I use cohesive bandage wrap. It's the same thing I use as a disposable grip tape for tattooing. Even a single taut wrap is enough to make a pick far more comfortable and adds almost nothing to the thicknes. It adds nothing to the rigidity however. It's also extremely cheap and can be applied in seconds.
They all look great. For me I would use harness tape, it's very comfy to hold and it's easy to apply (and cheap, very cheap). Or I would use amalgamating tape, gives great grip and again very easy to apply. Flex isn't an issue for me and sometimes I feel the flex can be an advantage.
Love the ideas here, I personally just went with some SouthOrd pick covers when I wanted to add some grip to my picks, similar to the plasti dip but without the wait. Only downside there was all my picks saying "SOUTHORD" even though only one or two were from them originally
I like tongue depressors, either child or adult as they’re thinner than popsicle sticks and can be much longer, in adult size, if you have larger hands. I also like the zip ties and if you have a PVC bender or toaster oven you can just heat them up, spray with adhesive and press them to stick the pick inside. I like a thin band of heat shrink or electrical tape on turning tools to quickly identify their size. You can also use grip tape (traction tape) as it provides both some girth and grip.
Here's what I use on my homemade knives. Micarta! You can laminate it to your handles with an epoxy. But you should have a belt sander or some other aggressive way of removing the material to make it look good. You can find this on Amazon or Ebay. Obviously try to buy the thinnest material on the market.
My first handels and only handles because I'm new is blue painters tape. It is what I had available that would still let them fit in the Tuxedo cary pouch. I will upgrade to the shrink tube someday but for now it is what I have and it works. Edit: Have you ever combined methods before? Wood with shrink tube or plasti dip would give the benefits of stiffness from the wood and grip from the rubber.
Some very good ideas. My personal favorite handles are the hot dipped picks sparrows sell. But I also like urethane handles like the optional red slip on handles that come with a set offered on banggood. You can also buy slip on urethane handles from southord. An alternative to the rubber dip you used, would be "shoe goo", a paste that comes in a tube that dries to a hard but pliant rubber, intended for use on toes of work boots to prevent wear.
@@LockNoob it might be a cheaper way than that rubber dip you used with the same result. I never tried it as a handle coating, but that stuff is amazing for protecting high wear areas of my work boots, and sealing any leaks in my boots.
I use ultraviolet curable epoxy. Just puddle it up on one side using a syringe and hit it with UV light for one sec then flip it over and repeat. Best to let it cool for a few minutes before you do the second side. If your doing three or four you dont need to wait because by the time you do a few and get back to the first one it will be cured and cooled. You can imbed little figures the ladies use to do their fingernails to distinguish different thicknesses. Eg. orange=0.025, strawberry =0.015, dragonfruit=0.030... Glue the figure on first and cure then do the puddle thing. All this is instant because UV epoxy is super fast cure in less than one second. Looks super nice and is very stiff when it cools down. Ask any lady that does nails and she will point you to the right products. I use clear epoxy but I suppose you could put glitter or color or whatever you want.
so im just getting started with lockpicking and found your channel. Think personally, id go with the strength of the pop sticks, and then put the shrink wrap over top to get the soft grip
Thank you for sharing this, epically the copper tube handles :) I work at a greenhouse and maintain the propane heaters O.O I never realized all those little scraps of tube I have could make such nice handles that also play into others parts of my life :)
I've used regular shrink tube on my Praxis kit, it really did help but still too flexible for my fingers. The idea of reinforcing them with wiper inserts is great, I'm going to order the marine grade shrink wrap and try it out with the wiper inserts. I really love the idea of the nylon zip ties, I have tons of them at work, and we clip them and toss them in the trash when working on cabling, I can salvage them. Really good ideas, I love the popsicle stick one. If you have a cigar store nearby make friends with them and ask if they have old cigar boxes. They are great for storing picks, and also a great free source of wood for the handles. It's not hard wood, but you can still make it look great with some sanding and a finishing coat.
@@LockNoob I've never had a problem as long as I scuff the metal first, I've had some that I have been using for about a year now, the picks themselves have given out before the glue ever does.
Brilliant video! I've been doing the shrink tube, but was thinking about doing copper tubing or plasti-dip. Ended up getting some handlebar grip tape. Still on its way to me from China, will let you know how that turns out. I'd be happy to give that copper handle pick a loving home if it needs one...
Some of my picks have shrink tube. It’s pretty good on .025 picks. But I’m not very fond of it. I have shrink tube on all my .015 picks and I really don’t like it because of the amount of flex in the handle. There is flex in the .025 picks also, but not like on the .015 picks. I really need to try out the cable ties. They seem like a good compromise between weight and rigidity. I’ve thought about using wood veneers for handles. A couple thin layers of wood on each side of the pick handle would make a world of difference. Rigid but relatively light weight and still fairly thin.
I'm going to try the popsicle sticks and then wrap that in the marine grade shrink tubing. I am also going to try the same thing as the brass but substitute some soft copper tubing and then cover that with the shrink tubing! My old hands are in pain with the regular handled picks. This a great idea video!
Currently I’m trying athletic grip/ hockey tape. I cut to it length and wrap it on ( not in a spiral) and I’m fairly happy with it. The fact it has the superman logo and was on clearance is a bonus.
