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Experimenting with pin modification. What a pain! Wondering what common garage tools get you the best results.

Here is attempt one on a driver pin. Besides grooves I would like to be able to taper with some precision.

It is fun modding pins, then trying them out to see what works best. Sometimes a pin that looks nasty as heck is easy to pick, and vice versa.

Look forward to seeing more of your modded pins.

Gordon

Quick thought on tapering. If you were to start with a thin brass rod chucked in a drill press, it could be reduce to size, shaped or grooved, and tapered - all by using abrasive strips while running the drill. Of course good calipers would be required, but you might even be able to make multiple pins from the same rod. Further, by reviewing some of Lauren's techniques for making keys (see 101), you will find a neat technique using a dremel slot cutter while turning the rod in a simple jig to machine the rod.

Super PITA. There is only so much you can do with garage tools. The pin is too small and the tools hard enough to cut are too large. Yep, brass stock and tools a little more specialized might be required to create what you see in your mind's eye.

Here is a long key pin meant to infuriate anyone who oversets it. I'll post the rest once this challenge lock arrives at it's destination.

Have a good day, Go Spurs!

Lookin' good. I like that deeply serrated one.
I look forward to seeing more & learning from you!
I've dabbled with this a little bit... but nothing much.
I plan to eventually re-visit it sometime in the future.

Here are some disregarded/unused pins. The center right pin is too fragile for use. Although a couple are originally key pins recognize that anything with more than a serration at the top edge is meant to be a driver pin. I have limited stock and cannibalized other locks for spare pins. Placed in the lock the pins would be positioned so that the maximum number of edges pass the shear line.

Since I kinda want to get into pin modding, if I were to buy some stock brass rod to make pins from scratch (not just modify my existing ones), what diameter should I aim for? The lock I've got is the Ultimate Challenge Lock from learnlockpicking.com, which is a Sargent & Greenleaf. The keyway is LA 1, but I don't think that would affect the pin size.

That UCL lock is a Sargent, not a Sargent and Greenleaf.

Gordon

Thanks for the correction, I honestly thought they were one and the same!

After some cursory Googling, I've got my answer: 0.115" Now to see if I can find brass rod with that dimension...

Lowes might help you. Might help me. Search "The Hillman Group 3-ft x 1/8-in Brass Metal Round".

Used to think so, too.

Gordon

Here are the pins that went in the challenge lock that I sent to BosnianBill (which he promptly slayed). The deep grooves were made with a hacksaw blade and the angled cuts were made with a chisel. Large tools and fine detail work do not go hand in hand. Next time I roll through Lowes I will look for some needle files.
While the deep cuts look impressive, fine serrations and subtle grooves probably do the trick just as well, but a deep spool in the middle of that should really cause the set pins to drop. I have some ideas for the next adventure in pin modification and challenge locks. See you then!

Take care and Go Team USA futbol!

This was before they fell into the wood chipper...

By the way, wood chippers are great for pin modification.

OOH nice Yale LFIC