minerken
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Member since August 2013
Posts: 466
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Post by minerken on Dec 16, 2017 15:20:25 GMT -5
it sounds as if you are holding the product close to the chest but it would be interesting to see what you are starting out with and where you want to be. Pics would be cool but understand if you are keeping it under wraps.
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 86
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Post by rockrockrock on Dec 16, 2017 17:19:10 GMT -5
it sounds as if you are holding the product close to the chest but it would be interesting to see what you are starting out with and where you want to be. Pics would be cool but understand if you are keeping it under wraps. Happy to do so. No secrets here. We've been in biz going on two years and are rocking and rolling. Is there an easy way to attach a photo here, or do I have to post a URL from a photo board? We've got a new product that's flipping gorgeous when polished right. Thanks! RRR
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minerken
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Member since August 2013
Posts: 466
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Post by minerken on Dec 16, 2017 17:35:19 GMT -5
there is but using a third party in some ways easier just go to reply not quick reply and there is an attachment option pics have to be around 648 X 480 I think but it is a direct download or less than a MB
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 86
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Post by rockrockrock on Dec 16, 2017 19:01:14 GMT -5
there is but using a third party in some ways easier just go to reply not quick reply and there is an attachment option pics have to be around 648 X 480 I think but it is a direct download or less than a MB No prob. Have a new model I want to show, but will have to post it tomorrow, as I have to first upload and resize it into imgur. Here's the link to our online store. We make guitar picks that range in price from $30-50. The ones on either end, the red and the "tortoise" designs, are the ones horrible to polish. The browns and the blacks in the middle are done in a matte finish. Here's our store: Charmed Life Guitar PicksWe've built a substantial business just through word-of-mouth, with zero marketing budget. Thanks, Ken! RRR
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 86
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Post by rockrockrock on Dec 17, 2017 2:08:45 GMT -5
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Post by grumpybill on Dec 17, 2017 6:16:59 GMT -5
Off topic, but I'm curious about the feasibility of a guitar pick that's "allergic to water". Granted, with the advent of LED lighting systems, stages are a bit cooler these days, but there are still hot/humid conditions/venues to consider. (Reply via PM, if you want.)
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Dec 17, 2017 8:03:47 GMT -5
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Post by spiceman on Dec 17, 2017 13:13:05 GMT -5
Not to start a argument but a pick is mostly covered by your fingers and the temp should stay the same while it's being used, humidity should not be a issue because there should be very little if any change and both of them will be a slow change. Also, put another type in your pocket if you have troubles.
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 86
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Post by rockrockrock on Dec 17, 2017 16:36:20 GMT -5
Thanks. I'm very familiar with this company and have bought products from them. Good company, good people. HOWEVER, as stated in my OP, all these products out there are far too expensive for what they are. Case in Point: Diamond Pacific makes a product that will do what I want, but it is $30 (!!!) a pound, and it's basically corncob, a binding agent, and grit. That's it. I'm a very stubborn individual. I won't stop until I find a solution and develop my own. When I do my cost for the same essential function will maybe be a couple dollars a pound. So yeah, there are solutions out, but I'm all about putting the money in my pocket, not theirs. Since I have the drive and the time to experiment, I'm going my own way. Thank you, though. Kramer is certainly one of the leaders. RRR p
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 86
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Post by rockrockrock on Dec 17, 2017 16:37:52 GMT -5
As to the two gents that mentioned heat and moisture, etc., this is not a problem as far as guitarists playing or holding the pick. It only becomes as issue if the item was submerged completely in water for fifteen minutes. Heat is not a problem UNLESS you try to sand or buff the material too aggressively, as which point it will warp. BTW, to turn over all the cards, the stuff is called casein plastic. It's actually made from a combination of dairy proteins and an acid. You can make a crude version of it on your kitchen stove. Here's some more info on it. It was discovered in 1895 in Germany and was used to make jewelry, combs, etc. plastiquarian.com/?page_id=14228
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Post by youp50 on Dec 17, 2017 17:34:41 GMT -5
Not interested at all in guitar picks, water absorbing plastics, or dry polishing said plastics. I am enjoying this thread and your open honesty. You started rather ambiguous. Have you considered polishing gem stones as a sideline.😉
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 86
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Post by rockrockrock on Dec 17, 2017 18:14:52 GMT -5
