Nipple Pick

[doc623]

Don't know is this goes here so feel free to move it.
I have and use nipple picks.
Sometimes I could use a little longer wire on the pick.
Anyone know what kind of wire is used and where I might find that type of wire to make one to my liking?
Thanks

 

[poordevil]

what kind do you like? I use a small 6p nail. I use a paper clip. I use anything that will fit. Powder supplies sell long and short plan and fancy picks. Look around and see.

P

 

[RICKYD]

I keep tip cleaners for a cutting torch in my bp cleaning box works good for me

 

[mazo kid]

Music wire comes in many diameters and you should be able to find one to your liking. Visit a music store and see what they may have. Or...like poordevil says, a paper clip makes a pretty good pick, and they come in several sized too. Put it in an antler tip, etc.

 

[Black Hand]

You can baling wire, paper clips, coat hanger, copper wire, safety pins or any other wire-type material with the proper diameter.

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu need to find wire that is small enough to fit through the very small orifice at the bottom of the nipple. Since the nipple is only about 5/8" long, the wire does not need to be long. All the commercial nipple pick wires I have are more than long enough. I have one on a " Hawken Flintlock Tool", from the Hawken Shop, now located on the West Coast, but the tool is available from many suppliers, including TOTW. I have a nipple pick wire, in my T/C Nipple wrench. The brass cap at the top of the shank unscrews, and has the wire inbedded in the cap. The wire actually goes through a hole drilled through the cross bar of the " T-handle", holding the bar in place( KISS). I have a nipple pick wire in the end cap of my Tedd Cash Adjustable Powder measure. I just measured the wires on two of them, and they come in at .031" in diameter.

As to finding the wire to make your own, contact piano repair shops, and talk to your commercial hardward dealers, and machine supply dealers. If you have to buy the stuff, you will be stuck with a spool of wire that is hundreds of feet long- more than 100 lifetime's supply than you need. Piano tuners, and repairmen often carry spools of various gauges of wire. You will have to convert the dimension I gave above to wire gauge, but you can find that scale by searching for " wire gauge conversion " on your computer. Don't hesitate to call local machine shops, and talk even to the local auto repair shops. Spring wire works just fine for these small projects, so you might find a smaller quantity you can afford at Brownells, the Gunsmith supply company in Iowa.

 

[Black Hand]

As to finding the wire to make your own, contact piano repair shops, and talk to your commercial hardward dealers, and machine supply dealers. If you have to buy the stuff, you will be stuck with a spool of wire that is hundreds of feet long- more than 100 lifetime's supply than you need. Piano tuners, and repairmen often carry spools of various gauges of wire. You will have to convert the dimension I gave above to wire gauge, but you can find that scale by searching for " wire gauge conversion " on your computer. Don't hesitate to call local machine shops, and talk even to the local auto repair shops. Spring wire works just fine for these small projects, so you might find a smaller quantity you can afford at Brownells, the Gunsmith supply company in Iowa.

Save yourself lots of time and money and find the music wire display in your local hardware shop. $3-4 will buy you enough wire to make 10 or more picks. Or use any wire you have available. It doesn't need to be supers strong or tempered as you are just using it to get junk out of a hole....

 

[paulvallandigham]

Not all HARDWARE stores have spools of wire to sell, these days. If yours does, its an excellent source for all the wire you need or want.

At my " Tru-Value Hardware " store, for instance, they have the wire, but its back in the commercial hardware section, and not out where most people shop. If you ask the clerks for it, they will direct you back to the commercial sales counter and they fix you up. There are several Tru-value hardware stores in the area, but they don't all carry the same inventory. Call ahead and ask them.

 

[J.D.]

A lot of hardware stores sell music wire in 6- 36 inch lengths. Sometimes ya gotta ask for it, but most places will have something you can use. Hobby shops also carry small diameter music wire.

 

[tjohnson56]

I just use one of those pins for sticking notes on a cork board. It's about 3/8 inches long with the plastic knob on the end.

I bent the tip a little so I can scrape the inside of the nipple. It's a little thick for the vent at the bottom of the nipple to go in very far. I've only used it a few times but it did the trick.

It is kept in a snuff box with my worm, bullet puller, bore light ect.

 

[Black Hand]

Not all HARDWARE stores have spools of wire to sell, these days. If yours does, its an excellent source for all the wire you need or want.

Paul,
They aren't looking to make hundreds of picks, so why would they need a spool of wire when all you need is 3-4 inches for a pick.....?
Albert

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu really do need the proper sized wire to clean that small orifice in the nipple. That is where crud eventually gets stuck. I assume you need and have a nipple wrench of some kind? Why not replace what you have with the T/C nipple wrench?

Track has them.
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/(S(q...catId=1&subId=9&styleId=30&PageSize=10&Page=1

 

[Emet Huntsman]

Have one of those as well. Kill two birds with one stone -- wrench and pick in combo. Great tool to have in your pouch or shooting box.

 

[smo]

You could use wire fishing leader also, but I keep a torch cleaner in my range box and a store bought nipple pick in my bag. :thumbsup:

 

[cowpoke1955]

Dnag, what's a nipple pick? After 30 years with muzzle loaders, never used one and never needed one. Now a vent pick is a different story.

 

[smo]

The one I got I think was made by TC,it's just a straight piece of brass that un-screws on one end and has a stiff wire in it.I guess that make it safer to carry. :thumbsup:

 

[mazo kid]

Not all HARDWARE stores have spools of wire to sell, these days. If yours does, its an excellent source for all the wire you need or want.

Paul,
They aren't looking to make hundreds of picks, so why would they need a spool of wire when all you need is 3-4 inches for a pick.....?
Albert

I don't know if you were serious when you asked the question, but I think Paul was referring to bulk spools where you get whatever length you want
cut off, just like the electrical wire spools, etc.

 

[R. Miller]

I buy spring wire at the hobby shop.one that caters to model airplanes. about 30 inch length enough to make a pile of vent/ nipple pic's
Stickwalker

 

[Stumpkiller]

Small paper clip straightened, trimmed to 2" and one end bent round around the jaws of a pair of chain nose pliers.

Furthest right in this image.

 

[smo]

October Country, MSM nipple pick $2.90 or you can go for the high dollar model DAC nipple pick with case for $3.35 :rotf: :v