If You Could Make The Ideal Pick Set, What Would You Make?

[danreller]

I've been reading through all of the past posts on the forum and noticed some folks trying to fabricate tools out of dental instruments. I'm interested in what tools folks think would be the best. It's a little cold in my shed right now, but, I have most every tool needed to fabricate custom picks out of dental tools. I'm a dentist with lots of tools and not only dental tools. I've got a lathe capable of both wet and dry grinding, Dremel type tools, Pneumatic tools such as die grinders, all the burs you can imagine both carbide, diamond, and stones, High and Low speed dental handpieces with capability to grind wet thus not imparting any heat to the grinding. And I have the dexterity having been a dentist going on 23 yrs now. My question is... what primary tools should I try to make? I've only been at this for a very short time, but, learn fast.

My choices would be: Picks; small and medium diamonds, snakes (1, 2, 3, humps), short and medium hooks. I think I could come up with some excellent torque wrenches also. Mine would taper slightly so they would have wide application and good engagement. They would all be ground from stainless steel dental instruments with nice tactile feedback handles.

As I mentioned, it's kind of cold in my shed right now so I wouldn't be able to make these soon, but, when it gets warmer I could.

Am I pretty much on track for the most used picks? Any suggestions on your favorites?

I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about how to fabricate things. I feel I'm quite knowledgeable in many different fields.

[lockpickroy]

Danreller “My choices would be: Picks; small and medium diamonds, snakes (1, 2, 3, humps), short and medium hooks. I think I could come up with some excellent torque wrenches also.” Sounds good you got the basics down :0)

sorry to be off topic but I have a couple questions #1 would you be willing to sell some dental tools that are not ground on yet? (So I can make my own shapes) #2 are they damaged? Because the apartments I work, and live at there is a lot of dental students here who have tools but wont part with them (I asked) because they cost a lot of $$$$$ a couple grand i think but i can check

[Chucklz]

Many of the "Dental tool " posts (including mine) refer to picks that have handles similar to the design/construction of dental tools. I have seen only a few dental tools, and have tried making picks out of them, only to find them not as well suited as I would have liked. As you may have read, I resorted to just using a similar handle and grinding my own picks out of street sweeper bristle. The main problem I had was that the dental tools I had ready access to seemed to be a thin diameter wire tool at the business end. I just couldnt get things to shape as nicely as I would have liked. Maby you can suggest some tools that would have thicker heads (?) that could be ground down.

[CitySpider]

Quick reply because I'm on a public computer.

I'd want a short hook, a medium hook, and a long hook. I'd want each of these in three different thicknesses, so we're up to nine picks. I'd want each of those nine picks in two different tips -- diamond and flat.

Then one rake, just the standard profile used by Southord.

Sorry for shortness. I hate computer labs.

[danreller]

Hi All,

OK, I've had time to think about what I posed. Having given it some thought and consideration, most dental tools would be of little use to adaptation to picking use. I tried to think of dental instruments that have the general shape to be quickly converted and have come up with a smidgen of the dental instruments available that would lend themselves to ready adaptation.

The biggest problem is thickness. I measured the thickness of my Southord picks and found they are ~ .01 in. It would indeed be most hard if not Impossibe to grind anything to that tolerance without sophisticated means. I have a lot of tools, but, I know this is beyond my means. I doubt I drill teeth daily to 100 ths of an inch precision.

The dental instruments I can think of that would be adaptable would be: PKT waxing instruments (closely approximating the Halle's picks), the Wall's carver (good for torque wrench), small condenser for individual pin picking (but, must be heated and slowly cooled to de-temper and after bending, heated and quenched for hardness), explorers to adapt as snake picks, hatchets (high carbon -Oh Oh) for torque use, and some varied instruments to adapt for the same - maybe...

The problem is grinding them to the thickness to get in the keyway ( am I using the right term?). I could mount a handpiece and use a machinist's cross vise, but, it's an extreme to yield what may already be available. The other problem is that dental instruments have a higher carbon content than what’s desirable for lock picking. Dental instruments flex to an extant then readily “snap” – not desirable in lock picking.

