Yet another lockpick instructable

So maybe lock picks have been done, but this instructable should hopefully cover a technique which i haven't seen on instructables.
I'm not going talk down to everybody about the legal stuff involved with this,I quite frankly don't give that much of a damn, I just like making things. Just don't be an idiot.

Step 1 Materials

Here's what you'll be needing:

Blow Torch: This will be used to harden and temper the metal.
Vice: Not necessary but damn usefull.
Pliers: For holding hot bits of metal.
Junior Hacksaw Blades: I don't think quality of blade makes too much difference so just go for the cheapest.
Files: These will be used for shaping the picks. A large coarse file for doing the basic shaping and some smaller needle files for the fine work are recommended.

Comments

[jdjd1]

ok so in the begining you cut off the hole on the origonal hack saw blade. why not take a short cut and use that one?

[Kasaron]

It's very easy to temper things in your regular gas oven, provided you don't plan on having any kind of differential temper. For spring steel you actually don't want to blue it, because then it'll make the hardening totally useless, I'd say aim for something more like an amber color. Set your oven to 450-500 degrees, toss those puppies in (on something so it's easier to remove them later) and bake for about 15-30 minutes. They should have an amber/brown-ish color to them, then, which means that you've gotten it right, and that they're not too hard, and not too soft.

[heathbar64]

So! Kasaron, How about doing an ible on hardening and tempering! I I only have a very basic understanding, can't remember the colors for different tools etc. Have you tried case hardening by quenching in used motor oil?

[Rozarius]

This wouldn't have any adverse effect on any food you cook in said oven afterward, due to fumes or somesuch, would it?

[Kasaron]

Actually, no. Since the hacksaw blades are made of metal which does not react adversely in such conditions, it would be identical to having the metal grates or even a cookie sheet left in a running oven.

[xerxesx20]

Useful tip, everybody has an oven of some sort or access to one (or some other cooking apparatus), thanks for the addition. My brother once gave some curtain rings an "antique" look about them using a pretty bloody hot oven for a few minutes.

[batman96]

Yes kids, when you make lock picks you untemper them with a propane torch in front of a blanket and couch in your living room.

Great ible, just be careful

[reddevved]

Or if your lazy (like me) and have some money (unlike me) you can buy them online.

[impisces71]

Good instructable, but do you mind my asking what your total length is and the length from handle slope to pick tip is?
I've been seeing a lot on other sites saying to give about 1 1/2" from handle to pick tip and leaving about 2 1/2" handle assuming you use a standard 12" hacksaw blade broke/cut into three 4" pieces.
Thanks for the tut and look forward to your reply.

[ookid]

Nice instructable, I just finished making a half diamond pick. The annealing and tempering processes worked like a charm.

[ChromeEagle]

Nice instructable, but for me the point of lockpicks was for when i lost my keys, so if it is on my key ring... and i lose my keys... well, you see my problem, but on a serious note, nice instructable helped me a lot.

[_-MacGyver-_]

Instead of critisizing him folks, why not applaude him. This is very well done. Thanks for the fabulous Instructable }{itch :D

[mtg1001]

your mom goes to collage.

[bromanuzak]

what abut a tension wrench?

[pgd5000]

that is exactly what i thought

[Don,t try this at home]

What is the width of your lockpick after you file it down

[tombomb]

http://www.lockpicking101.com!!!

[Don,t try this at home]

Ok wow but how do you know what pick does what

[TwistedButSane]

Could this process work with a gas stove top?

[phoenix124]

wow, very nice! you dont just show how to cobble together a crap set of metal toothpicks, you go through all the steps of making a decent pick.

[xerxesx20]

Haha, priceless. :-)

Wish I'd thought of that.

