picks, and you will be the human lockpick! How convenient

[digital_blue]

What about picking the lock with only the pick. ie) Using the pick to apply the rotational pressure at the same time you use it to push up on the pins. I've only made it work on a couple cheap locks, but it can be done. I tried 'cause Barry Wels said it couldn't be done.

[vector40]

I was at a friend's house just the other day, and decided to try this tiny padlock he had on a box. The keyway was about a millimeter larger than my pick, and there was no chance that I'd get anything else in there -- fortunately, all I had to do was stick the pick in, jiggle and turn, and it opened like a key. Terrific. I think there were only, like, three pins

Actually, there's a serious point to this, though. Don't you think that a tensor which doesn't require insertion into the keyway would be a valuable tool? We always need more room than we have... how about something that adheres to the surface of the plug and allows you to twist/push on it?

[Chucklz]

Ive been thinking to make a tensor that you would insert into the keyway, but would apply tension from the very rear of the plug. Something looking a bit like this

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Now, about fingernail picks, I suggest a careful reading of "La Casa de Bernarda Alba"[/code]

[vector40]

So the shaft is basically thin, straight, and round, and it's got a bend at the tip that provides the rotation?

Sounds interesting... you're still gobbling up valuable keyway space, though.

[Chucklz]

Nah, imagine this

You take a winsield wiper blade and bend it like a standard tension wrench, but with a longer "insertable" part. Now grind away the insertable part thus

_________[] so that the thin area is the diameter of the slight radius, thus forming about a 1mm wire. Leave a tab of full width wiper blade at the tip, so that this will apply torque from the back of the plug. You would only be eating up about 1mm of keyway space. You would probably have to make an undercut at both ends where you thinned out the blade, so that it would be strong enough to not break off in the keyway.

[vector40]

ahh, I gotcha.

Sounds worthwhile... especially depending how the wards are configured. And hey, it could double as bypass tool for cheapo locksets with accessible thumbturns behind an open end.

Give it a try, I say... I don't have any wiper blades or anything here, but I can't imagine it would take more than a few minutes with a grinder.

[Chucklz]

Oh, I happened to be at the local autoparts store, and I think I must have close to 30 feet of wiper blades scattered around my dorm room/house. Now, if I only remembered to bring a file back to school with me!. Thats right, I have the materials here, but no tools. Looks like I have to find a decent hardware store.

[Dr Money]

What about picking the lock with only the pick. ie) Using the pick to apply the rotational pressure at the same time you use it to push up on the pins. I've only made it work on a couple cheap locks, but it can be done. I tried 'cause Barry Wels said it couldn't be done.

I did it on a master #1 that i knew really well. I dont try it on anything else for fear of bending the pick.

[Hojo]

I can open locks with no tools but my hands...ask skold, hes seen i with his own eyes

[digital_blue]

I did it on a master #1 that i knew really well. I dont try it on anything else for fear of bending the pick.

I hear that. I have a bent small hook that is the result of this little experiment. Mind you, I made the pick myself so it was really only 10 minutes wasted. It is kind of cool when it works though.

db

[zekeo]

I think it makes a big difference how smoothly the tumbler can turn. I've done this by accident a few times, but in each case the tumbler was very loose.

My idea for a better tension wrench would be the same handle as usual, but a wire on the end instead of a flat part. just insert and push or pull to the left on the very bottom of the keyway. This is such a dumb, simple idea I'm sure there's a reason why something like this isn't being used. Anyone care to enlighten me?

[vector40]

No, no reason, it can just be a little trickier to push/pull than to "twist." I've seen a standard wrench used in this way, at both the top and bottom; actually, it's one of the few ways I can manage to keep it in when torquing from the top.

[CaptHook]

Oddly enough, yes. Ive used my thumbnail before, a few times. Been successful on kwiksets, schlages, and dexters.
Chuck