Lock pick blank

[Tillie's in a bottle]

this guy matt blaze has a decent article on lockpicking. Worth a read. Have a look at "notes on lockpicking"

https://www.mattblaze.org/photos/locks.html

[challenger]

New York City locksmith here, I definetely second that statement. There are usually two or three other ways than picking to open a door non-destructively. As far as real lockpickers go, I'm not very good. I do well with bump keys and our other tools. Rarely do I ever have to drill a lock open. That's a real last resort, although for a lot of "emergency locksmiths" in my part of the country, it's their plan A. We do far more repairs and instalations than lock-outs. Like today, we changed a floor check, repaired a safe we cracked the day before, changed some locks in times Square, and
had just one lock out (although that was the only one that paid same -day) .

As for lock picks, it would make sense to make several yourself that are the right thickness and shape at the business end. Especially for a situation when you must reach for a short pin behind a long pin. Lock picks are still pretty expensive even through my distributors.

Yes. The picks I made are stainless steel and high quality. Making a bunch of blanks is a big $ saver. I will use shrink sleeve to wrap them with. I've also tried most other methods. Picks break so I'm not going to invest (any more 😬) in fancy handles.
I used a side grinder with a fine kerf wheel to cut kerfs into the top and bottom where the metal gets removed and then removed the rest with an air file. The stacking, cold shop and the method used kept the heat low. I finish each one individually and the tip of the 12" air file is perfect for the curve of the hook.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that I still can pick my way out of a corduroy prophylactic. Yesterday I got 14 quality lock cylinders for $18.00 for practice from the local mega resale store. These were added to the psycho number of practice locks I already have. I still have almost zero success with picking locks. I've watched enough youtubes to where the phosphorus is damaged by the YouTube logo.
For some reason I feel that getting more, or upgrading, equipment will make success easier. So far this hasn't worked out. I'm probably $150.00 in with supplies and the poor soul needing me to get them out of a burning building is ashes. Maybe I need an apron with "lock picker" embroidered on it? 😬

[Tillie's in a bottle]

The lishi tools for auto locks are lower in price even though they're clearly more complicated to make by the nature of the two picks having to slide around inside that keyway shape.

The picks for schlage, kwickset, etc are priced higher because they know they'll sell. I remember a few years ago when they introduced the Schlage pick, the automotive picks were aound $30 and the Schlage was $120. And that was the price to the trade at HL Flake. It is a money maker though so you can't complain too much.

[RMinMN]

I thought I read that they are around $60 to $120. Not sure why so high. There appear to be two manufacturers, so that accounts for some of the price differential.

Dan

Two reasons for high prices on the Lishi tools. Small volume might mean high cost per. Charge what the market will bear. Profit per item might be high but volume very low.

[JRouche]

Lock pick?

My lock pick might be a little different, I think :]I like your post. Thanks...
JR

ASsa, Cant be broke? Wanna bet? JR

[Doozer]

The 27/28s we had some links that did not get spin riveted all the way.
I kept telling the manufacturing engineer to fix the fixturing on the
rivet machine because it was so worn and loose, and the links
would move around. Instead he just made the recess in the tip
of the riveting bit deeper so it self centers on the pin. This was
no good because it swedges the link and not the pin. Half azz fix.
Then he bought another Bracker rivetting machine, and never
got new fixturing. It sat for a few years and then they took it
to the warehouse for cold storage. They are still using the old
worn out rivetting machine, with a foot lever that applies the
force to move the ram. No process controls. Same sloppy
fixturing. I told the mfg engineer to make the rivet bit out of
heat treated S7 tool steel. No. He just keep re-grinding the old
one and it is worn to a nub. The links still look like shlt and
no one cares and we still get returns. Happy day.

-D

[Tillie's in a bottle]

it was a dorma bts 80. A sticker on the closer said it was installed in 2017. a Rixon usually lasts longer than that. I haven't replaced any I originally installed yet. although last year we did a 27 and a 28 where it just locked up about 20 degrees from closed and would not budge untill we put a cheater bar on . they got replaced of course.

[Doozer]

Was the floor check a 20 or a 27 ???

-D

[Tillie's in a bottle]

In my firefighting days a old butter knife was our go to for a lock out. If things got serious the ax and haligan bar would open almost any door in seconds. Lock picking is not hard if know what you are trying to do. I played around with some picks when a fellow fire fighter took a locksmith class. We just had too many easier ways to break in.

New York City locksmith here, I definetely second that statement. There are usually two or three other ways than picking to open a door non-destructively. As far as real lockpickers go, I'm not very good. I do well with bump keys and our other tools. Rarely do I ever have to drill a lock open. That's a real last resort, although for a lot of "emergency locksmiths" in my part of the country, it's their plan A. We do far more repairs and instalations than lock-outs. Like today, we changed a floor check, repaired a safe we cracked the day before, changed some locks in times Square, and
had just one lock out (although that was the only one that paid same -day) .

As for lock picks, it would make sense to make several yourself that are the right thickness and shape at the business end. Especially for a situation when you must reach for a short pin behind a long pin. Lock picks are still pretty expensive even through my distributors.

[JoeLee]

I thought I read that they are around $60 to $120. Not sure why so high. There appear to be two manufacturers, so that accounts for some of the price differential.

Dan

I thought the guy in the vid invented them, so to speak.

JL.................

[danlb]

They showed a few different ones in the vid.
I wonder what the price is per. ??

JL....

I thought I read that they are around $60 to $120. Not sure why so high. There appear to be two manufacturers, so that accounts for some of the price differential.

Dan

[JoeLee]

I thought of duplicating a lishi pick.

The lishi picks are made to work on specific brands/models of keyways, so making one for the schlage lock on your front door will be neat, but it would not work on a kwikset lock on the
garage door.

Dan

They showed a few different ones in the vid.
I wonder what the price is per. ??

JL....

[Mcgyver]

or maybe you would get charged if skulking around someones back door at 2:00 a.m. .....not saying there isn't a law, but they don't seem to be contraband you thought. they were.

They are handy to have around, however I would have been better to get a good set (4 or 5 picks, they're about 100). The cheapos work, but mea, they are a bit flimsy. I can only open simple stuff...it does take some practice

[BCRider]

Then perhaps the laws changed or my buddy was mistaken. Or the police simply don't bother to follow up on the old law other than to apply it when the other factors justify the charge. That's not out of the question either.

[Mcgyver]

Think about it in terms of where you might have seen a set of lockpicks for sale. You haven't. Only lock suppliers would have them for sale in Canada

Baloney

https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=lock+picki...s_ts-doa-p_1_8

https://www.amazon.ca/Honst-17pcs-Co...%2C132&sr=8-17


in stock in Can, can have it delivered tomorrow. That's where I bought my set