Home made vs Shop bought

[randmguy]

I voted for the pros...again because it just isn't worth my time to make them.

S25 you really can't harden coat hangers no matter what you do. There just isn't enough carbon in the steel to make it hard. If you want some cheap pick material look for a cheap plumber's snake or electricians fish tape.

[unclepappy]

home made and pro. I like the professional tension tools. But like to make my own pick.

[Chucklz]

I bet in general you will find that most 'smiths really dont have the time to be grinding their own, especially considering how much of their work actually invovles picking. I would bet many serious hobby pickers have tried their hand at making at least something.

[Liquibyte]

I didn't vote because I have never used a manufactured set. I just became interested after having seen the mit guide and have been doing research ever since. I have successfully made several picks using various materials so far. A coat hanger would be an effort in futility, but I have a suggestion that you might really appreciate. You know the hanging file folders that go in file cabinets? Well, the hanging part is made of metal and it is a wonderful material to start with. I don't recomment trying to make a turning tool out of it though, when heated it loses its strength. I don't have a grinder or dremel(I would have used either if I did) so I just filed it using a bastard file for a general rough out and needle files for a finished shape. Sandpaper in various grits can give you a nice finish too. I have also used a stainless steel ruler for a material and it works rather well. My favorite pick so far was made using a six inch stainless ruler that came in one of those joke toolkits you can buy. That ruler was about an eighth of an inch thick and took a little more sanding and filing to make it work, as well as having to cut it lengthwise twice in a vise with a hacksaw, but it has a thicker handle than the tip and works well on the padlocks I have. One other thing I am going to try is also a stainless ruler made by Westcott. I'm sure you've probably seen one in a store somewhere. It's quite a bit thinner than the other one I used and should work quite well. I have one, but only one, so I will wait till I can get a new one before trying this. I must say that I get alot of enjoyment out of making my own tools, always have, but I must warn you that to do this the way I just described takes alot of patience and is not for someone that doesn't like hand cramps. I play guitar so I'm used to it.

[randmguy]

Liquibyte, you might want to visit a machinist or welding supply store they give away lots of 4in. machinists rules at the counter like pens. I have a dozen or so in a desk drawer and they are all about .025in thick and usually decent quality steel to boot. Its what I used to make a control cylinder turning tool for Best sfic locks.

[Chucklz]

randmguy, I was looking at the Peterson SFIC control tools, and I had a thought. Say you ground one, but didnt put the 90 degree bend in it. Now take this and throw it in a keymachine with an OLD cutter. Now just duplicate the pattern onto a bunch of steel. Probably wouldnt make the cutting wheel too happy though.

[sFx]

pro tools are worth it for what they cost in my opinion.
if theyre not right its still possible to tweak them to your own style, but more often than not you shouldn't really need to.
true, its a great feeling to hand make your tools, then see them workin, but its effort ......

[betterthangod]

What if I made it at a sheet metal company and I was a metal engineer, would that still count as home made?

[Mad Mick]

Sure. You probably spend more of your awakened time at the sheet metal company (especially being a metal engineer) than you do at home. Perhaps the place where you reside is actually your second home.

[wtf|pickproof?]

I voted for the homemade ones. I own a bought low quality set, but i don't use it alot. I don't mind spending an hour or two with my dremel when i stumbled upon a promising pickdesign(which happens regularely to me when surfing LP101;) ). On the other hand i'd never had the patience to wait for some days 'till the newest and hottest arrives, when ordered. Besides that i like doing mechanical work. I'd never go with bought standard tension tools thou. I bend and cut mine from wiper blades and bristles as needed and file them for aproperiate width in minutes, so no need for bought ones here.

wtf|pickproof?

[Chrispy]

If you live in Australia, the option of buying a professional set (unless brought in from overseas on a holdiday or something...) is out of the question. I can make a 16 homemade set with zip case in about 12 hours (total labour), which includes grinding, finishing with dremel, sanding and polishing.

[steel blade]

I've done both, made my own first ('cos you couldn't buy them) and then recently bought a set when they became more freely available.

The templates on this sight are great and I wish that they had been available when I first started making my own a few years ago. I also think that if you make your own the finish is much superior and they are slicker in the keyways.

I think in the future I will modify store bought ones more often and only make my own when its specials, or very expensive like the computer generated picks, (my next project.).......

[MeRZHiN]

i'm now using a home made set, but i'll be buying my own set thi summer vacation.... if i get to go the next year in school... i h8 not being able to buy over the net yet

[Geek142]

Homemades myself. Though i have only ever tried southords... never tried HPC, petersons and so on. But when i tried the southords they were the standard handles which i dont like and i like the metal rivetless handles so i like both i suppose.

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