[samando]

Unfortunately there's no easy way to explain tempering, but I'll try... When you soften (anneal) the steel, you were right in saying the grains grow larger. However it also has to do with the structure of the carbon and iron molecules in the steel. There are three basic structures to worry about at this point - ferrite, cementite and pearlite. Ferrite is more or less pure iron, and cementite is like really brittle cast iron. Pearlite is made of alternating bands of ferrite and cementite, kind of stripy. For the type of steel used in hacksaw blades, when it's in the soft state it's mostly big fat pearlite grains bordered by cementite. When you heat it above 721 degrees celsius all the carbon dissolves into the ferrite, so you're left with what's called austenite. This is where there's a cube shape of iron atoms, one on each corner, with a carbon atom in the middle. Now this can't exist below 721 degrees. When it's hot, the iron atoms spread further apart (you know how things expand when they're heated), which is how the carbon atom fits into the cube. When it's cold it doesn't fit. If you cool it slowly the carbon can escape, and it'll end up back how we started, the large pearlite grains and cementite. If you cool it quickly though, by dunking it in water, the carbon is trapped. This means the iron cubes are bent out of shape around the carbon atom. On a larger scale, this makes the crystal structure look really spiky and jagged. This is called martensite. Martensite is very hard, but very brittle. Pretty useless for something like a lockpick. What you're doing by tempering is allowing some of the carbon to escape the cubes and form back into pearlite, which is much stronger, though softer, than martensite. So you have pearlite for strength and martensite for hardness. Hope that was understandable, sorry to ramble on!

[xerxesx20]

It's not a bad explanation at all for such a tricky (to say the least!) subject to explain.

Nicely done.

[cirano]

Detailed explanation for those among us who are a little more curious. Thanks!

[samando]

.......... actually, i'm sad to say that that was my brother, i'll see if he can comment

[vestie]

Too... Much... Late at Night. Need to sleep and reread to understand. (thanks for the explanation).

[Jonny Katana]

I used to be very into knifemaking, and this is a very, very solid explanation :)

[}{itch]

That was fantastic explanation! thank you.

[wheatstone]

I would take the last step and heat it and lay it in a pile of sugar... that would give it a nice case hardening. I use this method on nuts with relief grooves to chase a set of new threads on whatever.

[toilofday]

(removed by author or community request)

[toilofday]

(removed by author or community request)

[toilofday]

you're using the basics of what we need for this project but the real deal is the tempering oven. I'm working on making a rough plan to build one. I just don't know where I would get ceramics. never put mesages on the board when you've been drinking lot of ummm redbull

[thirst4know]

I made my picks out of stainless steel welding rod. I have a tension rod and a simple hook type pick and they work pretty good for the minimal design. Happy picking!

[Iridium7]

I believe that this sill is useful for say when you are locked out of your house and you need to get inside. Even though this kind of thing is illegal i believe that it can be a good hobby.

[musicninja17]

Its completely legal in most states if you have no intent to break into something that isnt yours. Opening your own doors is legal.

[milamber]

has some useful hardening/tempering tips http://www.primitiveways.com/pt-knives-1.html

[chiok]

The structure of metals is pretty much made up of crystals. Hacksaw blades are quite hard and represented by fairly large crystals. By heating to red hot and then cooling slowly (normalising), the crystals become small and the steel is softer for forming. Quenching in cold water or oil after red hot makes big crystals again which are hard but brittle. Tempering reduces the crystal size for ductility but retains some hardness. That's the simple science I believe. Well written instructable though, a torque wrench and finer tools will give you better results I think.

[Vertigo666]

Hardening is usually done in oil, or another carbon-rich source, isn't it?

[Jonny Katana]

The carbon content of the quenchant has little to no bearing on the finished structure of the steel. Oil is just used because it cools more slowly than water, so the shock of the temperature change is minimized while still hardening the steel quite a bit. However, for metal this thin, it really doesn't matter what you quench it in.

[pedalmonkey]

I disagree. The secret to the famed Damascas steel during the time of the Crusades was that the sword blanks were reheated and then plunged into the body of a live slave. Yecch. The process was later stolen and refined by the Spanish whereby stacks of fresh animal hides were used. What these grisley practices accomplished, other than thinning the slave herd and wasting good leather, was to quench the steel in a high nitrogen and carbon medium. The resulting blades were light, hard and flexible, often shattering the blades of opponents. You're right about retarding the quench speed in oil, but the addition of carbon to steel does still occur in the quenching process. For a better explanation, please see Alexander Wegers's book, "The Complete Blacksmith".