My pocket set

[rs4ever]

Because of the dimensions of a pick and the material, it doesn't lend itself very well to duplicating on a key machine.

They are long, thin and narrow. Hard to clamp onto enough material to hold it well, and also not have it wobble and chatter.

Regular key duplicator wheels won't cut steel well. You'd need carbide wheels and even then I have my doubts as to how long they'd last. Those carbide wheels are rather pricey. More money than I'd want to spend to try it as an experiment.

I tested the idea on some brass stock once. Maybe someone with machinist experience would have better luck but it didn't work out that well for me.

Oh yeah, you need some meat to start off... probably too costly to experiment.

What tools did you use to shape the picks?
I am assuming grinder or file... but there may be a better way..
I wonder if you can do that with a key duplicator.

I cut the 45 degree angle at the end with a pair of pliers.
I do do the rough shaping with a round file and then some stock removal to thin out the pick using a bench grinder.
I then us a flat needle file to get rid of sharp edges followed by some sand paper and finish of a with a little buffing wheel and polishing compound on the dremel.

I'm having fun. Have now made duplicates of my frequently used HPC picks.

Thanks for the tips, going to try it with some of my old wiper blades.

[streak]

Works perfectly with wiper blade steel, specially the tension wrenches as the the sweeper bristles are a lot harder and you need to be careful when bending them to 90 degrees.

However the higher carbon content of the bristles should make for a really tough pick that wont wear down or break in a hurry.

[streak]

I just made this long reach hook with a narrow body to get to those rear pins without disturbing the front ones. Well that's my theory anyway!

Here it is next to a standard HPC hook to give you an idea of size.

[streak]

TI thought I would try a Sabana.
This a work in progress, still have lots of polishing to do and then when I'm done do about another 5 until I get the filing and proportions right!

I have used the harbor freight file so many times it's now blunt. Any suggestions for a better make that will last longer? I used the next size down to make this one so the radii are not exactly right.

[streak]

After some elbow grease, a lot of patience and a handle it looks a lot better now.

Sabana first attempt.

[femurat]

Looks good, well done! Have you tried it yet? How does it feel compared to the un-sanded version?

Cheers

[streak]

Yes I tried the pick both before and after finishing.
It worked equally well.
I only have four locks. I have managed to rake 3 of them before and these 3 raked open within seconds using this pick. Maybe even quicker than my bogota.

The nicely finished version felt smoother but based on the jerky way one use a rake it's not as noticeable as it is with the more finesse SPP picks I made.

I have ordered some nice German files and will try and improve my technique once they arrive.