After reading an article about the humble pick, the history, various materials used, shapes, etc, and the predicted affect on tone, I decided to use a piano key top I’d found on the ground near the site of a piano demolition many years ago, and give it a whirl. The piece in question was of course too narrow to make the most common shape, but lent itself to making two teardrop shaped picks on the theme of the fender 358. A bit of shaping, sanding and polishing later, one is done. Photographed next to a common fender pick for scale. Sounds pretty good, bringing out a bit of a sharp bite at the start of a note compared to plastic, it’s also more sensitive, requiring less effort than a fender medium, and far less than a fender thin. 

Anyone else made their own?

Views: 365

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Nice looking. 

I still respectfully submit that a dense hardwood works. Square it up, large piece against the fence. a zero clearance insert does help, sometimes the thin piece wants to slip under a regular insert, and pulling it out near the blade is not an option. Anyone ever try bocote? comes from mexico, they still cut it down the same way. two mules going back and forth with a long chainsaw blade flat. very dense. Will not accept a oil based finish, won't dry. (ask me how I know) .Brian, my off color remark was because I believed Bruce's ivory is real Sorry, it was late. Here's a piece of zebra wood i cut thin, for a shim. Not for picks, just had this photo. 

Argh! It is real ivory. 

I know Bocote. Pretty, self oiling if I remember right. Like cocobolo, Sand to 1000 and polish with dry cotton wheel. I used to do gun grips and knives, as well as precision small boxes. I’ve used lots of exotics.  If I still had a table saw, I’d make a sliding insert with its own fence that only had a blade kerf slot. 

had to reply to the bocote. very dense, and beautiful, because the pretty pieces are sapwood, creating the outstanding grain. "self oiling" because of the sap. although the sap is as hard as a rock as well. make great gun grips and knives. my brother gifted me a large piece he picked up in Washington, Dc. i cut a fretboard. there was a scratch, have one of those stew mac flat sanders, after a half our of off and on sanding, the scratch was still there. then i decided to cut plugs from the same wood for fret markers, and cross the grain. talk about smoke. then put a poly finish on, like i said, wouldn't dry, sap repelling the oil. Used it for my special tuning macing invention, the bocote was hard enough to drill and tap. If anyone finds some, use it. one pic, gotta take a good one of the fretboard.

About 20 years ago, when I was doing little dovetail top pill boxes, a few jewelry boxes, etc, my dad picked up a box of exotic end cuts from a local dealer (they sell online now, at astronomical prices). They were cheap then, considers too small for cabinet makers to buy. I had bocote and Purple Heart, cocobolo, bubinga, etc etc. a box as big as a case of liquor for like $30. I kept a brand new cotton buffing wheel for the stuff like bocote and Purple Heart and cocobolo. The wheel would warm the piece and bring the oil up, and if sanded to 1000 first, shined like French polish. 

Nice. You were making dovetail boxes?! Dovetails are something I haven't tried, just to me seem like a Chinese puzzle. Just can't get it in my mind how the pieces fit together. Especially without one of those speciality jigs, which I don't understand either, unless I had one in my hand. Purple Heart is another "as hard as rock" wood. I used it the full length of one of my necks for static reinforcement. Martin used a steel T shaped piece for static reinforcement until around 1976, and still now sometimes. Do you use truss rods? 

I did the dovetails using a tapered dovetail cutter and the Sherline milling machine. Done right, the fit is amazing. I’ve done “bar of soap” looking pill boxes that for all the world look like a rounded off block of wood. I’ve handed them to people and they don’t understand that it’s a box, until I slide the lid open with my thumb. Did a Purple Heart jewelry box sanded to 2000 grit and waxed with butchers bowling alley wax, that was literally a mirror finish like metal. It was fun. 

Yep i cut my own ,i have a pickcutter ,i use old credit cards and get 4 -5 out of one card ,it depends on the quality card how long it lasts, but in general pretty good .
so its defentive worth to buy a pick-cutter.

yup, much easier than cutting them with scissors.

RSS

The Essential Pages

New to Cigar Box Nation? How to Play Cigar Box GuitarsFree Plans & How to Build Cigar Box GuitarsCigar Box Guitar Building Basics

Site Sponsor

Recommended Links & Resources


Forum

crossover guitar.

Started by Timothy Hunter in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 21. 11 Replies

Tune up songs

Started by Ghostbuttons in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 9. 5 Replies

Duel output jacks

Started by Justin Stanchfield in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Taffy Evans Mar 8. 6 Replies

How to Get Your Own Music on Spotify

Started by Cigar Box Nation in Feature Articles. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 21. 2 Replies

CB Bass Guitar

Started by Mi Rankin in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Justin Stanchfield Jan 27. 5 Replies

Latest Activity

A.D.EKER commented on A.D.EKER's video
Thumbnail

Im Troubled (Tribute) Mc K Morganfield by BCB - A.D .Eker 2024.

"Thank you Poorness ! for loving it ! appreciated!"
16 hours ago
Southern Ray replied to Timothy Hunter's discussion just came accross this pickup idea on youtube.
" Very interesting. Thank you Timothy!"
16 hours ago
Kent Thurston updated their profile
16 hours ago
Southern Ray posted a photo

Punch Project!

She now sports gold metal CBGitty knobs, speaker and an Artec 2.5 watt speaker. Finished this in…
17 hours ago
Southern Ray posted a photo

Project Punch!

Gonna finally get back on this long-delayed project that is more than half complete. (The matching…
17 hours ago
Poorness Studios liked A.D.EKER's video
19 hours ago
BrianQ. left a comment for Rob (Uker) Porras
"Hope this helps?"
19 hours ago
Doug Thorsvik commented on Doug Thorsvik's photo
Thumbnail

Dueling Flatheads

"I appreciate the kind words Papa D! I have always loved the look of these cigar boxes. Glad to have…"
22 hours ago
A.D.EKER commented on A.D.EKER's video
yesterday
A.D.EKER posted a video

Im Troubled (Tribute) Mc K Morganfield by BCB - A.D .Eker 2024.

The recorded History By Alan Lomax for the library of Congres of the Blues, from Mc Kinley Morganfield (Aka Muddy Waters) the in this take recorded Tribute ...
yesterday
Papa D commented on Doug Thorsvik's photo
Thumbnail

Dueling Flatheads

"Beautiful..Nice work Doug.."
yesterday
Papa D commented on Papa D's photo
Thumbnail

american1 Sun Glo

"Thanx AGP & Doug..  4 more coming soon"
yesterday

Music

© 2024   Created by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

\uastyle>\ud/** Scrollup **/\ud.scrollup {\ud background: url("https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/963882636?profile=original") no-repeat scroll 0 0 transparent;\ud bottom: 25px;\ud display: inline !important;\ud height: 40px;\ud opacity: 0.3 !important;\ud position: fixed;\ud right: 30px;\ud text-indent: -9999px;\ud width: 40px;\ud z-index: 999;\ud}\ud.scrollup:hover {\ud opacity:0.99!important;\ud}\ud \uascript type="text/javascript">\ud x$(document).ready(function(){\ud x$(window).scroll(function(){\ud if (x$(this).scrollTop() > 100) {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeIn();\ud } else {\ud x$('.scrollup').fadeOut();\ud }\ud });\ud x$('.scrollup').click(function(){\ud x$("html, body").animate({ scrollTop: 0 }, 600);\ud return false;\ud });\ud });\ud \ua!-- End Scroll Up -->