As a knife maker, I’m digging this. Couple of things you might find useful. Be sure to use a respirator around this dust, especially if you use power tools for finishing. And if you ever use a plastic handle material known as G10, be SURE to use a respirator. Probably not a big deal for you with hand sanding and this small amount. Also, get some q-tips and some lacquer thinner (or acetone) to wipe away the squeeze-out up at the tip (what would be the ricasso on a knife) right after you clamp it. This will give you a perfectly clean metal tip. Also, I don’t know how hard the handles are on those picks, but if you scuff them up like you did your handle scales AND drill a couple through holes, those handles will never come off. Lastly, you might see how you like the micarta with a non-polished finish. Especially canvas micarta. That’s commonly left a bit rough on outdoor knives to give better grip. Don’t think you need that much grip! But you might like the soft feel.
Grrrrrrr. I'm not sure if this will resonate with any of you, but I didn't get into locksport to make my own tools. And yet, so many videos like this have me turning my old starter picks into jewelry. Thanks as always, Bill!
While this video was on last night, I went to the bathroom and brush my teeth. Then all of the sudden light bulbs!!! I just made me a pick handle with old tooth brush handle this morning! Beautiful and functional Oral B Lock Pick. All I needed to do is to learn how to pick lock.
Awesome video bill, I'm doing this to my home made picks because I can't afford to buy expensive picks being a single parent on a budget. I don't want to waste money like that on my hobby when I rather spend it on my kids to be happy! Thanks Bill I love your channel!
Damn, your comment made me as a dad feel like an ass now. Your absolute right. Some of my percentages could wait. Don't get me wrong... I spend most of my hard earned money on my little ones. But your message made me realize, I can do better! I needed that! Thanks!
Anyone else notice a lot of the videos where Bill talks through picking a lock, it goes like this ‘well, you can try this (lock pops open). Ok, got lucky there, you can also try this (lock pops open), hmm, ok that’s not normally that quick, lastly you can try (lock pops open).’ 😂 BosnianBill. The Lock Whisperer.
Every time. I love when he starts saying that he's just demonstrating a tool and it definitely won't open this super challenging lock because it's completely resistant to rak- *pop*
If you are using a nice flat tile, or even consider using a small square of glass to sand on top of. If using wet and dry, damp the bottom of the sheet, then place it on the tile/glass, it will stop it sliding around, and as you're not using glue it is easy to lift on sheet of sand paper up to put another down.
I'm filing this video in my brain under "the more you know." I've put-off working with micarta for a few years because I suffered from the delusion that it was difficult or complicated to work with (maybe I'm lumping it in with G10?) but now I'm going to greenlight a few projects I've been putting off for specialized tools. Great work with the picks!
Yeah, I COULD have done that, but my picks don't last forever and I wanted to keep things simple. When you start talking about drilling holes in hardened stainless or spring steel, many people stop listening and walk away. I want things simple, just like me. Simple.
one thing you can do is put painter tape on the inside of the micarta apply 2 little dabs of super glue on the tape then sandwich them together once you have them all sanded and done how you like you can just pop them apart!also is super helpful if you are wanting to use a electric sander/grinder/bandsaw also if you are not wanting to mess up your pick finish wrap it in painter tape :)
Alright Bill; I swear you were in my search history again. -- I was searching for something to make my own easy color-coded DIY pick handles from. Why didn't I even think of this material!?! Thanks for the tip. You are the man, looks great, love it!
Great DIY video. I found out today that paint can handles make great tension wrenches. Even some are solid as stainless and very hard to bend. I love the roundness of them on the handles.
I know this is an old video, but just looking at the Ratyokes, it looks like they are built in such a way that you can replace the blade when it breaks. It depends on the details, of course, whether epoxy was used, how good of an epoxy it was, etc. But the blade only extends a few inches into the handle, and the primary binder looks to be those 2 forward rivets. Pop the rivets out, remove old blade, insert new blade, pop new rivets in, then polish. Once one of these does break, it might be worth contacting the manufacturer to see if they can swap blades.