Not interested at all in guitar picks, water absorbing plastics, or dry polishing said plastics. I am enjoying this thread and your open honesty. You started rather ambiguous. Have you considered polishing gem stones as a sideline.😉 My dad was a science teacher, so growing up I tumbler my share of rocks. Naw, I'm too dang busy with what I'm doing now. I'm a fully-tenured English prof, still teaching full time, when this thing exploded in my face. I had NO INTENTION of starting a side business, but as a guitar player (I've been playing more than forty years) I just fell in love with these materials. I made about half a dozen for myself (they horrible), then a buddy of mine asked if I'd make one for you, and then his buddies, and more buddies, and suddenly I'm in the frickin' guitar pick business. Honest to God, that's how it started. I totally backed into this. The most gratifying thing is making friends through our products all over the world -- hundreds and hundreds of people I've never met, but who praise and worship our products for their performance and enhancement of their playing. It's been a real blessing for me and my wife. We don't have a nickel for marketing budget, and our entire business has been through word-of-mouth. Who'd a thunk? Anyway, we've been extremely lucky, making our mistakes where they didn't cost us a ton of money (and we've made plenty), since there isn't a manual for working with these materials. So, no to the rock tumbling. My plate is plenty full. We actually can't make our stuff fast enough, and right now are running two- to four-week lead times on most models. People pay us ahead of time (!?) and wait for us to deliver. Crazy. Nice to meet you. You folks have already been enormously helpful to us. Thank You! RRR
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 86
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Post by rockrockrock on Dec 17, 2017 18:17:22 GMT -5
What would you folks think of the possibility of using either beeswax or raw carnuba wax as a carrier for the grit? I was thinking of trying this. I can slowly melt the beeswax (not a lot, maybe a couple teaspoons), the slowly add and stir this into about a pound of corncob and maybe three or so tablespoons of say, 400 grit media. Hey, worth the experiment perhaps.
Thanks So Much!
RRR
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minerken
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2013
Posts: 466
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Post by minerken on Dec 17, 2017 18:29:20 GMT -5
rockrockrock just as a side the product I suggested after treating the corn cob expands probably close if not more than doubles.
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 86
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Post by rockrockrock on Dec 17, 2017 18:37:33 GMT -5
Ken, do you mean it will swell in size as it obsorbs a liquid or wax? Or do you mean it just does this naturally, without any additives, as it runs in the tumbler?
Kenny, just responding to your email right now. Off to you in a few minutes....
thanks! scott
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minerken
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2013
Posts: 466
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Post by minerken on Dec 17, 2017 19:45:58 GMT -5
I mean as it absorbs the colloidal mixture and swells
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Post by rmf on Dec 17, 2017 20:14:44 GMT -5
Some people are Soooooooooooooo Picky. Sorry someone had to say it yes pun intended.
the company listed (Kramer Industries) has the plastic media I mentioned but no mention of grit size. they might work in some type of light oil if that would work with your picks.
Old from the forum: @ismike said: about making homemade vibra dry Feb 6, 2007 at 8:21pm
Post by lsmike on Feb 6, 2007 at 8:21pm ;D I have used Vibra- Dry off and on for years. I like it because it gives consistently good results and is simple and clean . But, it is mucho expensive.So I made my own cheaply.So far I have done three pre-polishes and three polishes with the same batches [ no "refreshing" so far ]--all have turned out as good as anything I have ever done with any wet polish!!Before, I give my recipe, a couple of notes:1.If anyone wants to try this , please feel free to vary the ingredients.2.When you check your progress the stones will probably appear duller than they actually are. I think some of the carrier oil gets into them -I just buff them on a soft cloth . O.K. , here it is :I combined 6 pounds of crushed walnut shell, 12 ounces dried corn kernels,13Tablespoons of Vibra-Dry extender fluid and for pre-polish 8 Tbls. Reynolds 1.4-1.6 micron A.O.- for polish 8 T. Reynolds .2 micron A.O. I ran these mixes in my larger vibe witn a few pounds of small rock for about a day. The idea is to get the polish grit worked into the media - it will no longer be visible- and to have a dry mix. Some ideas for for variations: mineral oil ,dried beans ,rice grains.N.B. :Diamond Pacific, makers of Vibra-Dry suggest a run of 800 A.O. between 600S.C. and pre-polish.I did this with my home-made. As usual, you should wash between stages.At some point, as with V.D., it will be necessary to add more grit and/or fluid.I hope this can save some members money better spent on rocks. Let me know how this works for you.It is fun to experiment! Thanks for your kind attention. Mike
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rockrockrock
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2016
Posts: 86
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Post by rockrockrock on Dec 18, 2017 2:42:02 GMT -5
rmf, thanks. I had seen this a couple months ago before I joined. Sounds like it's worth a try.
BTW, folks, on the Kramer suggestion above, they offered a solution but quoted me 50 (!) pounds minimum to try it. Really? I'm a tiny company and not gonna invest in something like that that may or may not work.
Thanks, RRR
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