Making lockpicks

Post date: Jul 6, 2014 6:32:56 PM

Out of the blue a few weeks ago someone emailed me about this page and asked if I could reproduce the picks that are shown in the last image. I haven't made picks in quite some time and figured this was a perfect opportunity to see if I still could.

Turns out it wasn't much of a challenge at all. I spent more time looking for the stock and setting up the tools than I did actually making the picks. There was even enough scrap for a torque wrench :) 

As for the story behind these 2 designs; I have quite a few padlocks lying around and of the 10 or so different (random) pick designs I had made at the time, these were the most versatile. Trial and error they opened more locks, quicker. The top one will open most Master Locks with very little effort (usually 2 rocks in the keyway). The second one is handy for when middle pins set high.