Polish up picks?

[Riff]

Quick question guys. I have just about every pick set out there. Many of them have a layer of "black" coating the blade and pick tip...... paint? Anyway from picking with picks that I use the most this coating is coming off. Should I do some light sanding to take this layer off before it has to wear off?? If heard talk of a breakin period. And someone mentioned how you should sand all of the edges of a new pick to it doesnt tear up pins. So do I need to sand all of this layer off as well as all of the edges??? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Couldnt find a good explanation by searching the forum. Just curious. Riff

[HallisChalmers]

Quick question guys. I have just about every pick set out there. Many of them have a layer of "black" coating the blade and pick tip...... paint? Anyway from picking with picks that I use the most this coating is coming off. Should I do some light sanding to take this layer off before it has to wear off?? If heard talk of a breakin period. And someone mentioned how you should sand all of the edges of a new pick to it doesnt tear up pins. So do I need to sand all of this layer off as well as all of the edges??? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Couldnt find a good explanation by searching the forum. Just curious. Riff

I start with a medium coarse emery cloth and polish the entire pick blade (not the handle part) to knock some of the black off the carbon steel. Just fold a 3/4" x 3/4" piece so the polishing surfaces are against each other.

Stick your pick in between and start polishing. It's labor intensive but if it was easy, it wouldn't be worth doing. Once you've managed to get the blade fairly shiny, hit it again with some finer grit emery cloth.

If you really want to get anal about it, get a flat file and lay your pick on top and smooth it down. Then using a very fine file, hold it at 45 degrees to the pick blade and file the squareness off the blade stock.

What you want to do is knock off any sharp 90 degree edges that may cut into the brass pins. Just "melt" the edges down by filing and polishing until that pick is shiny.

You're good to go.

[Riff]

Ok..... So I went ahead and hit an hpc and a majestic shorthook with sandpaper last night. I followed your advice Hallis and used some 600 to start and then finished it off wiht some 1500. Honestly, I think I got used to the crudeness and jagged edges. I cant spp nearly as efficiently as I could before. The same locks I could spp in 10 seconds I now have a hard time. It's like I cant feel what going on inside the plug. Everything seems slippery in there. I really beleive that I got used to having the nasty jaggies on the end of the pick and it would help me feel the pins inside. Sorta like scraping slightly I guess to find where I'm at. I'm hoping that I will adjust to this "new" feeling I'm working with. It's defenitely different. Hopefully different in a better way once I get used to it. I liken it to before the sanding I developed some bad habits. Now that everything is nice and smooth it will force me to be a little more refined in my picking. Shorten up my movement a bit.

[the lockpickkid]

Riff, it's just the feel, not the picking ability, I have the same problem if I switch pick brands, or different handles, you learn to adapt, but sometimes it takes a while. If you really want to get screwed, use the southord jacknife pick, then use a set of HPC's you will be screwed up for a week, I liked the jacknife, but I sold it just for this very reason. I hope your mixed use of those Petersons and your HPC's don't screw you up!! If they do, you could always send me those Peterson's !!

[HallisChalmers]

I'm hoping that I will adjust to this "new" feeling I'm working with. It's defenitely different. Hopefully different in a better way once I get used to it. I liken it to before the sanding I developed some bad habits. Now that everything is nice and smooth it will force me to be a little more refined in my picking. Shorten up my movement a bit.

Just don't try so hard. You're psyching yourself out by thinking too hard. Do this: Stick the pick in and just try touching each pin tip and count each of the pins.

Play around with it. Feel the drag on the pick from side of the keyway. Just make believe it's a new pick - wrap some colored tape on the handle. Anything to break that image of the old pick.

I think your head sees that pick and you revert back to your old ways. If you change it around and make yourself look at it as a new pick - your brain will adapt to it and you'll ingrain that new feeling.

It's like burning a new recording on a CD. You need to reformat your head.

Make sense?

[Riff]

I'm hoping that I will adjust to this "new" feeling I'm working with. It's defenitely different. Hopefully different in a better way once I get used to it. I liken it to before the sanding I developed some bad habits. Now that everything is nice and smooth it will force me to be a little more refined in my picking. Shorten up my movement a bit.

