How to thin down a pick?

[infrasonic]

Purchased my first set of lockpicks few month ago and turned out to be crap.. Too big and thick for any locks.
Managed to file them down to size using needle files (that's all i have ) and picked the first lock in my life.
Still didn't get the hang of it tho after picking the same practice lock for 2 weeks, sometime it takes me 5 mins sometimes by luck it's less than 30 seconds.

The only pick I've filed down is the hook pick and I still have 6 picks more to file down to the right size. I don't find any trouble filing it down to size but how do you thin down a pick effectively? I find it really frustrating to thin it down with needle files. Would a sandpaper works better than a file on thinning them down?

[silvfox1200]

If I need a thinner pick, I usually just use a flat file and then I sand and polish it with my rotary too. It has always wored great for me.

Thanks

[KPick]

If that's all you have, then login suggests you use that file.

If you want to know what kind of tools you'll need to get to that good thin pick, you should get an electric sander.

I suggest you get another pick set thought, it is cheaper overall.

[critmass235]

i do it slowly with sandpaper (300). ive tried a dremel but its easy to over do it. when i make my own i spend more time sanding then anything else. with the ones i bought i still sand them all the way to 2000 grit(low grits first). you can machine it with power tools but theres risk of overheating and overthinning. when i sand it , i just fold some paper in half and pinch it in between and rub up and down. its easy to over do it on the shaft and not enough on the picks head. thinning takes time if u want it to be good.

[billdeserthills]

You guys are way more patient than I am, I use a bench grinder but you hafta make a fast pass only, or you can quickly make a pick so hot that it will lose it's temper.

What kind of lock are you picking that has such a thin keyway?

[silvfox1200]

A lot of the European locks ar close as well as some of the US locks.

Thanks

[critmass235]

some picks a made out of butter knives had to be thinned down. but they were really durable(my fav deforest). ive made some with bench grinders , sanders, and dremels but unless less your starting point is really thick, i find machining risky. i still like to dremal a rough shape to save time , but i do it on a oil soak rag the whole time to control the temp. when i first started making them i was impatient, but hours of time and cut up hands for nothing taught me to slow down. this is a hobby people spend years learning, so why not slow down when making or upgrading your picks

[assweasel]

Honing stone.

Lets you get it down to where you are happy and bonus is a good finish.