i have searched. but not found. what are they all for?

[kid]

i have been using the half hook to lift each pin up one by one. i am pretty good at it now. But i sure wish i knew what all the other picks in my set are for. how do i use them. what are they each designed to do? i have the pxs-17 set. please help i would sure like to use all the picks i have!

[CitySpider]

http://www.lysator.liu.se/mit-guide/appendixA.html#1

Should answer most of your questions. If you have more, feel free to ask.

[Grudge]

Just my 2 cents but most of the picks in most sets are near worthless. Personally I use a hook or two, snake and long jag rakes and that is about it. Some people use diamond picks instead of hooks, but you still end up using only a few tools. In fact, I use as many tension wrenches as picks, getting a good fit into the keyway is really important.

[Chucklz]

I agree whole hardedly with Grudge. A quick tension modification that works very well is to grind a nice angled tension wrench, so the tip looks like this < but with a slightly gently taper and not such a sharp point. You will be able to use it on a whole bunch of locks without any problems at all.

[CitySpider]

I agree whole hardedly with Grudge. A quick tension modification that works very well is to grind a nice angled tension wrench, so the tip looks like this < but with a slightly gently taper and not such a sharp point. You will be able to use it on a whole bunch of locks without any problems at all.

I can't remember, Chuck, but can you post pictures? If so, feel like posting a picture of this mod?

[marso]

Alot of picks are used for different locks. I only use a hook and a half dimond. If you look at the picture below I will go from left to right as best I can see them. Please someone correct me with the ones im wrong.

1) hook, 2) double ball, 3) key extractor, 4) rake?, 5) rake?, 6) hook, 7) half dimond, rake, 9) rake?, 10) ball, 11) rake? Then down the bottom you have an array of tension wrenches with a half dimond.

http://southord.com/images/thumbs/PXS-17.jpg

Hook is good for pin tumblers to push up pins. Full hook probably good for locks with a big keyway.

Half dimond is good for pin tumblers and is my favourite pick for smaller keyways.

Ball and half ball picks are good for wafers, full ball picks I believe are good for double sided wafer locks.

Rakes are for raking, different rakes to try on different locks to improves chances of sucess.

Numerous tension wrenches because of size of locks and where you can place the wrench in the keyway.

As mentioned above read MIT guide and the FAQ do a search for say "ball pick" or "dimond" and so forth to find out more.

Showing my ignorance yet again i bet but I hope some of this is correct and helps.

[CitySpider]

Good idea, Marso. Just for a second opinion, going left to write from his picture link:

1. Small hook. My basic pick. I use this or a variation of for about half of the locks out there.
2. Double ball or eight ball pick: IMO, completely useless.
3. Small half diamond, not key extractor. I almost never use this, but some folks -- quite a few, seems like -- use it instead of the hook for most locks.
4. Rake. IMO, completely useless, but I've heard of it being useful on Yales particularly.
5. I don't know rake names as well as I should, but this one is the standard rake. I use this pick for hte other half of the locks out there -- and I actually like this Southord rake better than any other I've owned.
6. Large hook. Too big for anything except like old Ford auto locks. Suggest you take a file to it.
7. Large half diamond. Duh, small diamond but bigger. I think it's a little too big, but not enough so to be worth modifying.
8. Triple diamond, but that might be my name for it, I'm not sure. I haven't had any luck with this rake, either, but I don't rake a lot.
9. Near as I can tell, nobody knows what this rake is for.
10.

[CitySpider]

Ahem. Sorry.

10. Single ball. Just about as useless as the double ball. If you do some websearching, I think you'll find most folks agree. Half balls are marginally more useful, but not very much so. Oh, and for the record, the diamond picks are actually half diamond picks.

11. I had this pick for a while. That side is a slightly too big rake -- the bottom side is a slightly too big diamond. The other double ended pick is much more useful on both sides.

Can't really tell which wrenches you have, but you've got all your bases covered. Just try 'em all, figure out what you look. I'd suggest cutting down one end of the Z-wrench, but that's a personal taste thing.

[Grudge]

Thanks for the tension wrench idea Chucklz! I think most pick manufactures really neglect the tension wrench (hint-hint Southord and company). How about sloped wrenches as Chucklz described, in a variety of thicknesses, with two ends on each wrench, one really short to fit in the top of the keyway against the pins without falling out and the other long to reach into recessed locks for the bottom of the keyway.

Although a little more work to make, I think you could easy sell these for double or three times the price of standard L shaped wrenches.

[Chucklz]

While I hope that say..... SouthOrd does offer more tension tool designs... I simply love the material they make their standard wrench from. I grind it down to make picks. Unfortunately I lack a digital camera... so I will have to borrow one for picture purposes. If you really want to make a whole bunch of tension tools, buy the Peterson U-bend-it set. Lots of materials, generally very wide tension wrenches... just aching to be ground down.

[Varjeal]

Left to right again:

1. hook. Haven't used any Southord picks, but this hook looks like it has a nice angle on the head. Should be a good one.

2. Double ball. Best for wafer/bi-directional wafer locks.

3. Looks like a half-diamond.

4. This looks like a full rake. I never use 'em.

5. 3/4 rake. My favorite style of pick. Multi-purpose as you can either use it as a rake, flip it around for the "bump" to use on wafer, or use the tip for single-pin picking. A staple tool in any kit.

6. Large hook. I dunno how useful this one is, as mentioned before might be handy with some Ford ignitions. A little too steep of a hook to use on standard pin.

7. Large half-diamond.

8. A more severe rake, heard these refered to as "W" rakes.

9. Another rake. Never used this style before but I don't really like the looks of the blunt tip.

10. Single-ball. Wafer locks only.

11. Another rake.

12. (bottom left to right) Heavy/rigid tension wrench.

13-14. Medium tension wrenches.

15. Medium twist tension wrench. (My oft-used one.)

16. Double sided (looks like a heavy/rigid tension wrench from the thickness)

17. I'm guessing this an extractor if it is a sharp "tip" on it, otherwise a diamond with handle.

Try 'em all in different combinations with tension wrenches and on different looks, find out which you prefer and which gives you the best chance of success.

[marso]

Because im silly and stupid i posted the thumbnail of the picture. However it is not that much smaller.

[marso]

Doh, shows me how much i forgot. Read the review from Blackwave about the pickset and small description what each pick does.

http://www.irvineunderground.org/blackw ... xs-17.html

[Greg]

Hmm.. this sparked one or two questions in my head too about this...

1) the half diamond I made has a steeper angle (closer towards being 90deg to handle) at the end of the pick (for setting pins while going into the lock) as opposed to the pictures posted here where the slope is steeper for pulling the pick out of the lock.
Any suggestions on what is better?

2) I have 3 tension wrenches but they dont seem to cover all possibilities for me. 2 of them are made from allen wrenches. I find that on some locks, the distance from first pin to the front of the lock is very thin, and tapered. (Like dented in the middle of the key entry with a ball).
Normally I use my wrenches on the side where the pins are, but in this case they slip way too easily. And if I use it on the opposite side of the pins, the wrench slips into a position where the handle is covering the keyway (well almost). This seems to cause problems of the wrench stick on the hull.
Any suggestions on that? Is there a different wrench I could make, or an adjustment to my existing ones? (or newly created one)

Sorry if this is considered thread theft.. move it to a new thread if that is the opinion I just thought it fitted nicely with the questions on tools

[Greg]

Oh, and for (1).. by angle on 'end of pick' I mean the 'front angle' being steeper than 'back angle' (according to that appendix I just saw )