Just don't try so hard. You're psyching yourself out by thinking too hard. Do this: Stick the pick in and just try touching each pin tip and count each of the pins.

Play around with it. Feel the drag on the pick from side of the keyway. Just make believe it's a new pick - wrap some colored tape on the handle. Anything to break that image of the old pick.

I think your head sees that pick and you revert back to your old ways. If you change it around and make yourself look at it as a new pick - your brain will adapt to it and you'll ingrain that new feeling.

It's like burning a new recording on a CD. You need to reformat your head.

Make sense?

But my question to you Hallis is; It it really worth it to sand down picks like that? what does the added smoothness help with? Why is it benificial. I dont mind retraining myself of what I'm feeling inside the lock OR unlearning bad habits to start learning new ones. Even if it requires alot of work. I just want to know if there really is that big of a difference when the picks and sanded and all smooth compared to unsanded. Obvously there is a big difference...but I want to know if it is a big difference in the "right" direction, to furthur my skills. I think you know what I'm trying to ask. Thanks .........Riff

[Steve]

it makes it alot nicer on your hands and the pins it wont cut into the brass as much and id say it makes it look nicer

[HallisChalmers]

But my question to you Hallis is; It it really worth it to sand down picks like that? what does the added smoothness help with? Why is it benificial. I dont mind retraining myself of what I'm feeling inside the lock OR unlearning bad habits to start learning new ones. Even if it requires alot of work. I just want to know if there really is that big of a difference when the picks and sanded and all smooth compared to unsanded. Obvously there is a big difference...but I want to know if it is a big difference in the "right" direction, to furthur my skills. I think you know what I'm trying to ask. Thanks .........Riff

Is it really worth it? Well, if you are asking that if in the overall scheme of things - will polishing make a HUGE difference?

No.

Will it give you superhuman hyperkinetic tactile powers - allowing you to feel the subtle intricate nuances in individual fibers of molehair?

No.

All it does, like Steve14 said, is help avoid eating up your pins somewhat. If it's a cheap Master #3 - who the fuck cares. But if it's that high dollar Mul-T-Lock you payed an obscene $$$$$ amount for on eBay - you may want to consider not abusing the lock's guts.

Obviously you are not a truly afflicted obssessive compulsive personality. Don't worry. That will come to you in due course.

There is a certain ritualistic sexiness in laying out your tool pouch, taking out your shiny hand polished tools, stroking them lovingly, maybe even talking to them in soothing tones while methodically contemplating the plan of attack - and then like some kind of wacked out sex fiend - sticking it in, moving it around, in-out-in out, looking for the sweet spot on the lock and then WHAM!

Nailed it.

But hey, that's just me. That's the way I roll. That's why I have a MANCARD. Don't leave home without it.

[Riff]

But my question to you Hallis is; It it really worth it to sand down picks like that? what does the added smoothness help with? Why is it benificial. I dont mind retraining myself of what I'm feeling inside the lock OR unlearning bad habits to start learning new ones. Even if it requires alot of work. I just want to know if there really is that big of a difference when the picks and sanded and all smooth compared to unsanded. Obvously there is a big difference...but I want to know if it is a big difference in the "right" direction, to furthur my skills. I think you know what I'm trying to ask. Thanks .........Riff

Is it really worth it? Well, if you are asking that if in the overall scheme of things - will polishing make a HUGE difference?

No.

Will it give you superhuman hyperkinetic tactile powers - allowing you to feel the subtle intricate nuances in individual fibers of molehair?

No.

All it does, like Steve14 said, is help avoid eating up your pins somewhat. If it's a cheap Master #3 - who the **ck cares. But if it's that high dollar Mul-T-Lock you payed an obscene $$$$$ amount for on eBay - you may want to consider not abusing the lock's guts.

Obviously you are not a truly afflicted obssessive compulsive personality. Don't worry. That will come to you in due course.

There is a certain ritualistic sexiness in laying out your tool pouch, taking out your shiny hand polished tools, stroking them lovingly, maybe even talking to them in soothing tones while methodically contemplating the plan of attack - and then like some kind of wacked out sex fiend - sticking it in, moving it around, in-out-in out, looking for the sweet spot on the lock and then WHAM!

