Guide to transferring template to blank pick material

[jgencinc]

Here is the way I transfer templates to my choice of pick blanks, hacksaw blades.

Materials needed:
Hacksaw blade
Masking Tape
Black Sharpie marker
Exacto knife
Template

Here we go.

Step 1:
Tape hacksaw blade down to working area.


Step 2:
position template onto hacksaw blade.


Step 3:
Add additional tape to hold template in place. Use knife to trace the outline of the template, cutting through the template and the masking tape.


Step 4:
Remove cut up part of template, leaving masking tape alone.


Step 5:
Remove the masking tape to reveal template outline on blank material.


Step 6:
Color blank with sharpie.


Step 7:
Remove all tape from blank.


The sharpie is permanent and survives the quenching.

Hope this helps all you homebrewers to make some nice picks.

[Knowthebird]

Thanks man. I was trying to make some picks from a template yesterday and I gave up after two of them because I couldn't cool the hacksaw blade very well with out ruining the template. They both came out pretty ugly and one has already broke.

I might try this now.

[JackNco]

nice idea dude. Sticky?

[Krypos]

nice. what i have been doing, is just either freehanding it, or just drawing on the blade with sharpie and rough sketching it, but i might try it that way tomorrow.

so far, freehanding it has been working really well for me. but thats just me, and you gotta have that kind of mind and hand to do it.

[jgencinc]

I used to freehand mine also. Try making a king or queen pick freehand. These picks and other rakes I've made need to be drawn accurately according to the pin spacing the picks are designed for. Freehand just won't cut it for these picks.

With this method you can focus more on cutting a quality pick, rather then using more time laying it out.

This is not the only method, nor is it the best. This is what works for me.

[snapcarp]

I use a similar method but attach the pick template to the prepared blank with double sided adhesive tape, then cut and mark as above.

[cottonmouth]

I have an idea I wanted to try. Now I´m curious if anybody already tried it.
I thought about coating the blank with photo sensitive lacquer for circuit boards. The template would have to be printed on a transparent sheet (e. g. for overhead projectors). The blank would be coated and exposed to UV light. After developping the exposed metal would be treated with a fluid that is used to repair the blue on guns. The resulting color would be resistant to heat, quenching and to a certain degree to abbrasion. This method would make it easier to reproduce a pick.

[p4rk3r]

I'm gonna try this method when I make mine...

thanks

[Deathadder]

Thanks, now I feel like an idiot ! Maybe I can get to work on a falle-style set now, because you know, gotta have the radius on those just right... All I need to do now is search-fu some templates .