(1354) EASY to Make Micarta Lock Pick Handles 

This is a great video. Love the DIY picks, they look awesome!

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.

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.

Don't sell yourself short. I'd consider that a work of art. Thanks for the tips!

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!

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'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!

You know you've picked way too many locks when you have a crease in your finger from the picks! 🤣👍

Awesome video. I just ordered the micarta so ill have fancy handles on my picks soon, Thank you!

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!

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.

Try drilling a few small holes in the pick handle before applying the Micarta to ensure an extremely strong epoxy bond

Thanks for doing this video. Nice work on the new picks.

Beautiful !! looks like it was made of somebody professional !!!

Congratulations. Good job. Professional finish.

Great Info! Shows unique craftsmanship!

Outstanding DIY project Bill. I may give it a go, thanx.

Love it ! looks great awesome job Bill

Thanks for the tips. Appreciate not having to make the mistakes myself.

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

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.

Those look great !!

Great change up of content. Thanks. you can also use timber exactly the same. I even have a set with carved deer antler.

They look great.

Amazing job all considering, also great idea for a personal touch on a gift for a lock sporting friend!

Looks great Locks open Boom works for me. Thank you

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. 😂😅🤣😄

Never mind the end finish !!! The important part is that they work well and open the damn locks !!!

Hahahaa Come on Bill, you bought them for your Wife for Christmas. Thats how us Guys roll.

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!!!

Very nice work. Very nice.

Very nice .Great idea buddy will have to give it a go.😎

Thanks for your work. these are awesome. off to buy some micarta

That's the way I use to make pick . Fast and sticky, just scanning your vids because 7 months of illness. Respect.

very nice and decent pieces of artistic work,..(this pieces are worth more than they cost).Value added

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

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.

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

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.

they look great, now you can start your own line of handles

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.

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..

Your wife sounds like a thoughtful, generous lady.

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.

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 :)

good looking picks , i might copy soon :)

whoah.... the locklab cat. i think i saw his cousin down the street from my house over here in new york.

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.

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.

Great job

*very* *Nice* *Bill*

On the 12 day of Christmas my wife bought me a ratyoke, wish mine what not give me a funny look when picking 😂

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.

Lock picking is an art form.

Nice video thank you

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?

Looks like an awesome budget product that looks great too. I never heard of it before, very cool. 😁✌

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.

Thanks

So cool thanks Mr Bill can you do a video on making a pick

Super!👍

You have got an awsome wife man!

Next time on Crafting with Bill: Brighten up your home with these stylish and functional tension tool centerpieces!

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 !

Great job, Bill. I would have thought you would lose a little feedback though.

And now already shopping for Macarta... Bill is gonna be my scapegoat when I go bankrupt, LOL

@ Bosnianbill You could use Chicago Screws instead of epoxy to make the handles were re-usable.

Good idea now i can stop using my steak knife handles and actually make my own!! Thanks bill!!

That still look good. I have bunch of picks that needs handle to, but the problem here I'm so lazy.

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.

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.

I’m not super into picking but I think I’m going to do this to mine.

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.

Any benefits over the marine Shrink wrap? Aside from it being a Ratyoke clone (Batyoke © 2018 BosnianBill)?

sweet!

Cool. Better than popsicle sticks. What you gonna do for your EDC pick set?

Hi...you can speed up the epoxy...just put in the ofen by 150 °C and you are ready after 15 min!

what did you cut them out with? Im trying to use a hack saw. If I get slightly out of line or if I pull out the saw blade the scale will crack

I have been meaning to make you some home made micarta handles for you but my back and all.

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.

So, I watched your video for a couple years ago about pick making material. Have you found any better pick making material or does that video still hold true?

What about a 3d printer for the full pick? I know you have plans for the windshield wiper blade pick.

At a great idea i am going to look for some Micarta online. Is it available under that name in the UK ?

Try Corian!

No one wants an ugly tip, Bill. Nice stuff.

12:00 literally said woa

did you censured your accidental facfe reveal on the reflection of the black micarta?

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 RU-vid 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!

Just had a look on eBay and the cheapest I could find was a bumming 17AUD for a pair the size 100x38x7mm.

Carbon fiber or G10 would be cool too.

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. 😁👍👍👍🤘🤘🤘

Bill, did you use any varnish or coating to finish the pick handle or is that gloss look just achieved by fine sanding?

would a band saw be better to cut to size?

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.

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.

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.

Maybe a cheap harbor Freight table-top band saw??

You should lightly sand the picks so the epoxy will bond better to the metal

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.