Sand Paper?

[LocksmithArmy]

so ive read to make your picks real well the secret is in the sanding...

ive read to use sand paper in increasing order.. 200, 400, then 600

are there any arguments with this or any other grit sand paper 1 might use... (i have herd 2000 turns em into mirrors)

but the real question is how long do you sand with each grit?

[Olson Burry]

I generally don't go higher than 1200 grit and that seems to give a nice finish.

As for how long, I cut or tear a piece about 3cm wide, the length of the sheet of paper and use it on one pick until it doesn't have any grit left, then go for the next grit up. You can get a pretty good finish just wearing down say 400 grit by keeping going with it though if you don't have the finer grits.

[LocksmithArmy]

hey thanks alot

how hard is it to not taper the pick or sand in 1 spot too long and create a groove or a sharper edge... or is the steel too hard to really mess it up with sand paper

ill be using feeler gauge

[Olson Burry]

You will inevitably thin the metal out some but it wont be noticeable really as it's very slight. It's not something I really think about, so I reckon it's pretty hard to mess anything up with the paper.

When you can run the pick over and around your fingers without it feeling scratchy is when you're pretty much done, although getting a nice shine is always nice Also rounding the top and bottom edges slightly is nice so it doesn't get hung up on the warding, you can start that with some needle files and then move on to sanding or just sand them if you like.

Just crack on! Try not to stab yourself with the end of the pick if you're holding it and sanding quite fast though..I've slipped off the end a couple of times and stuck the point of a half diamond in to my finger.. ow

[LocksmithArmy]

ya i file turning tools out of different materials often and shims... when i do shims i file them till they cut skin... try slipping off the file with that... bloody fingers lol

[LocksmithArmy]

oh and thanks alot youve been very helpful

[subver]

Lately I've been sanding my picks in a different way. I like to lay down my fine sand papers flat, on a hard surface (grit side up). Then I put my pick on it and press it down with my finger tips, making sure not to touch the sand paper. Then I start rubbing the pick back and forth really fast, in an arch motion (as if you were waving "hello" to someone in super fast motions ). If you get in the groove you can really sand them fast. Probably won't work as well with coarse grits (the pick would probably get stuck on the sand paper instead of your fingertips), but it's nice for fine grits and really gets the job done faster than any other method I've tried.
You can usually get in the "zone" doing this and go blazingly fast, at least it works for me.

[raimundo]

paint stirrer sticks
I wrap half a sheet of sandpaper tightly around a paint stirrer stick, fastend with rubberbands on both ends,
I put the stick against some stationary thing, Like a tree, and hold the other end of the stick, then rub the flat side of the pick along the length of the stick, I use the edge of the stick to get into the valleys betweeen the peaks, and I have a few smaller sticks for working in places that I cannot access with the paint stirrer.

holding the stick and rubbing the pick across it is similiar to subver s way of rubbing the pick on sandpaper pressed to a table, but its a bit more useful. its still moving the pick and holding the sandpaper still.

If you have deep scratches from rough tools on your picks, you should definately start with an aggressive grit like 220, but realise that it is aggressive and will shape the pick, if you have a high spot that could be sanded off, you will want to leave some extra metal there to sacrifice to the220. 320 will also shape somewhat, and four hundred will bring it to a finer finish,

As you stroke the pick accross the sanding stick, you leave a pattern of striations in that direction, before you move to the next grit, stop moving the pick accross the sanding stick, and start to push pull it on one end of the stick, this will make striations that are perpendicular to the first striations, and will make them dissappear if there are no deep stria that remain from the file cutting. So you just go to the push pull for maybe ten strokes to check to see if the sanding is ready to move to a finer grit.

with each grit, the work is mainly done in the pick rubbing along the length of the sanding stick and the checking to see how its going and the final finish is from sanding perpendicular to that, with the push pull stroke.

I used to pinch the picks in a fold of sandpaper and do the push pull finishing, but it really got my fingers sore to press so hard, now, I put find sandpaper on two small blocks of wood, and these have a slight channel cut in them with the edge of a flat file, the blocks are closed over the pick and held in pressure with rubberbands, so I only have to hold the block and push the pick in and out.

[LocksmithArmy]

wow cool.

all you guys have been really helpful.
thanks alot

[bumber]

i really only go up to 220grit, i just like them smooth not all shiny...i dont think over 400 is really needed, maybe for handles but you still scratch pick tips..I do

sanding picks doesn't even work though if you dont post pictures

[Legion303]

I go up to 1500 grit these days. As mentioned, the picks will get scratched as soon as you put them in the keyway, but the mirror finish really does look nice, and a smooth pick is much easier on the lock.

Ray didn't mention it here, but he has elsewhere: you're not just sanding the face of the pick, you're also sanding the edges to get rid of any 90-degree angles and make the entire pick smooth and rounded.

-steve

[tballard]

Personally, I go up to 2000. It makes a huge difference for me, and takes very little time to go from 1000 -> 2000. Additionally, I sometimes use #0000 steel wool, which has nice properties as well. Yes, you will scratch them up when you pick, but the nice thing about 2000 grit is that a few swipes and it's good as new.

[r0b0t1]

I use the sanding attachments on a dremel, I happened to have some laying around. The stones can make it smooth indeed .

[bumber]

I use the sanding attachments on a dremel, I happened to have some laying around. The stones can make it smooth indeed .

they also have little rubber wheel things for dremels that you use a polishing compound with, acts as wet sanding with 2000ish grits. Mmm grits