Thu Jan 27, 2011 3:08 am
Piotr's First Homebrew Pick
Inspired by all your creations I decided to start making my own picks. Today I made very first pick:
It is a reproduction of Falle-Safe 5/6. Below first is the original, second is the Southern Specialties' reproduction and the last one is my reproduction (excuse the fingerprints):
I used the metal from A$0.70 putty knife that I bought from a dollar shop. I have 1095 feeler gauge stock and some AISI 1566 but I didn't want to use that because being my first attempt I was concerned of wastage.
My creation is much better than the Southern Specialties' product, both in terms of material and crafting. The Southern Specialties' reproduction has sharp edges and is weak (I snapped one after repeated use and I'm not heavy handed). The Falle-Safe original also has/had sharp edges but the steel is of a good quality. I have removed all of the sharp edges from my copy. I looked at my work under a microscope and took some pictures:
Edge
Tip
Nice and round.
The pick is 0.6mm (.025") which is the same as the Falle-Safe and original TOOOL set (which I don't have).
One problem with my pick is that it is too shiny -- more polished than the Falle-Safe -- and it slips. The Falle-Safe is less polished and the etching/engraving gives some grip.
Most of the work in creating the pick was done with a Dremel tool with the Flex-Shaft attachment. The Flex-Shaft made it easier to create those curves. I used a cut-off disc to cut away large parts and I used cylindrical grindstones and sanders to do the coarse and fine shaping. I finished it with wet and dry (240, 400, 600, 800, 1200) and then I used the Dremel felt cylinder with the polishing compound. I used the bench grinder just to flatten the straign sides. I'm still learning so my tool and accessory selection is most likely sub-optimal but I will persevere.
It is a reproduction of Falle-Safe 5/6. Below first is the original, second is the Southern Specialties' reproduction and the last one is my reproduction (excuse the fingerprints):
I used the metal from A$0.70 putty knife that I bought from a dollar shop. I have 1095 feeler gauge stock and some AISI 1566 but I didn't want to use that because being my first attempt I was concerned of wastage.
My creation is much better than the Southern Specialties' product, both in terms of material and crafting. The Southern Specialties' reproduction has sharp edges and is weak (I snapped one after repeated use and I'm not heavy handed). The Falle-Safe original also has/had sharp edges but the steel is of a good quality. I have removed all of the sharp edges from my copy. I looked at my work under a microscope and took some pictures:
Edge
Tip
Nice and round.
The pick is 0.6mm (.025") which is the same as the Falle-Safe and original TOOOL set (which I don't have).
One problem with my pick is that it is too shiny -- more polished than the Falle-Safe -- and it slips. The Falle-Safe is less polished and the etching/engraving gives some grip.
Most of the work in creating the pick was done with a Dremel tool with the Flex-Shaft attachment. The Flex-Shaft made it easier to create those curves. I used a cut-off disc to cut away large parts and I used cylindrical grindstones and sanders to do the coarse and fine shaping. I finished it with wet and dry (240, 400, 600, 800, 1200) and then I used the Dremel felt cylinder with the polishing compound. I used the bench grinder just to flatten the straign sides. I'm still learning so my tool and accessory selection is most likely sub-optimal but I will persevere.
I generally go even further with the polishing, so don't sweat it, you're fine with only the dremel rouge...