Homebrew Hall of Fame!

[zeepia]

Have been doing my picks usually from hack saw blades and just cover them with heat shrink. But now I have seen what picks I mostly use and decided to do more comfortable handles to them. This is the first one which I finished today.



The handle is curly birch from my own forest and is very smooooth, sanded with 1200 grid.

More to come next week...

[Wizer]

Very nice, Zeepia!
I too have maybe 200 curly birches growing at my summer place, so ask if you need more.
Did you use lacquer or is just sanded? Would oiling the wood be better than lacquer?
Ive made some keytags from it. Really nice wood.

[zeepia]

Thanks! I love that wood, I use it in all kind of small pieces. Still have so much that I don´t need more anytime soon.
And I have also one hectare growing more at my summer place But they all still small so they will be harvested when I´m retired...

This is lightly oiled, I don´t like the feel of lacquer in things you hold with your hands. They feel so plastic.

[atticRR]

Wow! You collected that from your yard? That's awesome, was it already or did you have to cure it yourself? Ragardless, nice job!

[zeepia]

That wood has been at my summer place´s attic for 7 years, it´s nowadays fully cured.

[GWiens2001]

Beautiful work, Zeepia! I look forward to seeing more as you complete it.

Gordon

[zeepia]

This handle is polyester and imitating abalone. Search you favourite knife supplies store for ideas, I use mostly brisa.fi



Hardest part in this pick was taking this pic so that those colours show!

-Off topic begins-
Originally I bought it to make this folding knife



but had to change plans because it was a little bent, so I went with G10 as handle material in that one. It has scratches because it´s not a show item...
And next time I take a course in damascus making I´m definitely going to produce something lock picking related!
-Off topic ends-

One more still to come during this week...

[catsoup]

Very fancy Zeepia, reminds me of bakelite/lucite vintage beauty products.

[GWiens2001]

That is gorgeous work, Zeepia! Darn you, now I'm gonna have to dig out my stash of Purple Heart, Zebra Wood, and other knife/pistol handle making wood and make some more picks.

Gordon

[zeepia]

Thanks! Last one (for this lot):



Don´t know what wood that handle is but had one nice peace of it just waiting to be used.

@Gordon: Can´t wait to see the results! There are so many beautiful exotic woods I would like to have and use in my work...

[Werxes]

The finish is a bit rough as I was just checking the fit.
So far it works pretty well, and I always have it!
I replaced the knife blade, as I use the file more (maybe I should have replaced the scissors that I never use...

[Brother Paul]

Most of the links in the OP are dead

[atticRR]

Most of the links in the OP are dead

seven years is a long time! its to bad, id like to see the 'vintage' picks, from back in the day!

[bembel]

No edit button, no can fix links.

[atticRR]

Bembel, I see you had webpage that apparently had photos of your picks, it is no longer active. If you had any pictures left from back then I would curious to see them-sort of a time machine. Have you stayed an active picker the whole time?