I have found that my favorite pick handles are made from pieces of the big sized 5 gallon yellow pine paint stirring sticks free from home depot. I RIP them 3/8 wide and cut to length. I chop all the excess steel off of the pick so it is just a 1 1/2 long shank the same width as the wider part of the pick shank. Drill a hole in the end of the stick that the shank fits snugly into and urethane glue it in, then carve and sand it smooth..it makes for a ultra light pick that reverbs and talks to your hand. Heavy plastic and all that extra metal and weight have a dull dead feel to them and IMHO is pretty counter productive when sound and feel sensitivity are so beneficial with lock picking.
Lookin good! I think haven't tried it but I'm thinking you could use painter's tape to mask the area that won't be covered with handle since it would serve at least 3 purposes: -use it as a sanding mask to rough up the handle as well, making even more sure that your handles don't come off -you can use that for your handle alignment -once the epoxy has hardened you can do some final sanding at the front without effecting the pick, then cut along the edge and finally peel the tape to lift away the epoxy overflow
Nice lesson. And, I have made a lot of Micarta in my time (linen and silk mostly). These pre made sheets are MUCH easier, and likely to be way more consistent.
Brilliant video and guidance! Internet would be so much worse without Bill 😃 I know it's an old video but I would think G10 would be better. Also, drilling 2 holes (top and bottom) in the pick handle before glueing together would make it bond better or rather make sure it won't ever get loose.
Bill, if you want a secure way to affix the pic to the handle material, before you cut the sheets into strips, take a trim router and machine a small pocket into the material the shape of the pick handle. After you've machined the relief pockets, cut into strips. Do your test fitting and sanding, and pair up the pieces for later assembly. Sandblast the steel and lightly sandblast handle material, clean with acetone, then use a flexible urethane adhesive. Urethane sticks well to both steel and sheet goods. Clamp up using light pressure and allow to cure overnight. Next day, clean up any squeeze out of adhesive, and enjoy your new picks. No need for rivets, as you're not torquing the picks where additional strength would be required.
I just did a batch of these last night from your inspiration. I used a 12x12 1/8" phenolic sheet from Amazon. 3 inch strips (I'm cheap). I only had time to finish one this morning before leaving for work, but I love the feel with a first run of sanding. much easier to hold and doesn't hurt. It isn't really pretty, but very comfortable. Big tip, Cleanup is much easier if you make a flag for the probe end with masking tape, it gives you somewhere to hold and keeps the epoxy off of the probe. The epoxy easily scrapes off before a full cure, but why risk it.
With construction paper, epoxy, and a whole lot of patience, you can actually make your own micarta, as it's just stacked, expoxy impregnated paper. Peter Brown has a really good tutorial on how to make micarta.
Excellent information & detail. I've been using 2 pieces of same size wiper inserts & heat shrink, which is functional, but not pretty. Those picks cleaned up very nicely. I didn't know steel wool would make it shine so well. I think minor blemishes gives each pick character, and don't affect picking or aesthetics either. There will probably be a run on micarta soon. LOL. 😂😅🤣😄
All it takes is some epoxy or polyester resin and some old jeans, T-shirts, burlap, or even paper to make your own custom micarta, and it only takes a couple more man hours to make than this whole project. There are millions of how-to projects on UA-cam and various web sites, but it is very simple. First you'll need two pieces of 2X4, plywood, or anything with a flat surface to use as two sides of a sort of "form" that will be ½" - 1" longer and wider than your desired size of micarta. Then cut out a couple dozen rectangles of your chosen material just bigger on all four sides than your "form." The exact size isn't critical, it just needs to stick out on all four sides. Then just mix up a pint or two of your epoxy or polyester resin with its hardener, paint a strip of material, paper, etc., liberally with it. Just saturate the strip. Then lay it across your piece of 2X4. Next, lay a dry strip of material on top of the saturated one. Alternate saturated/dry/saturated/dry, etc., until you've got a stack of material about twice as thick as you want your micarta to be. Finally, place the second piece of 2X4 on top so it looks like a denim (or whatever material you chose) on 2X4 sammich. Clean the whole thing together tightly and leave to cure overnight. Tip: prop your micarta sammich vertically in a disposable aluminum meat loaf (or any size/shape,) pan and you'll avoid a mess. The next day you can saw it away from the 2X4s (or plywood, etc.,) trim, sand, and polish into whatever shape you want for pick handles, knife scales, gun handles, whatever you need. Tip #2: finish and clamp your picks in the middle of the fabric before clamping and all you have to do is trim and shape them. One last thing: leaving every other strip of material dry works very well with cloth, like denim, cotton and 50/50 cotton/poly T-shirts, your wife's old dresses, etc., because the resin on the saturated pieces will soak into the dry ones, but you can certainly soak every piece if you like...but if you do, definitely leave it in a disposable pan to cure, trust me!
