My first picks

[nataz]

So, my first pics.

I used wiper blades, a dremmel tool w/ a grinder, carbide grinder, and diamond etching attachment. Finished with 220-320-400-600 grit sandpaper and dip on rubber handles.

They aren't the best, but they are the first, and they work passably well. So whoop to that. Many more (with many improvements) to come.

Behold!

[Clead]

Very nice work! Now let's see your tension tools!

[loki-aka]

They look good. Plasti Dip for the handles ?

[nataz]

yea, plasti dip. Stuff works pretty well and you can't beat the cost. For 10 bucks you get a decent sized can, and you can prob get hundred + handles done.

Sorry about the fuzzy pictures, my digital only had enough battery life for 1 shot before it died. I'll post some better ones with more tools in a day or so. This is quite a bit of fun actually.

[lock2006]

They look really nice not bad at all
i did a couples of this picks using wiper blades
they work pretty good,also you can use this wiper blades to make your tensin wrenches
which i been using mostly a lot using different sizes of wiper blades
this picks are easier to make using this wiper blades than using the traditional saw blades.

[Cat]

Oh good job, those look way better than my first picks

[nataz]

I'm still trying to suss out the tang on the picks. The first pick I feel like I left too much on, and on the second I worry that the narrow point right before the head is too thin. I ruined a bogota copy I made by overworking the tang to the point that it is far too thin to support normal raking.

Also, question on shaping the tips. I've been rounding everything in sight to help the pick flow past the pins, but should I be rounding the top of the tip as well? In other words, on a non-rake hook style pick, how are people finishing the heads? Are they rounded like a sphere, or do people level them off similar to a half sphere. The only comparisons I have right now are a southOrd standard set, and they are flat on the heads, but then again nothing is rounded at all on the picks (I'm assuming because of how they are produced).

I feel like if the head is too rounded it slips off the pin I'm working on. I'm also having issues where I sand too hard in the 220-320 grit range and the head gets shaped into an edge which can get caught between the pin and the cylinder.

Sheesh, I have so much to learn, but I'm looking forward to it. On the plus side, looks like I'll be getting a bench grinder for free to join my brand new dremmel. Now All I need is a good set of files.