question about home-made picks vs. southord picks

[franticpirell]

I have made already a few home made pics with hack-saw blades, but because I don't have a grinder, I made them using a vice and a file. They have come out really good, but when I try picking with them (I've been using a standard size lockwood 4 pin), it/I snapped off the tip (I was still able to remove the tip with pliers). This is probably due to my inexpierince to picking but also the material. Just wondring though, if the southord pxs14, is made of a metal which wont easily snap (I know there not the best quality compared to the mpxs14) or if it really is a lack of expiereince. Any advice/answers would be greatly appreciated. My pxs should be coming in 4 days, and I don't wan't to snap them. Cheers in advance!!

[mbell]

What type of hacksaw blades were you using?

I can't imagine through filing the metal would get too hot and lose its strength.

Try to find some carbon steel hacksaw blades (Just the cheap ones). When I started reading your post I thought to myself 'how did he file a hacksaw blade'. With the hacksaw blades I have (12 for £1) I cannot drill or file them because they're so hard.

Alternatively, yes, you could be using too much pressure whilst picking.

[franticpirell]

when using a grinder, you can file down a hacksaw blade, almost instanly. Whith filing, it honestly took me about 1 hour. No BS. Its not very hard though. I had my hacksaw blade. Scratch in with a sharp tool the shape of the pick, and bit by bit, filed away ( I always had approx. 2mm sticking out of the vice, as not to snap the blade. After that, loosen the vice and bring it up another 2 mm). I was using carbon steel. What I found difficult however, with my inexpeireince was at what part of the lock the pick needed to be inserted. Because my lock, and probably most others have an S shape at the front while I was trying to push up the pins, thats when it snapped.

[frollard]

you could also get some vice sleeves - bits of spare blade taped to the inside of the jaws would help - the knurling inside the jaws can scratch the blade, weakening it quite a lot. (the little nicks tend to break a lot sooner than un-marred metal).