Homemade picksets VS. bought brand

[Baloopaloop]

Hey, I don't know if this is where this should be put, if not feel free to chuck this thread to where ever it might rightfully go.

Hello peoples, I was wondering your views on homemade picksets, I'm aware that many of you make your own picks. Recently the short hook that came with my first pickset snapped off not cool right? So, with my most used pick in the casket, is it worth the effort of saving money and having my own hands involved in making the new short hook, ect. I already have all the tools that are mostly used for these purposes, but, is there any downside that I should know? Or am I just being lazy . Thanks for everything guys, I need a new pickset either way, cause I bought a stupid spring steel set before I knew anybetter they warp too much for my liking and they tend to snap off after lots of use....

[Maljunulo]

I am a rank noob, but if I were breaking picks regularly I think I would question my technique.

I hop this post doesn't call down heaps of ridicule and scorn, but I have trouble visualizing needing that much force.

[bluefish6900]

If you have the tools, get some Material and make a new hook. It'll open a whole new part of the hobby. This way you would fully have a tool that works for you. Your probably more likely to modify a tool you made then a purchased one.

Bluefish

[Baloopaloop]

Yeah, it's not my picking technique, I've used this pick for over a year and a half, and I used it alot with spool pins, which, depending on the lock really, can require more force than usual, i've only broken two picks so far since I got the set two years ago. I made a short hook out of a broken ban saw blade, it's actually really nice, I was fairly suprised. I heat treated it and tempered it so it's somewhat flexible and strong, I get great feedback through it, like better than my old pick I'm thinking that this homemade stuff might not be as bad as I originally assumed.

[Legion303]

Brand-name picks are mass produced. Homemade picks can be tailored exactly the way you want, to fit your hand the way that's most comfortable to you. That's why I no longer use my Petersons even though Ken makes very good tools.

-steve

[ToolyMcgee]

It depends on so many variables... I think home made bristle or wiper picks are never a bad idea. If you mess up, what have you lost? Only time and cheap material, but you have gained experience for that time and your pennies. Improvement can come very quickly in the beginning if you practice with bristle/wiper. At least think of it as practice for when you might want to clean up or otherwise modify your favourtie production picks to fit something different.

There is always the possibility you can make a tool you prefer to any current production tool, and wouldn't that be empowering? You play the lottery for the thrill of chance, but it increases your odds when you can increase your ability to control the variables. Steel type, temper, steel quality, workability, durability, flexibility, and preference are just a few. Street sweeper bristle is great for practice work. More workable than good wiper insert. Likely to be more consistent on a piece by piece basis than insert too. Easier to cut to shape. Save the decent stainless wipers for wrenches, or picks with taller vetical shafts. It can be especially useful for rakes since good stainless can flex more times than stiffer bristle before it fails. For something with multiple contact points, like a rake, this can increase it's life span, and possibly flexible effectiveness.

1.5 years for a pick is good. Depending on how much picking you do that is a long time. I've broken 8 homebrew through regular use in the last 2.5 years. 6 bristles, 1 hacksaw blade, 1 stainless feeler guage pick. I purposefully bend my bristle hooks where I want when I need some wierd curve. It's why I keep a bare set in my case, because they are expendable and quick to cut.

Whatever you decide; good luck for a steady hand.

-Tooly

[raimundo]

I definatly reccommend making picks yourself. You will have a learningcurve and perhaps some wasted parts, but soon you will be making them better for the mistakes and you can get to the point where it only takes an hour to make a pick with hand tools like files and sandpaper on a stick.
When you can do that, if you find a lock for which you need something special, perhaps smaller than usualy or long handles for a lock set back in a secure housing.

If you make one crappy bench ground pick and break it, then never make any more, you wasted your time, but if you can make a good smoothly sanded pick in an hour, then when you find a need for some pick that you might need that can be ordered and may come a week later, and perhaps be too big or too something else, well making picks and understanding that process will as tooly says be empowering.

I agree with everything tooly said.
Some of us actually like making picks as much as using them, it seems.

Don't do any heating or attempts at tempering on a pick you have worked an hour on.
tempering is tricky, and to actualy do it right, you need to know the precise alloy of the steel and may need a special heat treating furnace,
If you are just starting out do not use any process that heats the metal enough to change its color neither surface coloring or heat color while its hot. Avoid the heat treatments or practice what you think you want to do on some metal that you havent yet put work into and is the same metal that you intend to work on. With bristles found in the street, you always cut off the scarred and worn parts anyway, so you can use these parts to experiment with the things that can break the metal like twisting or bending or things that weaken the metal like heat. When you use a hand torch, you can get uneven results, you could anneal one part of the metal and make the other end brittle. Just avoid heat treating until pick making is something you can do easily.
The metal you will be using like wiper or bristle, is already very well tempered. Work it cold.

[tballard]

If you make one crappy bench ground pick and break it, then never make any more, you wasted your time, but if you can make a good smoothly sanded pick in an hour, then when you find a need for some pick that you might need that can be ordered and may come a week later, and perhaps be too big or too something else, well making picks and understanding that process will as tooly says be empowering.

I agree with everything tooly said.
Some of us actually like making picks as much as using them, it seems.