Fantastic video. I may try it some day. I am so glad you mentioned not caring too much about the polished pick. I rather not have a shiny pick, I go for function over pretty any day..
You never cease to amaze me Sir Bill.... The only thing that amazes me atm is the single dislike.... It's gotta be a MasterLock executive of some sort.
Wow, that stuff cleans up great! Never heard of Micarta, but it seems very easy to work with, and at a great price. Good, useable, and simple solution to getting an affordable set of custom picks, thanks Bill! P.S. awesome that your wife got you those Ratyokes as gifts! When I suggest such things, my wife makes this weird, scrunchy face?
Awesome info Mr. Bill. They really are Great handles. Anything for me on handles, beats holding meatal. Especially if you're hands lock up on you like mine do. Thank you
Nice vidya, doubt I'd ever thought of using micarta but it's definitely on my radar now. Personally I've been upcycling scrap to make my picks and handles. Have had excellent results using pine slats [paint stirrers] stained with iron acetate [steel wool dissolved in vinegar] finished with beeswax.
Finish them with carnauba wax instead of beewax, beewax became kinda of sticky just with the heat from the hands, carnauba will not, but you'll need a buffer to apply it.
@@aemvasconcelos aye would be nice but had beeswax on hand. Found boiling the wax and letting cool a few times hardens the wax by a good bit and raises the melting point. Rub a thin layer on the wood, using a heat gun melt the layer into the wood, repeat until it doesn't wick into the wood and rub down well.
Very nice way to customise commercial picks. I've been playing around with some wood scales. But I will definitely look into this. PS DON'T use your $120 pick on those locks I sent you. I would feel terrible if your expensive pick broke in one of my locks. 😁👍👍👍🤘🤘🤘
If you drill though and pin them, you will not get the handle slipage Bill. Just leave the pins a little proud and sand back when shaping the handles. PS. If you want to dress them up a bit , you can get quite fancy pins on the knife making sites.
The sides have a very textyle look, the end result is not that bad but I think they would look much better with any kind of wood, it's very difficult to beat the looks of natural wood grain.
I think i like your 4 dollar pick better than the 120 dollar pick. I don't really know squat about picks but when it comes to knives "full tang" typically makes for a better handling better balanced knife.
I wonder how well it worked if you used no glue but two or three small countersunk screws with drill-sunk nuts on the other side. That way when the pick breaks you could use the same handle on a new pick. This requires drilling through the metal though (and aligning the holes), which might be a slight annoyance.
Was looking for a way to make handles for my brand new sparrows picks. I was thinking about 3D printing them but the glossy finish you show in this video makes me hesitate :) . Maybe if I smooth my ABS handles with Acetone vapor I could reach such a great finish with plastic 3D printed handles... or I could use your method. Thanks for the idea and for your videos !
When using picks don't they work harden making them brittle? Just a thought but maybe after so many hours the pick needs to be annealed to relieve the internal stressed from work hardening? Just guessing, never had a pick break on me yet. Still having good luck with the ones I ground out from hacksaw blades and windshield wipers.
Do you need to wear a respirator or take any othee special precautions working with micarta? I thought I remembered reading somewhere that the dust from it was bad for the lungs.
This is a great video. Love the DIY picks, they look awesome!
As a knife maker, I’m digging this. Couple of things you might find useful. Be sure to use a respirator around this dust, especially if you use power tools for finishing. And if you ever use a plastic handle material known as G10, be SURE to use a respirator. Probably not a big deal for you with hand sanding and this small amount. Also, get some q-tips and some lacquer thinner (or acetone) to wipe away the squeeze-out up at the tip (what would be the ricasso on a knife) right after you clamp it. This will give you a perfectly clean metal tip. Also, I don’t know how hard the handles are on those picks, but if you scuff them up like you did your handle scales AND drill a couple through holes, those handles will never come off. Lastly, you might see how you like the micarta with a non-polished finish. Especially canvas micarta. That’s commonly left a bit rough on outdoor knives to give better grip. Don’t think you need that much grip! But you might like the soft feel.
