Pick Raw Materials

[whizdumb]

Hey guys,

I have decided that I want to try my hand at making some homemade picks so that I can fashion some of my own designs into them.

I am looking to source some good material for the job and I have run into a road block trying to decide what kind of steel to buy and form into picks. The term feeler gauge stock is thrown around here a lot and it was never very clear what was meant by it. So to get slightly more technical, I was wondering what type of steel to buy. Here are the choices that i have narrowed it down to:


Stainless steel:
Type 301
Type 304

High Carbon Spring Steel
Type 1095

Any other steel that you guys think might fit my criteria below

I will be purchasing the necessary materials from the McMaster-Carr website that Ratyoke sources his materials from. (Ratyoke feel free to chime in with a link or part number for exactly what steel product you purchase from them.)

What I'm really looking for in the Chosen steel is rigidity and a very slender thickness (something like .015" - .025") Think Peterson Slender/Specialty Government Steel Picks!! Rigid, Slender, Lasts forever.. Definitely looking for that kinda feel.

Thanks Guys,
Whizdumb

[the lockpickkid]

I am not sure on the type of steel, Tooly would know, but I would get something at least .022" thick. That is what HPC's are and they are thick enough to be strong yet still thin enough to fit inside tight keyways.

[LocksmithArmy]

I used feeler gauge, google feeler gauge and you should be able to find it if you war wanting to know more.
its pieces of metal that are exactly __ inches thick... used for measuring gaps... lets say in a spark plug or whatever other tiny gap you may find

Mine were stainless and work great... I would love to play with some spring steel though

As for size I start with .02 and sand down...petersons slimlines are .012 so starting from .015 will get you .012 after sanding

good luck and be sure to gve us pictures of your work

[barbarian]

General guide to carbon steels..

http://www.onlinemetals.com/steelguide.cfm

General guide to Stainless. Look near the bottom for the different types.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel

What's a feeler guage ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeler_gauge

Most high carbon spring steels require heat treatment to bring out their special properties.

[taurus420]

this site is the best

http://www.msdiscount.com/columnar.aspx ... ncookieset

[ratyoke]

I use the high carbon steel thickness gauge from McMaster in either 0.021" or 0.024". About 0.001" - 0.002" is removed during sanding and polishing. I buy it in 12" pieces. 0.024" x 12" is part number 2083A38.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#2083a38/=4j9kpf

It is already heat treated, so as long as you don't burn it while grinding it you don't need to worry about heat treating it. Downside to high carbon steel is it can rust easily.

McMaster has just about everything, but the real reason I like them so much is their Chicago warehouse is near where I live. I make a lot of things other than picks, so its really convenient for me when I need something fast.

[elbowmacaroni]

Cool! I gotta get me some. I've been contemplating buying some actual "proper" stock for making picks instead of relying on wipers to crap out. Thanks for the links guys!

[whizdumb]

Alright guys, I got some feeler gauge stock coming to me.. and tonight I picked up some tools. I got myself a 6 inch bench grinder, dremel, cut off disks, fine grit sandpaper.. You know all the necessary stuff. I hope to bang out a few picks as soon as I can.. I will definitely post some pic porn as soon as I have something worth taking a picture of. Good Night all

Happy Picking,
Whizdumb

[the lockpickkid]

In case it hasn't been mentioned or you didn't know, make sure to quench your hot metal in water ever so often when grinding, otherwise you will make an awesome pick just to have it snap or bend and break. I know this first hand in my many trys at making picks!

[whizdumb]

In case it hasn't been mentioned or you didn't know, make sure to quench your hot metal in water ever so often when grinding, otherwise you will make an awesome pick just to have it snap or bend and break. I know this first hand in my many trys at making picks!

You just took my next question right outta my mouth LPK..
But, seeing as how you should quench the steel pretty often while grinding it, Just how often do you recommend quenching it while working with a bench grinder or a dremel? I would not want to ruin the metals temper or structure or anything like that.

Also is there any difference, that I should be aware of, in handling or working with high carbon steel as opposed to stainless? I have both types because I wanted to see the differences and similarities with the two, and determine which metal I like better for picks.

[the lockpickkid]

I can't answer your question about working with the different types of steel, someone with more experience will have to pick that up.

When working with your metal to make picks you don't want it to get hot at all, grind a little then quench and repeat, don't grind until your metal turns blue, just grind till it gets warm then quench, you can tell if your getting too hot the metal will start to turn color, you don't want to see this at all. In my experiece with a dremel and grinder, you just want to do a little at a time and keep the metal as cool as possible.

[.45cal]

My trick to keep the steel from getting too hot is simple. Don't wear gloves while grinding and when the steel begins to feel uncomfortable to hold quench. Don't wait for your fingers to burn just hot enough that you know it is getting hot.

[HallisChalmers]

Watch this video - it will help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auQbi_fkdGE

[LocksmithArmy]

My trick to keep the steel from getting too hot is simple. Don't wear gloves while grinding and when the steel begins to feel uncomfortable to hold quench. Don't wait for your fingers to burn just hot enough that you know it is getting hot.

Dude I do the same thing lol

I do mostley hand filing though so I rarely get too hot.

[ratyoke]

You just took my next question right outta my mouth LPK..
But, seeing as how you should quench the steel pretty often while grinding it, Just how often do you recommend quenching it while working with a bench grinder or a dremel? I would not want to ruin the metals temper or structure or anything like that.

With a bench grinder when grinding the working end of the pick I am continuously dipping it in water. It goes in the water quickly after just about every pass across the wheel. You should never see the metal changing color from the heat. If it starts turning brown you have already burned it, and with metal so thin it's very easy to burn it.

When I grind the handle end of my aluminum picks I don't dip it in water quite as often cause its not as important. Since its sandwiched between two pieces of aluminum it cannot bend or break.

I don't really use rotary tools, like Dremels, I do most of the final shaping with files. I grind the handle to about 0.5mm from the final shape, and shape pretty much the whole working end with files. You never have to worry about burning anything with files and they give much better control.