Make Lock Picks
by cornchip
NOTICE: TO ALL CONCERNED Certain text files and messages contained on this site deal with activities and devices which would be in violation of various Federal, State, and local laws if actually carried out or constructed. The webmasters of this site do not advocate the breaking of any law. Our text files and message bases are for informational purposes only. We recommend that you contact your local law enforcement officials before undertaking any project based upon any information obtained from this or any other web site. We do not guarantee that any of the information contained on this system is correct, workable, or factual. We are not responsible for, nor do we assume any liability for, damages resulting from the use of any information on this site.
This is a simple guide on how to make some handy lock picks out of stuff you'll find in your house assuming you have some pretty basic tools. That's right... no trip to the store! Save gas!
#include commonsence.h
#define DISCLAIMER NULL
-----Habiliments (see: Materials)--------------------
Ok, you will need:
At least one wire hangar
A hammer, preferably two... tell you why later
Something hard to pound on.
Wire cutters or hacksaw or what the hell do you cut
hangars with?
a file
a lock... your house will do, your neighbor's is
better!
-----Consecution (see: Procedure)--------------------
Now how will I make a set of picks out of... hangars?
1) Cut your hangar into a few pieces. I don't know
how long a regulation pick is, but if you do, cut the
pieces to that length.
2) Now you will flatten one and a half inches of each
piece. Follow 2a, 2b, or 2c depending on your
materials.
2a) Two hammers and a Vise. Position one hammer
upside down in the vise. The head of the hammer
should be above the top of the vise so it doesn't slip
down. Rest the end of a piece of hangar on the hammer
and pound with the other. You should pound until the
metal is about one millimeter thick. If the metal
starts to curve in one direction, pound on the inside
of the curve.
2b) Hammer and Anvil. Place the end of a piece of
hangar on the vise and pound it flat like in 2a.
2c) I Hope you at least have a hammer. Good luck...
figure something out.
3) Now comes the fun part. You probably want a vise
for this. Secure the piece of hangar and file the
desired pick out of the flat part. See the Classes of
Picks for details.
4) Clean your picks off with some steel wool or sand
paper so when you run your fingernail over the
surface, you don't get stuck on any imperfections.
5) Optional, but helpful. Slip some of the sheath of
some fourteen gauge solid core wire over the end to
make a more comfortable handle.
6) pick pick pick
-----Classes of Picks (see: Pick Types)----------------
I'll list these in the order I made them and with the
method I used.
Note: I find it easer NOT to mark the picks before I
file them.
Half Diamond) The most useful in my opinion, and
simple to make. File from the end of your pick a
forty-five degree angle with a flat file. The top of
the diamond should be about three millimeters from the
base of the pick (not the end, the bottom). File from
the tip back down at forty-five degrees until you are
about one and a half millimeters from the base of the
pick. File and a gentle angle to the beginning of the
flat part of the pick to make the tang.
Snake) Yep, I got curious and made it second! The
tip will be about half a centimeter long, remember
that. First, make some shallow filings: two on top at three millimeters and six millimeters, and on bottom
at one and a half millimeters and four and a half
millimeters. Use the corner of your file. Man, this
is really hard to explain exactly. File a snake shape
using the shallow marks and round out your shape as
they get deeper. The curve closest to the tip is a
little shorter than the other. The tip and curve on
the bottom should follow the same line as the tang.
Then you are satisfied with your tip, file your tang
like you did the half diamond.
Half Round) I shouldn't even bother explain this. It
has the same outline as a half diamond, but it's
round. You figure it out.
Rake) Start with the bottom curve, just make a curve
from the tip to the base of the tang. If you have a
knife sharpener, use it to make the inside curve of
the pick. File a shallow notch in the tip of the pick
if you want to use it as a lever for pin-by-pin
picking or leave it flat for true raking. File your
tang.
Those are all the picks I have made, but if you want
more designs, check out the MIT Guide.
-----For and Anti (see: Pro and Con)-------------------
For: Very Cheap
Anti: thin handle is sometimes awkward
For: Quick to manufacture
Anti: Metal isn't as strong as spring steel.
***look down***
For: Easy to conceal (in a pen with the ink removed)
Anti: They won't make you a locksmith overnight
For: Fun to show off (be careful about this one)
Anti: Illegal in some places
(check the laws where you live)
For: You made 'em, they're yours!
Anti: Anything homebrew will work only as well as the
effort put into it. If you buy picks, you know
they have been designed EXACTLY to standards.
***the metal may not be as strong, but it's still
pretty strong. If you bend your tang you are picking
too hard. Lock picking is done with light pressure
and tension. Read the MIT guide if you want to learn
to pick locks. READ IT, don't skim through it.***
-----Conglomerate (see: Miscellaneous)-----------------
These picks WILL NOT make you a locksmith. Read the
MIT guide. Practice. PRACTICE! Just type "MIT
Guide" into google. Click "I'm Feeling Lucky".
All these picks can be made with a regular file, but I
suggest you get a triangular file, a flat file, and a
thin round file. Get a medium to fine grade file
because you're working with metal.
For the steel wool, I suggest you get #00 or #000.
#00 is works faster but #000 makes it look cleaner.
Don't get #0000. That stuff is way too fine. It will
make your pick shine, but it won't get rid of the
imperfections.
I am not the best locksmith in the world. So far I've
only opened a few locks. But then I only started
within this year, half a year from the time of this
writing. Being a noob at this, i consider myself
quite successful so far. There's always room for
improvement. Don't ask me how to pick locks yet, for
now see the MIT Guide. If (it's possible) that I
become proficient at this then THEN you may ask me.
And about the author: I have a lot of experience in
the shop. I've been building random things since as
far back as I can remember. I'd like to experiment
with metal forgery, but that will come after a little
reserch on the best method for a home shop. I'm still
a student, but most of what I know I have learned
outside of school. I am interested in mechanics,
networking, programming, and the arts.
|