Locksmith's tool for installing springs and driver pins into pin tumbler locks

A hand-held tool for gripping driver pins of pin tumbler locks comprising:

• (a) an elongated rigid handle having opposed forward and rear extremities, said forward extremity having an internally threaded socket coaxially aligned with the axis of elongation of said handle,
• (b) an adjustable bifurcated gripping head of monolithic construction comprising an externally threaded mounting post adapted to engage said threaded socket, and paired prongs forwardly emergent from said post and disposed in facing juxtaposition about a slot of substantially uniform width extending into said mounting post, said prongs being capable of flexural movement relative to said slot and having forward extremities having:
• (i) facing arcuate gripping surfaces which in combination define a forwardly opening gripping channel of generally circular cylindrical interior contour, and
• (ii) opposed upper and lower parallel flat surfaces perpendicularly disposed to the cylindrical axis of said gripping channel and spaced apart to define a thickness smaller than the general thickness of the prongs,
• and rearward extremities having an abutment shoulder conically tapered to merge with said mounting post, and
• (c) compressive means threadably associated with said mounting post and adapted to be advanced into seated engagement with said abutment shoulder, whereby
• (d) when said compressive means is advanced tightly against said abutment shoulder, the force required for flexural movement of the prongs is increased, thereby enabling the gripping channel to more strongly hold an object.