Made this today

[scudo]

This is my first attempt at making a rake from a hacksaw blade. I still have some shaping and polishing to do and then consider what to do about a handle. I have put it along side my Southord for comparison.
I will post some more pictures as I progress with it.

pick.jpg

[jharveee]

looks like a wormata or maybe a bogasnake.
Whatever it is , I like it.

Now to see it in action.

Nice job.

[Deadlock]

Pretty damn good for a first attempt! What did you use, a Dremel or something similar?

[Neilau]

Nice job.

I have made quite a few of these Bogota style picks and one thing I've found is that if the metal is too thin between the peaks, they will break off in the lock. Mostly they just fall out but I had one recently that got stuck in the lock and I had to drill out the core. I thought that it was pretty strong but metal fatigue must have got it.

I would not use this one on a lock in use - but you know THAT one.

They can't take too much leverage.

There is a knack to using them. Not too much levering, more "scrubbing and jiggling " with light tension. I think Ri describes it as "Coffee shakes".

I have not made one out of a hack saw blade so don't know how it will hold up. I'll be interested to see how you go.

Looking at the pic. I would predict that you will end up with a two peak pick. Don't throw it out, they also work on some locks. Another tool in your arsenal.

They are amazing picks and this won't be the first one that you make - each one getting better.

That said. GOOD job.

Keep us informed how it goes.

Oh, one other thing. Polish them very well, particularly the peaks. Run your finger over them to check. They should be quite smooth otherwise they are hell on pins.

[scudo]

a Dremel or something similar?

A bit of everything that I thought would be useful, used 6" grind wheel to rough it out and take the teeth off the hacksaw blade and get the width approx.
Then used a combination of dremel, small files and sandpaper to `fine tune` it. I will probably use the needle files now to slim it slightly and then I have some polishing wheels to finish it off.
Most of my tools are leftovers when I had some motorbikes and spent half my life trying to keep them on the road, and a miniscule amount of time actually on them.
I have never done `handles` before but that will be next.

Jharveee, hey it works a treat, I couldnt wait until it was finished and tried it out on a eurolock, seconds and it was raked.

[Deadlock]

Proved by test! Can't say fairer than that. Oh by the way...those were British bikes you had weren't they...

[scudo]

those were British bikes you had weren't they...

Nah couldnt afford them, I had a yamaha xs 850 triple, a Kawasaki 750 special both 1980s exported from USA and a couple of harleys bought in the UK.
Would have loved a Norton Commando or Boneville but finances dictated otherwise. Sold them all now, Miss them but age takes it toll. When sold I invested the money in property and in the process of selling the properties to hopefully make profit.

[rerun12]

thats some nice work scudo. if you can, grab yourself a couple of chainsaw files as they make the bogota process alot easier. im not positive but i think 5/8" is the correct width you'd want. i bought a pair at harbor freight for only 6$ or something..well worth the money

[TheAdvancedNoob]

well, it sure looks like you know what you are doing. Those are nice!

[Neilau]

I think Rerun meant 5/16" .

1/4" would be ideal but the nearest chainsaw file is a 5/16"

And he is correct, they definitely make it easier to cut out the valleys.

Happy grinding

[scudo]

Lets see if this video clip works. Not good quality but this is the rake I made in action on a euro type lock.

[escher7]

Hard to tell from the pic but you might have burned the steel a bit by overheating. If so it will be weak. Make sure you dip in water frequently when grinding. I like to bare hand it so I know when the steel gets hot.
Hacksaw blades are excellent as the thickness is perfect and the high speed steel is very strong. The one problem is drilling as they eat standard high speed drill bits. Resharpening the bit after each hole, (or buying a dozen drill bits like I did) is essential.
If you decide to make slab handles, drill the metal first using a scribed line to centre. Then glue one side and use the drilled holes as a template to drill the first slab. Finally, glue on the second slab and use the existing holes to drill the second slab.
Good luck.

[scudo]

Escher7, I dont think there was any overheating as I did dip in water every few seconds, the black marking on the pick is from a black marker I used to outline my pick and when polishing some remnants have remained on the body.
Thanks for the tip on drilling the handle.

IMG_7630.JPG

[Deadlock]

That looks just great. As far as drilling hacksaw blades goes, instead of wearing through it by burning up a dozen of the wrong drills, why not cut through it using one right one? Solid carbide drills are available on the bay (buy three, just in case). You'd be using what? A 3mm brass pin? Pillar drill (drill press) or a mill if possible. Blade clamped to sacrificial mild steel block, 1500 rpm, use cutting oil, hand feed only. It would be handy to practice this on another hacksaw blade. You'll need to press firmly, but not too hard... which doesn't sound very scientific I know. This is where the practice comes in. Everything clamped down solid and, as in all machining operations, SAFETY GLASSES.

[scudo]

Any reason for 3mm brass pins? I had in my head 2mm with no particular reason as I have never done before.