Double ended picks?

[spegasus]

Hey fellas, I am new to pick making, and am about to start making my first picks. I just came across some templates of double-ended picks, and they seem like a great idea to me.
So I am wondering, whats the catch? Are the uncomfortable, less usable, fragile, etc. If anyone has used these and would like to share that would be great!
Rob

[AusBazza]

Hi spegasus,

I personally do not think there is a " catch " in double ended picks, as for them being fragile, if they are made from the
right materials they should be fine.

I just recently made some double ended Jigglers and they work like a charm, now instead of carrying 13 jigglers, I carry 7.

If you use hacksaw blades you should be good to go, although I do not use them myself, I use another form of metal, which is cheaper and probably twice as strong.

Welcome to LP101 and have fun,
Bazza

[Squelchtone]

Hello,

Would you mind sharing which double sided pick template you were looking at? I have a feeling they'll be the Falle-Safe set which are a special design and somewhat different compared to traditional picks. You may upload pics to http://imgur.com/ or a host of you already use and Copy/Paste the link in your reply.

Thanks
Squelchtone

[spegasus]

Hey Squelchtone,
I didn't have a particular template in mind, but I was considering designing/making a double ended bogota/city rake.
Think the idea has merit?

[Squelchtone]

Hey Squelchtone,
I didn't have a particular template in mind, but I was considering designing/making a double ended bogota/city rake.
Think the idea has merit?

That's why I asked which double sided templates you came across, to see what the picks look like so I could say if they are a good choice or not.

Have you see the TOOOL double ended set? (scroll down on this page) http://toool.us/equipment.html

I prefer a leather roll up with all my picks having a handle and a pick profile, double ended picks seem to be designed from the viewpoint of carrying less tools around. It's more of a personal preference at that point, not a functional one.

I'd have to see what you are using as a reference for your design idea, but anything I tell you will be purely my opinion, since I'm not a pick maker or designer.

Gonna move this from Beginner picking questions to Lock Picks...

Squelchtone

[nite0wl]

Probably the only universal drawback to double-sided or double-ended picks (like the tools Squelchtone linked to) is that they essentially must be longer overall than a single ended/sided tool. Consider that the 'handle' section has a minimum size to be usable and then the shaft and working tip add a certain length, when you make the tool double ended you are adding a second shaft and working tip so the overall length becomes 2(s+t)+h [s=shaft, t=tip, h=handle]. For the purposes of making a set that can be easily carried on your person (the usual argument for double-ended tools) overall length may be an issue and storing them in such a way that they do not get bent may become difficult (this obviously depends on questions of materials, thicknesses, hardness, etc).
Comfort and 'feel' may be an issue with such tools but this is a much more personal question. Personally, I prefer tools with wider or coated handles, particularly on the sections where I may need to exert significant pressure (for tension tools I like twist handles, for picks I like Peterson's textured hard plastic). This is a much more personal gripe and is based mostly on the fact that I have yet to see someone produce double ended tools with handles that meet my desired comfort/feel.

[deralian]

I have a couple double sided tools that I use. Depending on how you hold it the handle end can poke you a little. If I could find a way to slide some sort of handle on and off either end..... then you would be golden.