This is very quick and basic documentation that looks at the process I took to make my first set of homemade picks when I was in High School. I enjoyed doing this and I hope someone finds this tutorial useful. Before we start I would like to say a few words.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional. The reenactment of any of this documentation is done at your own risk and you fully understand what you are about to do is very dangerous. I am not responsible for any injuries. It is illegal in some states, nations, or what have you to make and/or possess lock picks or other types of tools. I am not a lawyer so it is your responsibility to address your local laws and go from there. Most importantly DO NOT USE KNOWLEDGE FOR ILLEGAL AND BAD THINGS…..YOU RUIN IT FOR THE REST OF US.
With that said. Lets get down to business.
Things you will need.
~ Dremel and Reinforced cutting heads
~ Hacksaw blades (I used “Starrett RS1018HSS 10″/250mm 18T” any should work)
~ Lock pick templates (Google Images “Lock Pick Templates”)
~ Fine point Permanent Marker
~ Eye Protection (very important because the cutting wheels that will be used with the dremel will deteriorate as you use them and little shards of the wheel will be hitting you in the face.)
~ Dusk Mask/Respirator (something for the smell)
~ Gloves (I used a glove on the hand that was holding the hacksaw blade. This doesn’t guarantee any protection, but I felt more comfortable that if the dremel slipped, which it will! The cutting head would hit the glove before your bare skin.)
~ A little guts and a steady hand!
Steps
1. Choose a template of the type of pick you would like to make and cut it out using some scissors. This part is tricky because you will have to cut along all the edges, which is hard when it comes to more complicated pick designs like saw rakes.
Pick Templates
2. Then take the template and place it on the hacksaw blade where you want it. I used some tape in order to make things easier. Then using the fine tip marker, trace the design onto the blade.
3. Now at this point you are ready to fire up the dremel. The picture below shows the dremel and the different heads I used to make my picks. I am not going to take the time to explain how to use a dremel and the different attachments and their functions. It is your responsibility to take the time and read the manual and the various instructions and safety precautions that were provided with your dremel. No one likes to read the directions, but you will save yourself many headaches and prevent personal injury.
Dremel and Attachments
This part of the process is very hard to explain and is very dangerous. Its kind of like tracing lines when you were a kid in a coloring book, but instead of a crayon you are using a 35,000RPM dremel with a reinforced cutting head. Not really that much of an upgrade right? My recommendation is to take little steps until you “feel comfortable” with the dremel and how it reacts to different angles. Take your time and always know where your hands and fingers are at all times.
The more picks you make the more efficient you will become with the dremel. There is not much else I can say at this point. All I can say is you will become more confident as you make more picks, however with confidence comes arrogance so be careful and do not loose a finger…
Here is a picture of the first set of lock picks I made
Homemade Picks
From left to right: Free handed, Feeler pick, Free handed, Double half circle, and the last one is a tension wrench for tubular locks (highly recommend making one of these)
Recommendations
It would be wise to use a bench vise and or a bench grinder! (I did not have either one of these) This will make your life easier and will lessen some of the dangers, but not all.
Buy a set of lock picks instead of making your own. This isn’t as fun and the satisfaction of saying you have opened a lock with your own homemade picks is unexplainable.
Experiment with your own pick designs. You can be very creative and draw your own design onto the hacksaw blades. This can help you with a unique problem and make picks that are adapted to your technique.
Conclusion
This tutorial is meant to be very basic. I hope that someone finds this useful and encourage anyone with questions or recommendations to add to the tutorial, to leave it in the comments and I will either add them into the post or reference them.
-Skid
Skidcurity 