HOW TO: The World's easiest handles for bristle made picks

[femurat]

What you will need:
- a disposable shaver (gillette blue);
- a flat file for metal;
- an electric drill with a 2mm drill bit;
- electric cable 2mm diameter.

The first step is to cut a 10cm piece of the cable. Then remove the copper wire from the inside of the cable, and discard it, thus leaving just the rubber cover.
Then you have to put the rubber cover over your tool handle.



The second step is to cut off the head of the shaver (just before it begins to curve) so that you are left with just the handle. Then round the edges of the handle with the flat file. Now you can drill two holes next to one another through the center of the top of the handle. Then you need to use the drill bit to try and connect the two holes together, to create an oval shape. Notice, you will only have to drill a small amount of material until you reach the groove of the handle.



The third step is to put the tip of your tool through the groove of the handle, and through the hole at the top. Then you can push down the end of the tool into the groove so that it is gripped tightly into place.



This is the final result.



Hope this helps

[hydruh]

HEY! Very nice, and good pictures too! I like it a lot.

S

[mindlord]

Nice. Will definitely consider for my picks I am making for my friends. I am not experienced enough to notice a big difference with handles vs no handles but I heard that it makes a world of difference to have a nice feel.

[cppdungeon]

Handles help for when you pick a lot-- like a hobbyist will. It makes it more comfortable, and easier to hold the pick. Your idea is brilliant by the way...im tempted to try a vibrating shaver to see if that is even more comfy .

--Cpp

[Sven]

sounds better then the glorified aquarium hoses. very nice.

[Clead]

Cool! I did find the heatshrink handles on my couple of tools to be a bit too small. I'm going to try these. Thanks!

[Zheol]

Hay when did Gillette start Making picks wonder if i can get a Mach 3 with a build in short hook ^^ great idea byw DIY at its best

[MacGnG1]

great use for dull shavers

[femurat]

Thank guys for all the good words

[ToolyMcgee]

Cool idea. This is really going to help me test bristle picks before they get more permanent handles.

Nice sanding job on the picks too. Especially the bogota.

-Tooly

[femurat]

I was reading this topic again and I think I can add a few comments...

I started picking with just the heatshrink on my picks and I was happy with that. When I fist tried a good handle I immediately felt the difference. Now I can't pick without handles. They are much more comfortable and give a good feedback. They reduce your fingers stress also. Stay away from soft ones, like aquarium hoses, cause the rubber kills feedback.

Cppdungeon, if you try the vibrating shaver idea let me know how it works!

Zheol, the problem with Mach 3 is the handle: it hasn't a groove so it could be hard to put the pick in it. But if you find Gillette developing your "Mach 3 with built in short hook" model you should ask them royalties!

ToolyMcgee, thanks for appreciating my picks. The bogota is inspired to raimundo so I tried to sand it properly, as He explains in the pictorial. Sanding always worth the effort!

I'm very happy a lot of people liked my idea... Thanks to all

[raimundo]

When you use some plastic handles that don't have a slot in them, such as a toothbrush handle, you can drill a small round hole in the plastic as deep as you intend to press the tang of the pick in. this hole should be slightly smaller in diameter than the size of the tang.

then you can heat up only the end of the tang, while being careful not to heat and otherwise tamper with the temper of the pick.
An excellent way to do this is to simply clamp the pick and its tip in a vise, that will hold it and also heat sink it, while you shove the plastic onto the tang,

the heated end will enter the hole much faster and deeper than it could if there was no hole there. one of the problems of shoveing a heated piece of steel into plastic that has no hole, is that your piece of steel is giving the plastic that it melts no room to move out of the the way of the steel, while a drilled hole allow the pickshaft to melt into the edges and also gives the melted material a space to fill up

[yanksfan]

Very creative, maybe I'll have to try the handles out on my next set. Good work and good pictures.

[femurat]

Thanks for the kind words yanksfan
When you've tried it, let us know how they work for you...

Cheers

[femurat]

I cut one of my favourite handles in half, so you can see why I love them so much. The handle section has a groove to fit a bristle, and has two more grooves on the other side which make it light. I love light picks.

Cheers