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Introduction: Electric Lockpick
This is an instructable showing you how to convert Black & Decker brand electric scisors into a highly effective electric lockpick.
--- WARNING!!! ---
Building this may be illegal in your location, do not built it if it is illegal or if you are not sure.
DO NOT ASK me how to use one of those, if you do not know how it works or what it's for, do not build it. No videos or usage instructions will be provided, all PM's asking how to use it will be cheerfully ignored.
Vibrating electric picks are known for CHEWING UP the pins inside a lock with repeated use. ONLY use such a pick on your practice locks.
I am not the designer of this electric lockpick, many amateur lockpicking hobyists convert all sorts of small electric appliances into vibrating picks so I really cannot credit who came up first with the idea for this conversion.
Step 1: Lets Start
First things, go buy Black and Decker brand electric scisors. They are pretty cheap, I got mine on sale at Wallyworld for aroud $10.
Take off the scisor head by pressing on the sides and pulling away.
The head is interchangeable and B&D sells replacement so you'll be able to keep this unit functionnal as scisors if you get a spare head.
Step 2: Disassebmly
Ok, now the fun starts.
Get a small phillips screwdriver and carefully unscrew and 2 screws holding the head together.
Be carefull as there is a spring inside the head! Do not lose the screws or the spring.
Take the whole head apart and keep everything except for the upper cutter (the moving one with the little black ball at the end). You won't be needing the upper cutter.
Step 3: Modding the Lower Cutter
This step is important as the lower (stationary) cutter will be modified to be used as a spacer. You need this or else the electric pick will not work properly.
Now take the lower cutter and cut off the sharp part using a dremel as shown in the picture.
Keep the upper part (the one with the holes) and get rid of the bottom sharp part.
Step 4: Making the Pick
For this step you'll probably have to use your imagination a little and base yourself on the picture included.
You will want to use some pretty stiff metal (I used a cheap dollar store carbon steel hacksaw blade), and cut out the shape you see in the picture.
You cut out the shape using a dremel with a cutoff disc. Make the shaft part no wider than a normal lockpick. Be sure the rear part fits sungly in the black vibrating part of the main body of the scisors. Though not pictured, I covered the back part with shrink tubing to protect the black vibrating part.
Drilling the hole in the blade is going to require a diamond tipped bit, and it's important that you not make it too wide. It must fit the pin in the disassembled scisor head snugly.
The narrow pick part is roughly 6cm long, the entire pick 9cm long.
Step 5: Reassembly
Now the fun part, to reassemble this tool.
First put in the pin.
Next the spacer you made (formerly the lower cutting blade)
Put a bit of lubricant on the spacer and slide pick you made ouf of that hacksaw blade onto the pin.
Next comes the spring over the pin.
Now the tricky part, put the two halves of the head back together and put the 2 screws back in. This is a bit tricky as you'll be fighting the spring. Be carefull not to overtighten the screws as you'll strip the plastic.
Step 6: You Are Done!
Now just snap the head back on the main body of the scisors and voila! You have an electric lockpick!
At this point you may need to ajust the rear part of the lockpick to be sure it fits snugly in the black vibrating lug.
And now a reminder...
Building this may be illegal in your location, do not built it if it is illegal or if you are not sure.
DO NOT ASK me how to use one of those, if you do not know how it works or what it's for, do not build it. No videos or usage instructions will be provided, all comments and PM's asking how to use it will be cheerfully ignored.
Vibrating electric picks are known for CHEWING UP the pins inside a lock with repeated use. ONLY use such a pick on your practice locks.
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27 Comments
6 years ago
I am a certified locksmith.
I built this tool and in my opinion it is not viable as an electric lockpick. Because of the design of the moving parts does NOT hit all the pins in the lock at the same time. It's a neat idea, but it does not work.
8 years ago on Step 4
what size hole do you drill in the hacksaw blade?
thanks
13 years ago on Introduction
I started doing it your way, but lacking a dremel I found it taking forever. The lower scissor part was very difficult to cut with a hacksaw, and I didn't have a diamond tip drill bit to go through the pick. So I just took some EPOXY PUTTY, and a needle from a snap gun - http://www.lockpicks.com/replacementneedles.aspx - and attached the needle to the upper part of the scissors, being careful to put it on the outside of the blade so as not to interfere with the motion. It works GREAT! And much simpler.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
i tried the same thing, ended up buying a tool made for the job. also got a set of manual picks. i could never get the homemade mod to work right. this is the tool i purchased http://www.bumpmylock.com/e500xt-electric-lock-pick.html and it works like a champ.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
how much does that babe cost
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
that bad boy cost about $170 depending on where you get it....sometimes you get lucky and find a used one for less...
13 years ago on Introduction
cool but where do you get bump keys?
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
best place for bump keys is Bump My Lock
13 years ago on Introduction
hmmm, finally a use for all the old dental tools I picked up and never ground into micro-chisels....
13 years ago on Introduction
nice ible it wilnice ible looks really cool
13 years ago on Introduction
vibrating picks work by basically knocking the tumblers around in the cylinder ....you jam the pick part into the lock and put slight turning force on the entire pick while you make it vibrate (not constant...but sort of like...pull the trigger and turn...pull the trigger and turn) the turning gives the tumblers enough friction to stick in the open position after they've been vibrated out of the lock position
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
also...slight change there...usually you'd actually use some form of turning device (bent pice of metal works fine) as your turning mechanism...not sure if the OP intends to use this pick to turn as well as vibrate...i'd think probably not...so you'd have a seperate tool to do the turning part
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Ah cheers "stick in the open position" is probably the key phrase. L
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
gross.
13 years ago on Introduction
Do you know how to use this effectively? I can't see this unpicking any lock, but you don't say how it is supposed to work...
L
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Have you ever seen those hanging balls that people have sitting on their desks that bounce the outermost balls back and forth while the middle ones stay in place? It is the same principal that a quick tap will bounce the tumblers out of the barrel and allow the barrel to rotate in the lock.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Newton's cradle. But they'll also bounce back, and rotation is limited when they're not all in place. I don't doubt that it works, it's not so clear how (without the discussion) L
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Thats where good basic lockpicking technique is necessary, you have to "catch" the pins with your tortion wrench as they are in the upwards swing.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
I always thought the way to pick a lock was to insert your blank key, and tap it with a hammer while twisting.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Thats called a bump key. It's a blank key cut in a special way.