Sanding Peterson ENP picks?

[SteveC33]

I'm on a budget so I bought a few Peterson picks that are carbon steel plated with nickel(grey plastic handles). The picks are alright but they need serious sanding and finishing, the edges are slightly raised for some reason and I'd like them to be smooth. Anyways I was wondering if you can sand these picks at all without compromising the nickel plating too much?

[smokingman]

It depends on how thick the plating is and how much needs to be removed to make it smooth.
If enough must be removed to expose the underlying metal, then you will need to
use some type of coating such as a rust inhibitor to protect the metal .
I use a synthetic as opposed to petrolium products, since petrolium will degrade the handle material
and eventually cause it to crack or break.
I use Rem-Oil for the metals , which is safe for plastics and rubber and use Armor-All for the plastics or rubber parts,to preserve them.
Less complicated to just get the full metal version and replace the handle covering if need be,
but we all like to save money when we can.
I have both types and have yet to have any problems with either.

[cuttinedge1]

Just sand it until it is smooth because having a pick that can move through the lock is more important that the finish. I you want to prevent rust use boiling vinegar to etch the pick which turns it a cool dark grey.

[illusion]

Regular wet-and-dry paper to remove the main coat of whatever that black stuff is and then break out some micromesh 4000 grit and finish with jeweler's rouge if you want them to be super smooth.

Coat with ACF-50 and you're good to go - This may not be entirely necessary if the picks are not frequently exposed to moisture and always dried thoroughly after use; although if the cost of the can is not prohibitive, it'll give you a lot of use and it works very well.