In a pinch, you can remove the rubber tip with your teeth, but at the risk of tooth damage and/or swallowing the rubber tip.
The pin doesn’t have to be perfectly straight at the bend, but the closer you can get, the better.
You can bend upward or downward—just aim for 45 degrees. If you don’t have pliers but do have a lock you’re trying to pick, stick the tip of the pin into the lock and bend the pin tip at a 45-degree angle that way. You’ve now made a pick out of a bobby pin—so it’s time to move on to making the tension wrench out of a second bobby pin.
When you’re done, the bobby pin should look like a capital L. With the tension wrench now finished as well, you’re ready to pick a lock with bobby pins.
Use metal paperclips that are at least 4 cm (1. 6 in) long (before altering them) to make both the pick and the tension wrench. Shorter clips won’t be able to access the lock’s inner workings, and plastic paperclips will simply break.
You can skip this step if you like, but it makes the clip stronger and easier to handle when you’re trying to pick a lock.
This step and the following step combine to make an M shape at the end of the pick. Many pickers believe this shape works better than a single 45-degree angle bend. However, if you want to go the simpler route, make a single, 1 cm (0. 39 in) long, 45-degree bend at the tip of the straight end and skip the next step.
As noted, if you want to make just a single 45-degree bend at the end of the clip, skip this step. In either case, the pick is now finished and it’s time to move on to making the tension wrench out of a second paperclip.
The 2 straight shafts should be nearly (if not exactly) equal in length.
The 2 straight shafts should now be running side-by-side, if not touching their entire length.
The clip should now look like a capital L with an elongated vertical section.
However, don’t make more than 3 wraps, or you may weaken the metal and break off the end of the clip. You’re all done with your paperclip pick and tension wrench, so try picking a lock with them—just make sure you have permission to do so!