Grrrrrrr. I'm not sure if this will resonate with any of you, but I didn't get into locksport to make my own tools. And yet, so many videos like this have me turning my old starter picks into jewelry. Thanks as always, Bill!
Don't sell yourself short. I'd consider that a work of art. Thanks for the tips!
While this video was on last night, I went to the bathroom and brush my teeth. Then all of the sudden light bulbs!!! I just made me a pick handle with old tooth brush handle this morning! Beautiful and functional Oral B Lock Pick. All I needed to do is to learn how to pick lock.
Awesome video bill, I'm doing this to my home made picks because I can't afford to buy expensive picks being a single parent on a budget. I don't want to waste money like that on my hobby when I rather spend it on my kids to be happy! Thanks Bill I love your channel!
Damn, your comment made me as a dad feel like an ass now. Your absolute right. Some of my percentages could wait. Don't get me wrong... I spend most of my hard earned money on my little ones. But your message made me realize, I can do better! I needed that! Thanks!
Anyone else notice a lot of the videos where Bill talks through picking a lock, it goes like this ‘well, you can try this (lock pops open). Ok, got lucky there, you can also try this (lock pops open), hmm, ok that’s not normally that quick, lastly you can try (lock pops open).’
😂
BosnianBill. The Lock Whisperer.
Every time. I love when he starts saying that he's just demonstrating a tool and it definitely won't open this super challenging lock because it's completely resistant to rak- *pop*
Holy astute observations Batman, I think you have something there...
Your wife sounds like a thoughtful, generous lady.
Just a tip From a knife makers standpoint if you drill holes in the pick handles you will get a much better bond. Great video!!!
That's the way I use to make pick . Fast and sticky, just scanning your vids because 7 months of illness. Respect.
If you are using a nice flat tile, or even consider using a small square of glass to sand on top of. If using wet and dry, damp the bottom of the sheet, then place it on the tile/glass, it will stop it sliding around, and as you're not using glue it is easy to lift on sheet of sand paper up to put another down.
Beat me to that tip.
Hahahaa Come on Bill, you bought them for your Wife for Christmas. Thats how us Guys roll.
I'm filing this video in my brain under "the more you know." I've put-off working with micarta for a few years because I suffered from the delusion that it was difficult or complicated to work with (maybe I'm lumping it in with G10?) but now I'm going to greenlight a few projects I've been putting off for specialized tools. Great work with the picks!
Never mind the end finish !!! The important part is that they work well and open the damn locks !!!
Try drilling a few small holes in the pick handle before applying the Micarta to ensure an extremely strong epoxy bond
You beat me to that ;).
Yeah, I COULD have done that, but my picks don't last forever and I wanted to keep things simple. When you start talking about drilling holes in hardened stainless or spring steel, many people stop listening and walk away. I want things simple, just like me. Simple.
Simple is good, but the pins allow you to line up the pieces repeatedly.
Sandpaper on the pick to rough it up is a good tip too
one thing you can do is put painter tape on the inside of the micarta apply 2 little dabs of super glue on the tape then sandwich them together once you have them all sanded and done how you like you can just pop them apart!also is super helpful if you are wanting to use a electric sander/grinder/bandsaw also if you are not wanting to mess up your pick finish wrap it in painter tape :)
Lock picking is an art form.
You know you've picked way too many locks when you have a crease in your finger from the picks! 🤣👍
Alright Bill; I swear you were in my search history again. -- I was searching for something to make my own easy color-coded DIY pick handles from. Why didn't I even think of this material!?! Thanks for the tip. You are the man, looks great, love it!
Great DIY video. I found out today that paint can handles make great tension wrenches. Even some are solid as stainless and very hard to bend. I love the roundness of them on the handles.
I know this is an old video, but just looking at the Ratyokes, it looks like they are built in such a way that you can replace the blade when it breaks. It depends on the details, of course, whether epoxy was used, how good of an epoxy it was, etc. But the blade only extends a few inches into the handle, and the primary binder looks to be those 2 forward rivets. Pop the rivets out, remove old blade, insert new blade, pop new rivets in, then polish. Once one of these does break, it might be worth contacting the manufacturer to see if they can swap blades.
very nice and decent pieces of artistic work,..(this pieces are worth more than they cost).Value added
I have found that my favorite pick handles are made from pieces of the big sized 5 gallon yellow pine paint stirring sticks free from home depot. I RIP them 3/8 wide and cut to length.
