Shimming for a Better Pick Handle Fit-Up

Overview

Are your pick handles a tad on the loose side? In this document 44 Delta will show you how you can get an absolutely perfect fit-up with your pick handles and why this may be necessary.

3D Printing Isn't Perfect

While 3D printing has evolved to be a fairly accurate tool in terms of machining, it is not perfect. You cannot expect the same level of accuracy that a machinist can get with their tools and working with metal. Getting within .1mm of a measurement in 3D printing is pretty easy. But even .05mm of variance can mean the difference between perfect fitting pick handles and somewhat loose ones.

"Shimming" is a technique where you make a gradual adjustment post-production. This will alter the dimensions of something to bring it closer to an ideal state. Even in the mass consumer product world, shimming is commonly needed. For example, the valves of a combustion engine likely had to be shimmed to bring them into the correct final specifications. Leveling a table or refrigerator by adjusting its feet is another example of "shimming".

In a perfect world, shimming would never be necessary. Alas, we don't live in such a world, and inaccuracies can creep in from many places. However, 44 Delta promises to do everything in its power to minimize the need for such techniques. And you may see product revisions over time to continue to improve individual products as feedback from users is collected. At the end of the day though, it's often inevitable.

Luckily, there are simple techniques to ensure your handles will fit perfectly for your needs.

The Proposed Shimming Technique

The technique 44 Delta suggests you use is non-destructive to your picks, and will make use of every day household items. Specifically scotch tape, or some equivalent (painter's tape, small cuts of paper, etc).

The application is simple. You're going to start by doing 1 turn of scotch tape around your pick's raw/original handle in 2 or 3 locations. You will then re-assemble your 44 Delta handles onto the pick and test for looseness or too much play. If 1 turn of scotch tape didn't do it, add a 2nd turn. You probably won't need more than 2 turns before you find the sweet spot.

A special note for the Chirak. If you apply tape around the area where the spare pick is, just make sure to cut the tape out around the area where the little nub on the pick handle is that you latch the spare pick into. You can kind of see this in the second photo below.

Here are some photos to demonstrate the technique:

 

Summary

Shimming is a simple and non-destructive way to get a better fit-up in assemblies. Ideally, it wouldn't be necessary, but the machines that help us make things are only accurate up to a certain point.

To reiterate, 44 Delta will always do whatever it can to hit the necessary dimensions. Just be aware that perfection is unattainable.