Page 1 of 1

My new Feather Touch Tension Tool

PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 10:19 am
by mjollnir54
As everybody at the beginning I had problems with the tension to give on the lock ...
I have many tension wrenchs, but this one I didn't have .
I decided to make this tool.

The stainless steel wire, 1 mm thick (welding wire).

Image

Preparation of the materials, the handle will be wooden.

Image

Pic display and folding in front of the screen of the computer (it is easier).

Image

Image

Ice cream sticks, the one in the middle is 1 mm in thickness.

Image

Assembled with some glue.

Image

I used heatschrink for the finish ...

Image

I made two tension tools : one how i see it on the web and a finer one. I have to test them now.... :cool:

Re: My new Feather Touch Tension Tool

PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 11:04 am
by awol70
i commend your ingenuity,but what ( imho) you are doing here is polishing a turd...putting lipstick on a pig...
i own the original "feather touch" tension tool, and it truly is the most useless piece of crap i have ever had the misfortune of laying hands upon.
the part that enters the keyway is far too large for most locks, and the "loop" in the handle part is a feedback damper.
it literally sucks up the feel and feedback you need for successful openings.
So as i said , kudos for a great job putting it together,and an A* for effort,but ,as i am sure anyone who has used this tool will tell you,it truly is a hunk of junk.
( i bet it was fun to make though.. =)

Re: My new Feather Touch Tension Tool

PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 11:21 am
by chris
:agree: Great job on making your own version of it, awesome looking homebrew. But along with Awol, I OWNED (no longer do) that feather touch and couldn't stand it. Let us know how your version of it works out though, could end up having better feedback.

Re: My new Feather Touch Tension Tool

PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 11:28 am
by LocksmithArmy
nice work, now put that ingenuity twords useful tools... it looks great tho

Re: My new Feather Touch Tension Tool

PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:46 pm
by Solomon
I made a feather touch wrench before and it's pretty good, although it's just a straight length of wire with a small loop. Fits top of keyway on most locks perfectly and still provides good feedback... I'm with the others, the feather touch wrenches they sell really do suck although they're good for raking if you modify them to actually fit locks properly.

Re: My new Feather Touch Tension Tool

PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:49 pm
by jailersmith
Ditto. Got rid of mine awhile back. Very inventive,though.

Re: My new Feather Touch Tension Tool

PostPosted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 8:47 pm
by whizdumb
I'd say take out the loop.. Sure it looks cool..But, that wire metal is thin enough to get good bend out of it while still doing the job. Plus what everybody else said.. feather touch tension wrenches aren't really good for much. However, I have used mine successfully while scrubbing a lock.. It seemed to work well because it actually allowed any over-set pins to snap back just to the shear-line. But with enough practice the same technique could be accomplished with a standard or twist-flex style tension wrench. They do look professional though so good job on making them.