I chop all the excess steel off of the pick so it is just a 1 1/2 long shank the same width as the wider part of the pick shank. Drill a hole in the end of the stick that the shank fits snugly into and urethane glue it in, then carve and sand it smooth..it makes for a ultra light pick that reverbs and talks to your hand. Heavy plastic and all that extra metal and weight have a dull dead feel to them and IMHO is pretty counter productive when sound and feel sensitivity are so beneficial with lock picking.
Lookin good! I think haven't tried it but I'm thinking you could use painter's tape to mask the area that won't be covered with handle since it would serve at least 3 purposes:
-use it as a sanding mask to rough up the handle as well, making even more sure that your handles don't come off
-you can use that for your handle alignment
-once the epoxy has hardened you can do some final sanding at the front without effecting the pick, then cut along the edge and finally peel the tape to lift away the epoxy overflow
Nice lesson. And, I have made a lot of Micarta in my time (linen and silk mostly).
These pre made sheets are MUCH easier, and likely to be way more consistent.
Brilliant video and guidance! Internet would be so much worse without Bill 😃
I know it's an old video but I would think G10 would be better. Also, drilling 2 holes (top and bottom) in the pick handle before glueing together would make it bond better or rather make sure it won't ever get loose.
Bill, if you want a secure way to affix the pic to the handle material, before you cut the sheets into strips, take a trim router and machine a small pocket into the material the shape of the pick handle. After you've machined the relief pockets, cut into strips.
Do your test fitting and sanding, and pair up the pieces for later assembly.
Sandblast the steel and lightly sandblast handle material, clean with acetone, then use a flexible urethane adhesive. Urethane sticks well to both steel and sheet goods. Clamp up using light pressure and allow to cure overnight.
Next day, clean up any squeeze out of adhesive, and enjoy your new picks.
No need for rivets, as you're not torquing the picks where additional strength would be required.
Beautiful !! looks like it was made of somebody professional !!!
I just did a batch of these last night from your inspiration. I used a 12x12 1/8" phenolic sheet from Amazon. 3 inch strips (I'm cheap). I only had time to finish one this morning before leaving for work, but I love the feel with a first run of sanding. much easier to hold and doesn't hurt. It isn't really pretty, but very comfortable.
Big tip, Cleanup is much easier if you make a flag for the probe end with masking tape, it gives you somewhere to hold and keeps the epoxy off of the probe. The epoxy easily scrapes off before a full cure, but why risk it.
Looks great
Locks open
Boom
works for me.
Thank you
With construction paper, epoxy, and a whole lot of patience, you can actually make your own micarta, as it's just stacked, expoxy impregnated paper. Peter Brown has a really good tutorial on how to make micarta.
It is so cheap, why would I waste time?
They look great.
No one wants an ugly tip, Bill. Nice stuff.
If you add a 2 rivets they wont slide and will be even more secure rather than just relying on the glue. NICE JOB! Looks beautiful.
Next time on Crafting with Bill: Brighten up your home with these stylish and functional tension tool centerpieces!
Excellent information & detail. I've been using 2 pieces of same size wiper inserts & heat shrink, which is functional, but not pretty. Those picks cleaned up very nicely. I didn't know steel wool would make it shine so well. I think minor blemishes gives each pick character, and don't affect picking or aesthetics either. There will probably be a run on micarta soon. LOL. 😂😅🤣😄
Those look great !!
