Captain Contributor / Pick Synthesis Fabrication Process Execution Specialist / Global Moderator
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Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 12:05 pm
Location: United States
Another Picture Tutorial of Pick Making
I will be making a short hook out of spring steel from a Klein Depthfinder which is basically the same thing as sink snake.
First off, you don't need a lot of room. I have one little corner in the garage that I use for pick making.
Supplies needed:
Safety glasses
Metal for the pick. Here I'll be using spring steel, insert your metal of choice.
Pick template. (You don't have to have one but it sure does make life easier.) I'll be using a majestic short hook from which I've removed the handle to make it easier when outlining.
Sandpaper Grits of 320, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, & 2000
Fine point Sharpie
Rotary tool (Not pictured, see links above)
Dremel accessories: Thin cutoff wheel for metal, Large and small diameter sanding drums, Small grinding stone (The one I use is intended for chainsaw sharpening.)
Small piece of metal to wrap sandpaper around Here I used a piece of the depth gauge and stuck it in a thick foam pick handle for comfort.
A cup of ice water. (I took this picture last so my ice had melted)
First, sand the blank to make the metal shiny so the sharpie outline will show up well. Obviously, you don't have to do this with all material such as feeler gauge stock because its already shiny.
Tear off a small piece of sand paper, lay the metal flat on the table and run the paper back and forth along the length of the blank using a decent amount of pressure.
This is the sandpaper I use. I get it at Autozone.
See the difference...
Place your template on top of your blank and outline it with the sharpie. I use pliers to clamp it on so it doesn't slide around as much but you don't have to do it.
End up with this:
To make the rough cuts I'll be using the "thin cut" cutoff wheel for metal at around 15,000 rpm.
This is how I make the first cut. Follow your outline very closely but try to leave the mark, we'll get rid of the mark in a later stage. If you try to cut out the mark now you run the risk of cutting too deep and you may have to start over. Leaving the line gets us very close to where we want to be and allows for a slip here and there without a major loss.
Yes, I really have my thumb that close to the wheel. For the sake of covering myself, I don't recommend doing this. I don't have an alternative method to offer so you'll have to figure that out yourself. I like my thumb where it is because it gives me better control and I can feel when the metal needs to be dipped in the ice water.
Now start cutting down the length of the pick.
Once I've cut to about half the depth of the cutoff wheel, I cut off the excess piece. This is usually a good time to quench.
Continue in the same manner all the way down your outline.
Now for the underside. This is a little more interesting because of the hook.
Here I've already made the first cut along the profile of the hook part and am now cutting back at an angle to take off as much material as possible.
Here's the result:
Now cut toward the outline at the least possible angle while making sure the underside of the cutoff wheel doesn't hit the end of the hook:
Again, I cut back at an angle from the other end to remove as big of a chunk as possible:
TO BE CONTINUED...