Pick making question...

[nebojsa_o]

Hi guys, my name is Nebojsa, and I'm just getting into the whole lock pickig thing. I was always intersted, but never quite got into it. So I've been doing a lot of reading on making picks. After reading the MIT guide and a few other websites, I succesfully opened a drawer lock in my basement using a safety pin and a bent small screw driver. Now I'm even more interested. So I wanna make picks, but here is my question.
Every arcticle I read talks about dremels and grinders and all that. Now the only thing I don't have access to is the grinder. What I didn't see anyone mention is just regular cutting pliers. Would I be able to use those to get the rough shape of a pick, and then use files, and dremel and whatnot to "perfect" it?? I'm sorry if it's a really stupid question, but I didn't find anything about this. I'm using a hacksaw blade I found in the garage for starters, and am wondering if cutting it with pliers would somehow weaken the blade, or is it OK to go forward with the cutting? I'm expecting any kind of a answer, even if you aren't too sure, let me know what you think. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out. BTW great website.

[vector40]

You really can do it all with a Dremel, you know. You can even do it all with files; our very own raimundo makes top-shelf picks from street sweeper bristles using only hand tools. You don't need a bench grinder; it's just handy to have one.

[digital_blue]

I agree with everything vec has said BUT... he failed to mention this. You will not be able to cut a hacksaw blade with cutters. It is hardened and it will merely shatter. The only problem with using just a dremel is that it takes some time to cut the meat out of the blade, and those little accessories are terribly expensive.

Happy pick making!

db

[nebojsa_o]

Well thanks for the responses guys. This is not a good sign. I got impatient, and that's not good for picking, lol. Before the replys I tried cutting the blade as I figured it was free anyways. It didn't shatter... I was expecting that too, so I turned my head away, and squezed. It cut pretty straight I must say. There is some writing on the blade. It says the following:

12" Bi-metal Cobalt Hacksaw Blade
24 TPI
Made in China

What is this Bi-Metal Cobalt stuff?? Any disadvantages or advantages??
It's kind of cold in the garage now, and too late for a dremel in the house, needless to say my parents already gave me shit thinking I'm getting into B&E. So I have to wait until tomorrow (finally a day off, and they are out of the house too) and I'll try to do some more work on it. I'm not expecting anything good out of it, I'm just experimenting with this blade. It's old as hell, so I don't expect it to live too much longer. Thanks for replys and for the help. If all goes well I should be a picker for a while, and if parents get in the way, I can always hide the picks

[raimundo]

If youre gonna use the dremel, use safty glasses please.

[nebojsa_o]

Yea I use the safety goggles. I made a half diamond in my first pick. It turned out pretty crappy, as was expected, but it was just a test pick. One thing I'm not sure of is, how big should the triangle in front of the pick be. I'm pretty sure mine is way to big, but how big should it be, any links to dimensions would be great, I know about Pyro's video already. I need it to be a size so it can fit inside lock of my house door, or a regular sized padlock. Any help with this would be great, and if you're not sure of links, the size of your picks would be great too. I prefer milimiters BTW if anyone cares, LoL.