I think I have concluded that what I really miss is the tactile feel the dental instrument handle gives me. I just went to the smallparts dot com site and ordered .007 and .010 spring steel that I would like to "carve" to custom fabricate the picks I mentioned before, that I can "mount" into dental instrument handles.

Lockpickroy, you can get dental instruments readily on eBay. I have some used instruments, but, I am reluctant to part with them. Besides, most if not all would be poor to turn into effective picks. Seek out the instruments I mentioned on eBay and see what you can find. Bear in mind that there are definitely different degrees of quality and a lot of what's being sold on eBay is Pakistani or Indian (India country) origin which I feel is inferior by far to American made instruments.

I'm thinking mirror handles may lend themselves to the best adaptation to convert to pick handles ( I know of the various scalpel or hobby blade holders some have mentioned, but I feel dental handles may be better)). I know after handling the Southord picks ( nothing against Southord picks [ I really like their snake rake pick] they "just don't feel right". My interest in my foray of locksmithing/lockpicking is of a hobbyist view and compactness, concealment , and is not my goal. I want an instrument that feels good to me.

OK, I'm going on... I think I need to sit back and think about things. I am so new to this that I may be "reaching". Comments and replies would certainly be welcome.

[Hollywood]

Lockpickroy
I have seen soo many dental picks and Instruments at my local flea market.
You should check out your local flea market if your town or neighboring town has one., They are very cheap and they have a variety of different sizes & Shapes.

[Chucklz]

Dr. Reller,

I used hobby handles that I felt best approximated the dental style handles I was familiar with. As a biologist, I am more familar with surgical instuments than dental, so that scalpel idea is suddenly very intriguing. I doubt it would be very good though. My choice of hobby knife handle was due to the belief that I could get a very strong pick and not have an excessively thin point whre the pick/handle meet. I think this would be a major stumbling block to craftint these tools. How would you recommend proceding to moutn these tools securly into a dental tool handle, but yet still maintain good strength.

[lockpickroy]

thanx hollywood have you been able to use any of them as picks?

[Hollywood]

Actually no I haven't.
At the flea market they had Probably had what looked like a couple hundred different styles but alot of them were Off size meaning that the the "ends" were either Curved to the left or to the Right at 45 degrees but they did have some Spatula looking Instruments that had some potential

[kostassk8]

a diamon a hook and a snake this 3 is the best set

[UWSDWF]

just incase it hasn't sunk in yet you are not being endearing but instead annoying.... atleast you're inspiring me to make new pictures

[Deathadder]

dental pick metal is generally too springy for me. try to go for some automotive feeler gauge or street sweeper bristle for picks, and windshield wiper tensor for tension tools. As for handles, heat shrink tubing works good.

[zeke79]

My dream pick set is as follows .

I'd love to have these picks based on petersons government steel but they would use plastic handles (their blue handled picks). The pick set would be a set of 6 progressive hooks, 6 progressive lifter picks, 6 progressive diamonds, a standard 3/4 rake, and finally a bogota rake. For tension tools I'd have 3 standard non twist tension wrenches in varying lengths, the same for twist flex tension wrenches, a set of peterson flat 5 tension wrenches, and petersons I-Core wrenches. This set would also include a peterson plug spinner along with a few other home made bypass tools and off the shelf bypass tools. i am sure there is something I am forgetting that I would just have to have but for now this is what I can think of.

[JackNco]

agreed, well at least that peterson should be making a set of gov steel picks with plastic handles.

[kg4boj]

I hope you guys know where those dental picks and hemostats etc at flea markets come from.... a LOT of places arent equipped to autoclave or they don't have ethylene oxide gas autoclaves required by their insurance or they just arent allowed by their insurer to reuse those tools on more than one patient. So.. they throw them out, needle holders, hemostats, tweezers, they come from suiture kits, those are the tools that come with every kit and are generally thrown out after one use.