Homebrew Hall of Fame!

[Romstar]

Schuyler, if I tried to make that, it would either need to be laser cut, etched or I am spending a very long time with the dremel and a set of needle files.

I might make one or two sets that way, but it would be a time killer for sure.

Come to think of it.....
I have an idea.

Romstar

[Schuyler]

it's very pretty.

I'm excited for your idea.

[BazookaMedic]

So does a new pick design fall under a homebrew hall of fame? Or an upgrade like in my hypersensitive weighted pick?

[Schuyler]

I think people just post here sometimes but I could be totally wrong.

[IC-Johnny]

Kaotic,

Beautiful pictures, and beautiful lockpicks too.

What material were the fabricated from? Brass? Copper? or is that just the lighting? What kind of camera / lens? I have a Nikon D-70 with a close up kit on it, but I am looking for a lens that would do that kind of detail. I can tell that those pics weren't taken with a cell phone!

Thanks!

[IC-Johnny]

Sorry for the duplicate post, but I can't edit it.

REparsed, you also have some beautiful workmanship to be admired. Your pictures also look like real professional work. What camera did you use to take your pictures? Did you also use a special lens?

[REparsed]

Sorry for the duplicate post, but I can't edit it.

REparsed, you also have some beautiful workmanship to be admired. Your pictures also look like real professional work. What camera did you use to take your pictures? Did you also use a special lens?

Thanks. I used a Fuji FinePix A500 (about 120.00 at BestBuy). I just used the camera, a couple lights (3 watt LED flashlights) and a tripod.

[BazookaMedic]

Schuyler, if I tried to make that, it would either need to be laser cut, etched or I am spending a very long time with the dremel and a set of needle files.

I might make one or two sets that way, but it would be a time killer for sure.

Come to think of it.....
I have an idea.

Romstar

Why not mark where the heart is, then drill out as much waste as possible. Then file it. It wouldn't take to long. I would do it but I am out of hacksaw blades currently.

[Kaotik]

Kaotic,

Beautiful pictures, and beautiful lockpicks too.

What material were the fabricated from? Brass? Copper? or is that just the lighting? What kind of camera / lens? I have a Nikon D-70 with a close up kit on it, but I am looking for a lens that would do that kind of detail. I can tell that those pics weren't taken with a cell phone!

Thanks!

Thanks IC-Johnny, The handle was made from a piece of #257 Aluminum Sheet .064x4"x10" distributed by K&S Engineering and can be found at some Ace Hardware locations and Hobby Shops, was cut out of the shape freehand drawn with a jewelers saw. The blades were made from Stainless Paring Knive blades.

The camera I use is a Sony FD Mavica MVC-FD100 with 6x Precision Digital Zoom and a magnifying glass in front to get really close for detail. I still need to work out some lighting issues but it seems to work out well.

[Romstar]

Schuyler, if I tried to make that, it would either need to be laser cut, etched or I am spending a very long time with the dremel and a set of needle files.

I might make one or two sets that way, but it would be a time killer for sure.

Come to think of it.....
I have an idea.

Romstar

Why not mark where the heart is, then drill out as much waste as possible. Then file it. It wouldn't take to long. I would do it but I am out of hacksaw blades currently.

Ever try drilling through a .025 inch thick piece of hardened stainless steel? Its not easy. I use cobolt bits, and its still a pain in the tookus.

I was thinking of something a bit different. Give me a while, I have some regular picks to finish up before I can start something like that. I can't ignore my customers.

Romstar

[Kaotik]

The way I drill through thin stainless is heat the area where you plan to drill to red (not a bright red) let it cool slowly to room temperature, center punch where you want the holes to be then pin in a vise and drill slowly with just about any drill bit using a consistant mederate pressure while cooling it contsantly with cold 10w-30 motor oil .

I say cold motor oil because I put a small squeeze bottle filled with it into the freezer (it won't freeze solid) to keep the heat from the friction of the bit from getting to hot against the stainless.

I drill slowly (with a B&Decker 18w hand drill) while watching for continuous shavings of metal to come off, as you reach the other side (before drilling all the way through) speed up the drill so it doesn't hang or grab the last bit to go through.

Some one might find the usefull while other find it useless, it works for me but thought I would share. There are several grades of stainless and this method may or may not work for all so experiment with it. This is also how I got the two hole drilled in the stainless Full Suit picks.

[Romstar]

I use drilling and tapping fluid. I also don't heat the steel, even though I can reharden and temper, its a pain in the rear.

I like your method though.
Romstar

[Peter Martin]

I also heat the handles to red, cool, then center punch. Drilling without annealing was a real pain--just easier to heat them now. I used a #2 center drill because it's stout, small, and I can put pressure on it if I need to. I hand hold the pick on a small flat piece of brass so I can drill through the pick handle without the metal grabbing. The center drill hole ends up being is a good size for 3/32" rivets. I do not re-harden or temper the handles after drilling because there just isn't that much stress on them (and presuming the tip end was protected from heat by being held in a vise).

Next time I'm at a hardware store I'll check out the cobalt drill bits in 1/16, 5/64, 3/32, etc. I keep thinking that drilling the metal cold might make a hole that's more round. I was also thinking of trying to bore a hole with a Dremel tool. It also might save work from having to polish out the discoloration.

[Kaotik]

I use drilling and tapping fluid. I also don't heat the steel, even though I can reharden and temper, its a pain in the rear.

I like your method though.
Romstar

I'll tell ya, it's definitely improvised. While it can be a pain to re-temper, it doesn't bother me that much by just knowing that I put that little bit of extra work in them to insure a good looking quality tool.

I don't have anymore drilling and tapping fluid at the moment and havent for quite some time so I used that method knowing that anyone else can find a little motor oil around the house/garage to replace it with.

[tooler]

that would take a loong time to make. but it would be cool if you are successeful.