Ivory Paper Micarta Guitar Pick

[Ted]

My Ivory Paper Micarta Guitar Pick
Guitar picks are important to me and I spend a lot of time and money experimenting with them. Of course, there are better materials to make guitar picks from than Ivory Paper Micarta, but if one is looking for something very economical and easy to use in making their own guitar picks - Ivory Paper Micarta is excellent, some of the best material I have found!

Pros
This material can be found in any decent craft supply shop.

It easy to cut and to shape, using ordinary household tools and materials.

It is many, many times more durable than celluloid, nylon or plastic.

It allows for a great, snappy tone -- it does not have the best tone as compared to a few other materials I have used for picking -- but it does allow for a great tone! It wears much, much more slowly than other materials, and this means it doesn't get your guitar all dusty, like some other plastics and materials do.

The price is right!

Cons
N/A

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The piece of ivory paper shown in the photograph is 1/16" thick X 5" X 12" and cost me $10.00 at my local craft supply shop. I can make thirty-two picks from this sheet alone. (The 1/16" thickness is much too thick for my use, so I had to do a little more sanding to flatten my pick to the thickness I prefer. You might have to do the same).

Depending on how much and how hard you play and practice with a guitar pick, one pick made of this material could potentially last for years.

If you practice a lot, like I do, and find yourself spending too much ca$h on cheesy picks at the guitar store - well, here's an alternative for you!

Like I said, there are better materials to make picks with, but I don't like to burn up my more expensive materials doing scales and practicing things. This Ivory Paper Micarta saves me a ton of time, material and $$$$$$$.

The pick in the photo is a simple classic Fender guitar pick shape. I literally placed a Fender pick on top of the ivory paper sheet and traced around it to get my basic shape. You can make your picks into literally any shape you like.

Tools
I used an old hacksaw to cut out the basic shape of the pick. For sanding I had a peice of 60 sandpaper for doing the rough sanding, and a piece of 150 sandpaper for the final finish and the bevel. To make the bevel glass smooth I use a simple beauty shop emery board. If one wanted to make the pick nice and shiny and pretty (and greatly improve the tone at the same time), one could buff the pick with a buffing wheel and buffing compound.

Have fun making your own picks and be sure to pass along any information on other pick making materials and experiences you'd like to share! I am ALWAYS on the lookout for cool stuff -- like this!!!!!!!