Nailed it.

But hey, that's just me. That's the way I roll. That's why I have a MANCARD. Don't leave home without it.

Haha man ur nuts and I think its great. U have no idea about my obsessive compulsiveness. My friends pick on me about it all the time. But I didnt want to take out my cherrished tools and take the sand paper to em ya know? That would be like taking out one of my pistols and take a file to it. I just want to be careful in what I do; and I havent seen a good explanation about polishing yet. Mentioned yes, but in detail no. How hard can polishing be? I dont know. I just know I'm to obsessive to just go at it and potentially ruin my tools. I think I like the feel of them not polished at this point, but I think thats because I've been picking with them like that for months now and I'm used to how they feel unpolished. I'm gonna stick with them polished and hopefully I will adjust. I'm sure many future pins will thank me and hopefully it will make me a slightly better lockpicker in time. (feeling wise). Thanks again for always having entertaining replies LOL

[ToolyMcgee]

There is no explanation that can replace just doing it. Corners bad, rounded good, sharp bad, smooth good. No tool marks, no sharp points. Make a few of your own and polish them if you want to practice. Steel wool, 500 grit sand paper... you can't jack up your picks if you look at them every few seconds to check your progress. It's steel after all. I tried to say I like the unpolished picks just fine when I got my petersons, but after awhile began to come to terms with the serious limitations rough edges have, got over it, and finished those picks with sand paper.

A factory pick is a dull knife, and a polished pick is utility sharp. I use razor blades to work in keyways an unpolished pick of the same thickness would never even fit into. Just do it already, and you will notice the immediate change in feedback. Smooth picks have cause less friction, and don't have edges to catch on warding. Less white noise from rubbing, and less false clicks from your picks square edge catching, then snapping off a ward.

-Tooly

[HallisChalmers]

There is no explanation that can replace just doing it. Corners bad, rounded good, sharp bad, smooth good. No tool marks, no sharp points. Make a few of your own and polish them if you want to practice. Steel wool, 500 grit sand paper... you can't jack up your picks if you look at them every few seconds to check your progress. It's steel after all. I tried to say I like the unpolished picks just fine when I got my petersons, but after awhile began to come to terms with the serious limitations rough edges have, got over it, and finished those picks with sand paper.

A factory pick is a dull knife, and a polished pick is utility sharp. I use razor blades to work in keyways an unpolished pick of the same thickness would never even fit into. Just do it already, and you will notice the immediate change in feedback. Smooth picks have cause less friction, and don't have edges to catch on warding. Less white noise from rubbing, and less false clicks from your picks square edge catching, then snapping off a ward.

-Tooly

Yeah.What he said.

[Riff]

Haha... it's already done. Thanks for the reply tooly

[nozza36]

Polish them Riff , i recently killed 2 American locks , most likely due
to raking them open when i first got them , and later SPP'ing them while
practising for the comp' .
I don't usually damage locks but this came about due to
originally using a homebrew rake that had not been "finished" and
subsequently using a homebrew unpolished short hook several thousand
times !
The locks will live again as soon as i can get replacement pins

[quaiboi]

hey....wait...just wondering....what is steel wool used for?.....they dont sell it in my country....

There is no explanation that can replace just doing it. Corners bad, rounded good, sharp bad, smooth good. No tool marks, no sharp points. Make a few of your own and polish them if you want to practice. Steel wool, 500 grit sand paper... you can't jack up your picks if you look at them every few seconds to check your progress. It's steel after all. I tried to say I like the unpolished picks just fine when I got my petersons, but after awhile began to come to terms with the serious limitations rough edges have, got over it, and finished those picks with sand paper.

A factory pick is a dull knife, and a polished pick is utility sharp. I use razor blades to work in keyways an unpolished pick of the same thickness would never even fit into. Just do it already, and you will notice the immediate change in feedback. Smooth picks have cause less friction, and don't have edges to catch on warding. Less white noise from rubbing, and less false clicks from your picks square edge catching, then snapping off a ward.

-Tooly

[Riff]

Steel wool has a few uses but I think it is mostly used for scrubbing/polishing. It's like an SOS pad (without the soap of course) if you know what that is.