by Olcaytug » 2 Feb 2006 13:51
Buy some cheap peeling knifes made of stainless steel. You can buy specially tempered and strengthened blades for 1USD in packs including 6 knifes.
Download pick templates and print them on transparent sheets.
Then buy a cheap bench grinder for about 30 USD. Take a big cup of cold water (even put a few ice cubes in it). Start grinding and shaping your picks. Never forget to quench your work every second and do not apply too much force while grinding or you won't be able to prevent overheating of the blade.
Give a good finish using wet - grit papers of various degrees.
Unfortunately, you need a dremel tool with tiny grinding tips to make snakes (Another 30USD for a cheap imitate). But you can use the longer route and but needle files. They are also useful for the extreme details of snake picks.
That's all... easy to make picks!
I tried many materials in the last few weeks and I think these knifes are the best (the handle is an extra)! But be sure to chose a proper thickness. Cheap ones have a thickness about 0.7mm - ideal to make picks!
A few words about other materials I've tried:
Carbon-steel hacksaw blades - Very strong and decent for picks. But they always have small cracks that you can or can not see. They snap easier than stainless steel, especially thick, expensive ones... On the other hand, the cheap ones are a bit too thin and they are too flexible. Anyway, they are good if you are not a perfectionalist, and if you do not apply too much force.
Wiper-blade inserts - Never snaps, have a wonderful flexibility, but unfortunately bends & deforms too easily! Anyway, it is very easy to make more picks out of them.
Trowels - They may be either spring steel or stainless steel in various thicknesses. Decent material but too wide to grind! You may need cutting wheels with a dremel tool.
Regards...
