my new pick designs, any good?

[master in training]

i was having a break from my college work earlier and made a few pick designs quickly, they're not to scale or anything, but what do people think? would they stand up to picking or be any use whatsoever?

any comments welcome!

[Elijah]

If you're asking, I can give my two cents on the subject.

Template #1 - I think the double-sided pick would be more effective if the underside carried a different design. Looking at how shallow and far apart the points are at the bottom, I'm not sure how well it would work on low cuts - you would end up being forced to lift nearly every pin at once to set a 9-cut in the middle of the keyway. If you made this side look more like a traditional L-Rake (Name taken from SouthOrd) it may be more effective, but may not fit in the keyway. On a similar note, imagine using the underside. You would have the half-diamond rubbing against the bottom of the keyway, scraping it away and making it more difficult for you to maneuver correctly inside the lock.

Template #2 - This could make a good rake with a few changes. First and foremost, I would make the points less prominent. That beast looks like a pain to move in and out of a lock. Also, you should consider eliminating one or two of the points, effectively making it into a "W" or "V". Having so many high points like that would screw around with too many surrounding pins and dull your feedback from the lock.

Template #3 - Creative to say the least. It looks as if you would want it to act as both a rake and a hook at the same time (As you pick up a back pin, the half-ball's raise some others). The only problem I see here is this: Considering how long your hook is, you may never be pushing the pins up high enough to even engage the other pins with your half-ball. Consider making the hook more shallow, or even eliminating one of the half-balls.

Now, don't think I was trying to be condescending or anything. You asked for our opinions, so I just gave you mine =) I'm glad, actually, that more people are trying to think of new and innovative pick designs. Thanks for showing us the templates and be sure to upload any more you may create.

-Elijah

[mcm757207]

Good ideas, but I have doubts about the strength of picks if they were really created. Particularly in the second one. Nice job though, I particularly like the first if you beefed it up a little. If you get frustrated picking pin-to-pin you can just flip it over and start raking! Good idea.

[master in training]

as i said, they were not meant as templates, just quick designs, i made all the shapes with the built in shapes on Photoshop, if i made them i'd made them to exact size and print a copy out so i had an idea of how thick they would be compared to other SO picks.

i was just having a break and felt like making a pick or two a bit different from normal. when everything the same it gets boring!!

the idea of dual purpose picks is that i wanted something that was easy to carry and would take up less space than a normal set, i've got one SO double ended pick that is just thin, it does not have the thick handle part in the middle like all the other picks i own and i dont like using it much. i imagine that any other double ended pick would probably hinder your picking because it has a shorter handle and the other end would dig into your hand. i may be wrong of course...

[Elijah]

I think I know what pick you are referring to: Is it the one in the MPXS-20 that has a half-diamond on one end and "W" looking pick on the other? I have one of those in my sets, and although it does hurt the hands a bit, I love it. That pick alone has taught me to be much more gentle when picking locks, and therefore I've been much better able to analyze the feedback I get while picking. The middle section is so thin that it bends easily, but I feel like if I'm using enough force to do something like that, I'm not picking the lock correctly.

Basically, the pick is uncomfortable but good for building skill.

-Elijah

[master in training]

its the same pick, but i got it in the mxps-17 set, the one with the brass handle, i never liked it much, but i may use it more if you say its good for building technique and suchlike.

[Elijah]

Maybe I meant PXS-17 and not MPXS-20 =) My set came with that brass handle too. I threw it out immediately. Not only was it rusted and discolored (I ordered the blemished set), but it weighs like 40 pounds, and the slim handled picks feel like they're going to snap every time you put them in that thing. Worthless, I say.

[master in training]

i got my set while i was on holiday in florida last november, i knew nothing about picking except that i wanted to buy some picks and learn, and here i am!

i never use the handle really either, i just keep it because i paid for it, so i ont have the heart to just throw it away. it may come on useful one day, we'll see.

