Materials:
1 six sided wooden pencil
Thin string
1 File any type
Sand paper
Knife
Pick without a handle
Optional
Lacquer coating
wood stain
marker/sharpie
Step 1
Cut the pencil to the length of the handle you want and cut off the tip. Sand or file off the yellow paint.
Step 2
Lay the pencil down on a flat surface with a flat side on the table. Take a knife and scour the pencil lengthwise in the middle of the flat side facing up then then push the tip of the knife into the wood all along the wood then turn it over and repeat on the other side. The wood should split fairly close to down the middle. If i doesnt just cut the wood in the groove some more and pry it.
Step 3
Take the tip of the knife and pry out the lead from the wood then sand the inside of the wood where the lead came from and the faces of the wood that were made when the wood was split. Next sand the out side of the wood.
Step 4
File the outside of the wood into a cylindrical shape and feel free to make the middle a little skinnier to add contour to the pick. Next file a thin groove going around the circumference of the wood at the front and back of the handle.
Step 5
If the pick you made was made from a round piece of metas such as music wire or a thin nail there is just place it where the led used to be. If you are using windshield wiper inserts or hacksaw blades you may need to file a groove the with of your pick into the wood. Next take your string (I like strong nylon string) and tie the two pieces together tight. This one works http://www.animatedknots.com/commonwhipping/ but this one looks better and is tighter http://www.animatedknots.com/westcountr ... dknots.com because you can pull each knot tight. Do this on both ends and pull very tight then melt the ends if you are using synthetic string (nylon polyester etc). If you are using cotton or other organic thread just tie it tight and snip the ends close to the knot. Take the Sharpie and color the string (try not to get it on the wood) to hide the melted ends.
Step 6
Bevel the end of the wood to make it more comfortable and make sure the edges of the wood line up. Do any final filing to make it comfortable.
Step 7 - Optional
If you want a darker handle put on a wood stain. Brush it on and let dry then sand it lightly. Some wood stains have a lacquer coating but I find them insufficient. Apply a coating such as Aero Gloss and let dry then sand lightly and your done.
