Filing Guitar Picks

**Hammertone** · 06-25-2018, 03:54 AM

After sanding, try rubbing the sanded edges vigourously back and forth across some tighly woven or short pile synthetic broadloom.

**p1p** · 06-25-2018, 04:45 AM

Buy new picks, cheaper than sandpaper.

**rpjazzguitar** · 06-25-2018, 05:21 AM

My picks cost $14 per dozen.

This thing is under $5 and can probably put new life into a pick.

I've used a similar product with success. I've never seen the exact one in the link. Different sides have different grits. The smoothest one feels completely smooth, but the roughest one feels like sandpaper. Easier to manage than carrying different grades of sandpaper sheets, perhaps.

Amazon.com: 4 Way Shiny Block / 4 Step Buffing Block Shine Nail Buffer: Health & Personal Care

**mwcarr** · 06-25-2018, 07:00 AM

I’ve kept picks in great shape for years using fine sandpaper then some No.7 buffing compound on a leather strop. The compound can be found at any auto parts store, hardware. There is no scratchiness after this process. Some may consider this wasted time but being able to shape your picks to your preferences is an advantage.

**Brian B** · 06-25-2018, 07:37 AM

Somewhere Dan Erlewine is busy making an overpriced Pick filing system now..... lol

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**Runepune** · 06-25-2018, 08:09 AM

I bought a set of these. Use it for picks, frets, and just about anything else on the guitar

3M Polishing Paper

**princeplanet** · 06-25-2018, 09:06 AM

I use sand paper to take the point off...

**whiskey02** · 06-25-2018, 09:16 AM

Don't know what you're using but the Dunlop Ultex material is very wear resistant and sounds great.

**sgosnell** · 06-25-2018, 11:45 AM

After shaping the pick, I drag it vigorously across a piece of short-pile carpet. Fortunately my practice room has lots of it. It doesn't take a long time, just back and forth a dozen or so times, using some force and moving very quickly, and the edge of the pick is very smooth. Sandpaper, even very fine grades, leaves striations, and the carpet pile takes them out well enough. I often do this with new picks to make sure they're smooth. The only picks I don't use this with are Blue Chips, which don't need it new, and I haven't seen enough wear yet to need reshaping.

**Pat Clare** · 06-25-2018, 03:46 PM

Blue Chip will not wear out, although most would not go for them

**339 in june** · 06-25-2018, 03:55 PM

Sandpaper to shape your worn pick
Then, toothpaste to polish it.

At least it works fine for me with my home-made bone picks

**sgcim** · 06-26-2018, 01:46 AM

Thanks for the replies. I'll start out with the carpet, and go from there.

**GNAPPI** · 06-26-2018, 01:44 PM

Polish it with white jeweler's rouge either on a grinder buffing wheel or dremel buffing attachment.

**Acoustotron** · 06-26-2018, 04:10 PM

Would a whetstone like this work:

Amazon.com : Whetstone Cutlery 20-10960 Knife Sharpening Stone-Dual Sided 400/1000 Grit Water Stone-Sharpener and Polishing Tool for Kitchen, Hunting and Pocket Knives or Blades by Whetstone : Sharpening Stones : Sports & Outdoors

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**sgosnell** · 06-26-2018, 04:15 PM

Lots of things can work. It's mostly a matter of deciding how much you want to spend on a gizmo to polish $0.25 picks, and how much time you want to spend doing the polishing. Vigorous strokes across a carpet you already have creates a lot of heat, and gives me an acceptable polish in less than a minute. YMMV.

**cosmic gumbo** · 06-26-2018, 10:41 PM

I take my $15 picks to the nail salon for a manicure to restore them.

**tonedeaf** · 06-26-2018, 11:22 PM

Originally Posted by Hammertone

After sanding, try rubbing the sanded edges vigourously back and forth across some tighly woven or short pile synthetic broadloom.

+1
This is the only thing that helps my picks.

**DonEsteban** · 06-27-2018, 05:15 AM

Originally Posted by whiskey02

Don't know what you're using but the Dunlop Ultex material is very wear resistant and sounds great.

+1

I'd call them undestroyable, that's why they make them in this "invisible" color, so they hope that you'll lose them at last.

And the sound!!!

**Alter** · 06-27-2018, 06:16 AM

So does it work, do you get good results? I use fender mediums, but the package from guitar center, I must literally have hundreds around

**fitflatpicker** · 01-17-2020, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by sgcim

Thanks for the reply! Which dept. is that sandpaper in, the automotive or the nail dept?
The sandpaper I've been using was from Home Depot, and might be too coarse to sand down my Dunlop Jazz IIIs.

Sorry for the delayed response. Just now saw this. It’s in Automotive.

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