[Elijah]

If I didn't have something to fill the empty slot in the case, I wouldn't have thrown away the brass handle. I had some old throwaround picks, flex tension tools and a warded pick set that I filled the empty slot with. The majority of the picks in my case aren't what came with the original set - I simply never use about 40% of the picks SouthOrd gives me.

Next step is to order some deforest picks (Rytan?), I've wanted to fool around with those for quite a while. I'd also like to make a matador pick so I can fool around with my Gemini dimple lock. Those would all go in my case =) If you want to make something cool and innovative, consider using a theme like that above, you may come up with something new and useful. If you don't know about deforest and matador picks, check out one of the stickys on where to buy picks and some old posts by Raimundo.

-Elijah

[digital_blue]

I have my L rake permenantly installed in the brase handle, cause if I'm just gonna rake the thing open anyway, I hardly care about the delicate feedback on the picks. Aside from the very occational marathon picking session (during which I actually enjoy the comfort of the brass handle) I never really use it for any of the other picks.

Just a thought, MiT, about the double ended picks. If you're making them yourself you can make the handle part as thick as you like, so they would not be uncomfortable to hold. Have another look at the falle knock-offs I made. They're all double ended except the sawtooths and I find them very comfortable and natural to hold because the handle part is wider.

Another project I have in the works is a knock-off set of the HPC computer picks, but double ended like the falle picks so I have less to carry with me. I made the templates by taking pictures of the HPC tools and doing a little work with the path tool in Photoshop. The templates are all made, printed, cut, and glued to hacksaw blades awaiting my grinder.
When I have a quite week at work I'll bang them out.

Point is, I like having the advantage of double ended picks, and I don't find they hinder my picking at all. I think maybe you're just put off by the skinny little SouthOrd one. They're not all that uncomfortable to hold.

db

[Geek142]

Hey

About the brass handle like digital_blue said he leaves a rake in there, well when i had my southords i left my large half diamond in the brass handle because i would only use the large diamond for raking. So people say that there is no point for the handle but it does give you a better grip on the handle so i think that the brass handle is ideal for raking but since when you use it for SPP it weakens the feel so in that case i wouldnt use it.

Geek

[Geek142]

. I think maybe you're just put off by the skinny little SouthOrd one. They're not all that uncomfortable to hold.

db

That thing, i think that the SO double ended pick would be better used for a bumper bar for a car or something, unless you have small hands it is like hell to get a good grip on expecially its a hot day and your hands sweat. IMO But other then that MiT those picks would look good besides the middle rake, it looks a bit week but the top one looks good so if you dont want to SPP you can flip it over and presto you have a rake like someone has already mentioned. i tried designing my own picks, they were the weirded picks i have ever seen the looks like torture tools or something

Later

Geek

[master in training]

thanks for all the comments guys!

when i made these designs i was just a bit sick of all the same shapes and styles for my level of picking, basically, SO, so i thought i'd try to break the mould a bit and do something different. if i ever came to make these, i'l look at actual thicknesses or blades and whether they'd snap or not, right now its purely for the shape aspect.

i've been trying to make a sort of double tool for a while now, i had the idea ages ago, its just finding a way to make it work, which is where the designs come in. if i get my hands on a grinder i'll happily start chopping up loads of hacksaw blades and coming up with new styles, but until then all i have are cheap rubbish needle files, so anything i make is kept to a minimum.

[raimundo]

metal will bend or break at the weakest point. That is the thinnest point. when the metal is thick and the weakthin point is narrow, all the bending will happen in a very short space and the likelyhood of breaking is high, but if the thin area is a bit longer, the bending will be spread accross it and it will bend before breaking. If you avoid any strong areas ajacent to weak areas, you can allow the bending to be distributed throughout the length of the piece, and this will allow it to flex and return to shape rather than set in a bend.

[master in training]

thats logic really, but i never thought of it, thats a really good thing to remember! i'll be keeping it in mind whenever i make picks from now on