A bobbie pin or safety pin are MUCH better tools than paperclips. The metal is just too soft and bendable.
To make a bobbie pin pick, first spread it to a 90 degree angle. Next you need to bend the last 1/4 inch of the straight section along the
thin edge. This is not an easy bend to make. To do this you need a hole the metal will fit fairly tightly into and then slowly bend it to about a 45 degree angle. The hole in a pair of fingernail clippers works as does the bottom of some keyways.
A safety pin is much easier, first spread it to about 90 degrees. Then bend the last 1/4 to 1/2 inch to a 45 degree angle or so. A pair of pliers will work fine here. You can see a safety pin pick on the front of this book:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/08736 ... ZZZZZZ.jpg
Hope that helps. Also check out the video on making your own picks out of hacksaw blades on LP101. Great video and with a little practice you can make tools just as good as many commercial ones.
Hope that helps. Good luck.