All it takes is some epoxy or polyester resin and some old jeans, T-shirts, burlap, or even paper to make your own custom micarta, and it only takes a couple more man hours to make than this whole project. There are millions of how-to projects on UA-cam and various web sites, but it is very simple. First you'll need two pieces of 2X4, plywood, or anything with a flat surface to use as two sides of a sort of "form" that will be ½" - 1" longer and wider than your desired size of micarta. Then cut out a couple dozen rectangles of your chosen material just bigger on all four sides than your "form." The exact size isn't critical, it just needs to stick out on all four sides. Then just mix up a pint or two of your epoxy or polyester resin with its hardener, paint a strip of material, paper, etc., liberally with it. Just saturate the strip. Then lay it across your piece of 2X4. Next, lay a dry strip of material on top of the saturated one. Alternate saturated/dry/saturated/dry, etc., until you've got a stack of material about twice as thick as you want your micarta to be. Finally, place the second piece of 2X4 on top so it looks like a denim (or whatever material you chose) on 2X4 sammich. Clean the whole thing together tightly and leave to cure overnight. Tip: prop your micarta sammich vertically in a disposable aluminum meat loaf (or any size/shape,) pan and you'll avoid a mess. The next day you can saw it away from the 2X4s (or plywood, etc.,) trim, sand, and polish into whatever shape you want for pick handles, knife scales, gun handles, whatever you need. Tip #2: finish and clamp your picks in the middle of the fabric before clamping and all you have to do is trim and shape them. One last thing: leaving every other strip of material dry works very well with cloth, like denim, cotton and 50/50 cotton/poly T-shirts, your wife's old dresses, etc., because the resin on the saturated pieces will soak into the dry ones, but you can certainly soak every piece if you like...but if you do, definitely leave it in a disposable pan to cure, trust me!
Awesome video. I just ordered the micarta so ill have fancy handles on my picks soon, Thank you!
Very nice work. Very nice.
Thanks for the tip bill! I'm using wood instead of micarta, I'm halfway done (because I made the tips as well). Can't wait til it's finished
Good idea now i can stop using my steak knife handles and actually make my own!! Thanks bill!!
On the 12 day of Christmas my wife bought me a ratyoke, wish mine what not give me a funny look when picking 😂
whoah.... the locklab cat. i think i saw his cousin down the street from my house over here in new york.
Fantastic video. I may try it some day. I am so glad you mentioned not caring too much about the polished pick. I rather not have a shiny pick, I go for function over pretty any day..
HOWEVER, I am both functional AND pretty! 🤓
Amazing job all considering, also great idea for a personal touch on a gift for a lock sporting friend!
Great Info! Shows unique craftsmanship!
Outstanding DIY project Bill. I may give it a go, thanx.
Congratulations. Good job. Professional finish.
A bandsaw with a fence would be great for a job like that, a Dremel for the shaping and a quarter sheet sander for the sanding.
Great change up of content. Thanks. you can also use timber exactly the same. I even have a set with carved deer antler.
Hi...you can speed up the epoxy...just put in the ofen by 150 °C and you are ready after 15 min!
You never cease to amaze me Sir Bill.... The only thing that amazes me atm is the single dislike.... It's gotta be a MasterLock executive of some sort.
Very good, Bill. You could also use sheets of almost any material (e.g. wood and most plastics) of similar thickness as epoxy adheres well to most.
You have got an awsome wife man!
they look great, now you can start your own line of handles
Thanks for the tips. Appreciate not having to make the mistakes myself.
And now already shopping for Macarta... Bill is gonna be my scapegoat when I go bankrupt, LOL
*very* *Nice* *Bill*
Thanks for doing this video.
Nice work on the new picks.
@ Bosnianbill You could use Chicago Screws instead of epoxy to make the handles were re-usable.
Love it ! looks great awesome job Bill
Wow, that stuff cleans up great! Never heard of Micarta, but it seems very easy to work with, and at a great price. Good, useable, and simple solution to getting an affordable set of custom picks, thanks Bill! P.S. awesome that your wife got you those Ratyokes as gifts! When I suggest such things, my wife makes this weird, scrunchy face?
Awesome info Mr. Bill. They really are Great handles. Anything for me on handles, beats holding meatal. Especially if you're hands lock up on you like mine do. Thank you
12:00 literally said woa
Nice vidya, doubt I'd ever thought of using micarta but it's definitely on my radar now. Personally I've been upcycling scrap to make my picks and handles. Have had excellent results using pine slats [paint stirrers] stained with iron acetate [steel wool dissolved in vinegar] finished with beeswax.
Finish them with carnauba wax instead of beewax, beewax became kinda of sticky just with the heat from the hands, carnauba will not, but you'll need a buffer to apply it.
