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Hey all,

Here is a new pick that I made the other day. The handle was made from cocobolo wood and designed with ergonomics in mind. It is a good pick, but I need to make a few modifications to the handle design to improve the ergonomics. The cool thing is that this handle can accommodate a couple of different ways to hold the pick. I am pleased with the result and will be making a few more like this over the weekend. I will post the results.



Let me know what you think. People from lp101 will have likely already seen this.

i saw this on lp101. it looks very nice, if you start making several picks i may buy some off you

Also me i love woody XD (Also me = I also would want to buy one if you make more of em)

Thanks for the props guys. I love making picks. I need to get some things worked out with the process as you can likely see that the metal needs some tlc due to dremel sanding. I will post pics of the new stuff I make and keep asking for your thoughts/comments. I have been making pics with a number of different kinds of exotic woods, but cocobolo is my absolute favorite. All you need to give it the shine is a good sanding and the oils from your hand. Should I get the kinks worked out with the sanding process, I will be happy to make you guys some picks. Also, if you wanted anything in particular (design, types of picks, wood type, etc), just let me know.

you mentioned ur metal is dremil sanded... try giving it a shine like your wood...

Yeah, I dremel it to even out any nicks that occurred from sanding the wood handle. For example, I have a bench grinder that I use to get the rough shape of the handle. Since it is a bench grinder, I can tend to lose control of the pick when getting down to the smaller size. That is the part that I need to work on in the process. I need to protect the metal during that process so I can just concentrate on the sanding. Normally, I sand it with a coarse 150 and move up to 320. I need to get to the store to pick up a 600 since I know that will really make it shine. Once I have that process down, I will start making more picks that could be something I would feel comfortable selling.

I use feeler gauge from McMaster-Carr. I tend to stay away from anything lower than .027". I prefer .030", but have no problem using a thinner gauge if someone had that desire.

That looks nice! If you keep sanding it with regular binder paper, it will get a VERY smooth finish. I did this on the cocabola pen I made, and it turned out nice.

Very nice indeed - congrats

Thanks, guys. These tips are great and most certainly appreciated. I have changed the process of how I make these. Last night I made two new dual picks and am sanding them prior to making the handles. So far, I can see this will be a better way to go in getting the shine that I want on the pick, itself. When I make the handle, I will simply cover the portions that will not be covered by wood so that I do not ruin the finish. This is going to make the whole process much better. I should have the other picks done over the weekend and I will post them here.

Hey all,

Here is a pick I made over the weekend. Dual hook with a purpleheart handle. I do not like how the handle turned out, but I did get a better idea as to what I want to do with the handle-crafting process. In addition, the color of the wood is just muddy. I need to apply a laquer, me thinks. The actual pick, however, is getting closer to where I would like to see it. The shine is there for the most part. I have another pick that is ready to go for a handle. I will be using olive wood for that handle. I have to say, I really like the figured woods over anything else. Let me know what you think.

looks great mate

Thanks, Bezza. Any critiques?