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What is the best pick to use for inner groove locks? I'm a hobbyist so I have no need for specialized lishi tools or rake picks. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

If you are talking about laser track keys, I normally use a half diamond pick.

Gordon

By inner grove I'm presuming you mean the laser locks used an many cars now? The ones with the cuts in the middle of the key, not the edge?

Well I can recommend the VAG inner groove rake. The VAG locks (HU66) are especially prone to being raked and although you can get inner groove rake for other lock types the HU66 one is by far the most effective. Of course, it will only work on VAG (HU66) locks. Alternatively, you could make you own version from a shaved down key:









Again, it will only work for the lock profile of the shaved down key though.

If you want a more generic solution then you can pick them wafer by wafer using any pick. I find half diamond good but even better is a hook with a little bit filed out of the middle. Tension using a 'Y' wrench or other auto lock tension wrench and pick by pushing the teeth on the wafers down into the centre of the lock. You have to be sure you know which sides need pushing down because the configuration changes from lock to lock. It's either top left/bottom right or top right/bottom left. If that make sense!

Goso do some laser lock rakes. They're not like the inner groove rake type picks above, they're more like very long bogota's with the peaks spaced apart. They can work quite well.

Thanks it makes a lot of sense. I'll probably practice with the half diamond hook combo. The only lock I have to practice on is my bike lock so I don't think an auto one would work for that. Do you have an image of the filed down hook or do you mean to just thin it a bit from the handle to the working end so you have more working room?

The only sidewinder type key on a bike lock I know of is a master lock company one,

I have never gutted one of these, but I expect its just like a bell lock sidewinder. only with the famous master lock co looseness

make yourself a small half diamond pick short as the key shaft, and really quite thin shafted, sand it smooth, and see if you can produce a two prong tensioner, some of these are spring fitting but if you just make a groove with a suitably small chain saw file in the end of a piece of flat stock that is the width of the keyway, you can bend the two prongs that result down to give a tensioner that will allow space in the keyway.

If the key does not indicate a counter tension spring in the boltworks, I think that light tension and small picks would open this thing easily.

I don't have the lock so I have no hands on experience with it, Im extrapolating from bell locks and similiar things.

turn your key in the lock, if there is a tension on the first few degrees of the turn, this could incicate a side bar, not a common thing in master locks but the sidewinder key isn't either,

if the key easily turns the plug for the first few degrees this is the unlocking of the pins, any heavy turning after that is just the boltworks moving.

I think with properly small picks, it should be easy

Thanks Rai. It's not under tension so I'll have play with the tension. Wish I still lived around there so we could meet up and have a burger and beer.

Wow huxleypig~ Cool idea!! I like it!