@@aemvasconcelos aye would be nice but had beeswax on hand. Found boiling the wax and letting cool a few times hardens the wax by a good bit and raises the melting point. Rub a thin layer on the wood, using a heat gun melt the layer into the wood, repeat until it doesn't wick into the wood and rub down well.
Goo info John; going to try this...@@dakrsage
Looks like an awesome budget product that looks great too. I never heard of it before, very cool. 😁✌
That still look good. I have bunch of picks that needs handle to, but the problem here I'm so lazy.
I’m not super into picking but I think I’m going to do this to mine.
Did it, with plexiglass. Maybe harder stuff. Went from 120 then 150, 180, 240, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000.
Very nice way to customise commercial picks. I've been playing around with some wood scales. But I will definitely look into this. PS DON'T use your $120 pick on those locks I sent you. I would feel terrible if your expensive pick broke in one of my locks. 😁👍👍👍🤘🤘🤘
He will make you repay him $120 for a replacement then just make a clone. Lol. 😆
Don'z Lockz hahahahaha. I can't afford that lmao.
@@DarkArtsLockPicking yeah, and that's US currency ...so that's about $965 AU. Lol
Don'z Lockz hahaha that sounds about right lol. 😂😂
Great job, Bill. I would have thought you would lose a little feedback though.
Very nice .Great idea buddy will have to give it a go.😎
Thanks for your work. these are awesome. off to buy some micarta
Thanks
Carbon fiber or G10 would be cool too.
If you drill though and pin them, you will not get the handle slipage Bill. Just leave the pins a little proud and sand back when shaping the handles. PS. If you want to dress them up a bit , you can get quite fancy pins on the knife making sites.
The sides have a very textyle look, the end result is not that bad but I think they would look much better with any kind of wood, it's very difficult to beat the looks of natural wood grain.
I think i like your 4 dollar pick better than the 120 dollar pick. I don't really know squat about picks but when it comes to knives "full tang" typically makes for a better handling better balanced knife.
Super!👍
good looking picks , i might copy soon :)
I wonder how well it worked if you used no glue but two or three small countersunk screws with drill-sunk nuts on the other side. That way when the pick breaks you could use the same handle on a new pick. This requires drilling through the metal though (and aligning the holes), which might be a slight annoyance.
If I pay $120 for a single Lockpick it better make me LockpickMan or give me psychic powers over every kind of lock in existence.... LoL
Was looking for a way to make handles for my brand new sparrows picks. I was thinking about 3D printing them but the glossy finish you show in this video makes me hesitate :) . Maybe if I smooth my ABS handles with Acetone vapor I could reach such a great finish with plastic 3D printed handles... or I could use your method. Thanks for the idea and for your videos !
_Wait what?!_ *$120 per pick?!*
They look _really_ nice for sure, but _WHY_ are they *that much* money??
Great job
Stay legal. No Micarta smugglers! 😃
You should lightly sand the picks so the epoxy will bond better to the metal
I have been meaning to make you some home made micarta handles for you but my back and all.
So cool thanks Mr Bill can you do a video on making a pick
Try Corian!
sweet!
Any benefits over the marine Shrink wrap? Aside from it being a Ratyoke clone (Batyoke © 2018 BosnianBill)?
Bill, did you use any varnish or coating to finish the pick handle or is that gloss look just achieved by fine sanding?
Just 00 steel wool
Just had a look on eBay and the cheapest I could find was a bumming 17AUD for a pair the size 100x38x7mm.
When using picks don't they work harden making them brittle? Just a thought but maybe after so many hours the pick needs to be annealed to relieve the internal stressed from work hardening? Just guessing, never had a pick break on me yet. Still having good luck with the ones I ground out from hacksaw blades and windshield wipers.
Picks are too cheap to bother with re-hardening them...
Nice video thank you
"Dense material" G-10 is around 1,8 g/cm3 and cloth micarta 1,3
Alumium is almost 3 and Coppar is 9
You and I think alike! Great hack tip!
Do you need to wear a respirator or take any othee special precautions working with micarta? I thought I remembered reading somewhere that the dust from it was bad for the lungs.
Absolutely! Breathing find dust is NEVER a good idea, especially resin dust. I only do my sanding outside and even then I wear a dust mask.
would a band saw be better to cut to size?
Cool. Better than popsicle sticks. What you gonna do for your EDC pick set?