Agreed as well. Making my own picks has taught me more about picking than you would believe. And honestly, it's the failures I learn the more from. Sometimes you don't realize you are moving a pick in a particular way until you make a pick which won't move like that, and suddenly realize something subtle and new. My "keep-to-toss" ratio is about 1:4 estimating generously.

One caveat though: try not to fall too deeply in love with a single pick. I've got one pick I made which I do 90% of my picking with. It's holding up fine, but I am always trying to clone it, because one day it's going to break, get lost, or something, and it's not like I can order a new one. I've made several picks just like it, but somehow they just aren't the same...

Don't do any heating or attempts at tempering on a pick you have worked an hour on.
tempering is tricky, and to actualy do it right, you need to know the precise alloy of the steel and may need a special heat treating furnace,
If you are just starting out do not use any process that heats the metal enough to change its color neither surface coloring or heat color while its hot. Avoid the heat treatments or practice what you think you want to do on some metal that you havent yet put work into and is the same metal that you intend to work on. With bristles found in the street, you always cut off the scarred and worn parts anyway, so you can use these parts to experiment with the things that can break the metal like twisting or bending or things that weaken the metal like heat. When you use a hand torch, you can get uneven results, you could anneal one part of the metal and make the other end brittle. Just avoid heat treating until pick making is something you can do easily.
The metal you will be using like wiper or bristle, is already very well tempered. Work it cold.

Additionally, bristles (and most other suitable high-carbon steel) are actually oil-tempered usually, so you're never going to be able to restore the desired springy quality via the normal water or brine quench. (Even assuming the rest of the heat/temper/anneal process is done correctly) The stainless steel used in most wipers is harder still to temper correctly.

I hope I won't earn the ire of Raimundo the Bristle Magician, but I generally don't trust used bristles. They have had a long life of metal fatigue before you even start working on them. In fact, in order for them to fall off into the street they must have been stressed to the point of failure by definition, and this failure point is at the end of the bristle, which may be where you are doing most your work. Obviously excellent picks are frequently made from used bristles, but personally I like to take some of the variables out of the equation by working with less-abused metal. (Drain cleaning tape is my current metal of choice.)

[Baloopaloop]

I'm using a ban saw blade, it's a fairly small in width unfortunately so I can't try to make one of those cool angular hook picks but I use a torch to temper and heat treat the steel, I heat treat alot on the tip and the thin shaft but I do more tempering on the handle. it makes it firm, strong, and flexible

[raimundo]

I used to use the sweeper bristle I found, and this entailed finding twenty or thirty of them while bikeing in the right areas. they they all have to be cleaned, inspected for scars,
Rust pits are unacceptable and probably were not picked up, dark brown hard crust rust is damaging to the metal, however new recent rust, usually a redish color, not brown, is rust that you can clean off the surface with scotchbrite easily and this is not damaging. then after inspection, I cut off the parts that are useful which is often ony a few inches on a bristle.
I also cut off the broken ends because this part has work hardened, and I cut half an inch from it, bristles will rub on other bristles leaving a wear mark and this is also cut off.

For the last few years, I have been using pristine bristle that has never been in a brush, obtained from a member of this site.

Occasionally someone shows me a photo of some old picks I made and they are small, due to the lack of good metal in length to make them, one example is a photo of a double sided pick I made long ago, with a copper keeper on it. Barry wels apparently has that one, and Mark Tobias has used hid photos of it. one of the reasons its so small is because the material available was a bigger consideration back then, now I have a stock of new unused bristle.

No Ire Tooly I understand, if you can get the better stuff, theres less to throw away and cut off. But I won't disparage picks made from used bristle because I have made them and made them well, perhaps the used bristle is the original reason I started sanding the picks, I really can't remember, as that was about 1980.

[ToolyMcgee]

No Ire Tooly I understand, if you can get the better stuff, theres less to throw away and cut off. But I won't disparage picks made from used bristle because I have made them and made them well, perhaps the used bristle is the original reason I started sanding the picks, I really can't remember, as that was about 1980.

Non taken. Even though I'm sure you meant to address tballard

I didn't really mean to say "practice work" like a steel snob. The beauty of the bristle is it's availability, versatility, and workability as a pick and tensioner. When I only had wiper it's all I used. When I found my first bristle and made my first pair, I immediately combed the streets looking for more. When I realized the knives had potential, I started collecting them. Next month I hope to find something even better, but I'll still have bristle picks in my case and in my hat band It's not something I anticipate being able to replace with something more useful. The benefit of the bogota pair as a carry system isn't lost on me either. In the event I make the unbendable, unbreakable, magic excaliber pick, I will undoubtedly lock it in the car Where would I be without the bristle pinned to my jacket?

-Tooly

[Baloopaloop]

Here are the first batch of bansaw picks I made yesterday, nothing too fancy but just what I need. The left side is for the evva 3ks, and the right side is for regular pin and tumbler locks.

http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt21 ... C05629.jpg

[Baloopaloop]

Oops sorry, I'm still figuring this all out here, disregard the first link



[edit-fixed link- unlisted]

[bluefish6900]

Great Job, Your well on your way to making great picks.
A little fine sand paper and time and they'll shine like you'll never believe!!!

Bluefish

[Baloopaloop]

Yeah, I would, but I'm more concerned with keeping them from snapping off in the front door those are only the successful ones the other ones are in the front door lucky I have a key extractor