I let the wood lacquer soak in for impregnate. Store the recycled popsticks in a glas full off it. wash and dry it before it comes in the glas. Absolut my favorit chanel, this is lock picking how i love it. thanx! Sry my english
I hadn't thought of using wiper inserts to thicken and bulk out shrink wrapping but it sounds like a great idea and would probably have little to no adverse feedback dampening consequences. I have some more picks I want to wrap up so I may well try that little hack out with those. One other thing to try could be polymer clay such as Super Sculpey or Fimo. You could roll those to a smooth finish and cure them for a few minutes in an oven on a low heat, then they're good to go once cooled. Advantages could include shaping the grip as exotically as you wish and embossing them with your logo of choice or a size identifier. You could also inlay other colours of the same clay brand to get something individualised and personal. Maybe try the idea out on a broken pick or other surplus first to see how it looks.
I like the heat shrink handle but cut it perfectly square 90° on each end and leave it a (couple mm) short on the back end leaving a little of the meatal exposed "rounded corner". Looks clean and professional.🔓
you could layer these things too. like if you like thicker handes in stead of finishing the popcicle sticks just put shrink tube over them you get the shape the thickness and no slivers lol or some of the others would also work this way
For windscreen wiper picks I use Starbucks coffee stirrers glued on with Zap-A-Gap. Feels like a pencil. Reading through the comments: I think that I'll cover with shrink tube. I'm sure one could make a silicon mould and make a very strong resin handle. Great video, really enjoying myself watching your back catalogue :-) All the best to you and yours 👍 👍 👍 🍻
The brass/copper tube is extruded so it becomes "work hardened". Anneal it by heating to a gentle glow and it will become soft and easier to work and won't break your vice. Lollipop sticks + Heat-shrink works well. Great job Ash and thanks for sharing. Take care mate and have a fantastic weekend.
7th alternative - The required length of rubber tube, the highly flexible type used for pull tension exercise, available in different diameters. 10mm is fine for hacksaw blade width. It simply press slips over the metal pic handle. Changes out easily if the pic blade gets bent/deformed beyond repair. Very comfortable.
With my first couple of hooks, they have .025 scales on them spot-welded, but I find the picks too short to be comfortable, and a little thickness wouldn't hurt either. I took three popsicle sticks, cut one short, and I made a press-fit sleeve with some proper cloth gaf tape to slip over the handles of the hooks. Wouldn't do so well for a rake, but it works on hooks just fine and it's made picking faster and far more comfortable. The only reason I haven't made the mod permanent yet is that I want to ask a woodworker friend if he'd recommend some material that might look like I care about my tools without getting pretentious about it. The cable ties sound like a great solution and I'd go right to that if I had any in black. Mine are in that off-white color.
1/2" refrigeration copper is the PERFECT size follower for many Lockwood and ABUS locks * Refrigeration/air conditioning copper goes by outer diameter, whereas pluming copper goes by inner pipe diameter ** heating up with a blow torch or jet lighter (not lighter!) softens the copper greatly once cooled
Ahhh, the different opinion. I might try some what shrink on my pics from this vid, just to see. But between my China import picks molded handles and no handle, I'm hesitant on the in-between stuff beside copper or wood clad. Both of which I have the tools to do. Unfortunately by the time I'm done, it's a $200 handle on a $5 pick lol. And of course I'll probably promptly break my first pick.
I just put a handle on one of my pics using cotton rope. Just slide the pic into a piece of braided cotton rope and a touch of glue around the ends to keep it from fraying. It actually looks pretty cool super cheap super easy
Awesome job! How much does rigidity factor in for you? Is a more rigidity pock better for feedback or a more flexible handle better? My current favourite is a custom pick I made from marble. It is a bit heavier but the rigidity is solid as a rock. Pun intended. The feedback is amazing though. Thanks again for great info for low budget maximum effect handles. Cheers!
All good ideas but there is a couple you forgot that needs mentioning. Surgical tubing or vinyl tubing that can be purchased by the foot at most hardware stores. It comes in all diameters. Myself, I prefer surgical tubing because the rubber feels better. It fits snug and can be replaced very easily. There's also epoxy putty. Works like the polymer clay but it's more durable and a bit firmer. Ps. You should've heat shrink wrapped the popsicle sticks to the pick instead of using glue.
Those callouses build up, then the handles just scratch them off after hours of picking, I have the same kit and used what I had (regular shrink tube), it's time to get the marine grade.
@@unlockeduk Hey it happens, when I first start picking it was really bad. Had to file them down once in a while. Now not so bad with the grips though.
These are my top 5 easiest and cheapest ideas for handles for your bare metal lock picks. Have I missed you favourite? Let me know in the comment below! 😃👍
You're missing the very best one - a bic pen with the ink catridge removed, put it in a vise until it's ovalized just enough to inset the pick, and there ya go, perfect looking and functioning handle. Smooth jaws work best, and only compress it enough to fit the pick in, that way it will hold better when you remove it from the vise.
I have a Praxis set. Bare metal. The solution I came up with is two strips cut from belt leather. Then shrink wrap over them. The nice thing is you only need to make a couple or few. You can slide the pick in and out no problem. I did leave just the smallest bit of extra shrink wrap on the butt end then put a bit of hot glue there to keep the pick from pushing through. As you might notice, they got better looking each time I made a new one. I used an old work belt. If I can find a bit of thinner leather I'd like to try that. i.imgur.com/nQvtCKF.jpg
