Bulls eye picks

[RedBeard66]

I just bought one from Ron Fournier's site. it boasted of being made in the u.s.a. and tig welded construction with stamped brackets and solid bar for increased strength. when it showed up It was a mig welded peice of junk made form 1/4inch bar stock it looks more at home in a harbor freight catalog which is fine except for the price..... I'm not impressed and needless to say I'm sending it back, but does any one know where to find the old original bullseye pics?

[Richard K]

Lots of bulls eye picks look real neat until you try to use them. We tend to hold them upright (pick and swinging arm on bottom side) and give them a squeeze or two just to see how it feels. The pick probably comes up smack in the center of the yoke. All appears well.

However, when you need to use the rascal, things change a bit. You will lay the gadget over on its side in order to get in behind the part. After all, you got it to help in spots where you can't reach. Then you squeeze off that first swing, surprise, the pick raised a pimple just below the yoke. Not in the center where you expected it. The swing arm hangs down because of its weight and slop in the pivot.

Many of the available bulls eye picks have a short pivot axle. It sure looks nice and blends into the overall tool. But its hard to get a freely operating pivot in so short of axle. So to make it sing easily it has to be sloppy. I make mine with about a 4 inch pivot axle and fork. Swings easy and hits where you expect it too. Kinda like a car door having two hinges. It adds a lot to the stability.

[RedBeard66]

That makes alot of sense! The one I just bought feels tight in it's movement and is still inaccurate. The pivot axel is less then a 1/4" wide. my boss has some old pics that are excelent in feel and accuracy and the pivot axel is 1 1/4" wide. I bet a 4" wide axel would be great! I actualy only use the pic for metal finishing so I rarely use it in places I can't get behind I'm only concerned with extreme accuracy. I'll end up building my own I'm sure ): it's a shame it's so hard to find good tools these days.

Thanks for the input!
Blake

[Johnny]

I've seen them for sale on a couple different sites, Eastwood and what not. Richard could you show us a few pictures of yours? I was thinking of making one myself.

[Marty Comstock]

At the gator meet a while back we bent up some 3/8 rod and made copies of a pic that someone brought, I used stacked alternating washers for a pivot (think interlacing your fingers) and it works well. I do not use them very often, and will modify the tool to fit what I am trying to do when needed. Oftentimes, they are a life saver. Make sure they consistantly hit the center of the bulls eye, and make sure you hold it flat unless you expect to hit a different spot. That also increases your chances of butting a ding downwards where your shoe is setting. I prefer blunt tips rather than a pick, I brefer bumping over picking.

Marty




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[Joe Hartson]

Marty, thanks for the pictures, nice looking bulls eye pics.

[Kerry Pinkerton]

I bought the Eastwood set of 3 because I couldn't find another source. I haven't noticed any problems with them hitting off mark. They appear well made, powder coated finish, Tig welded. The came in bags that said Made in USA on them.

[ShawnMarsh]

Originally Posted by RedBeard66

I just bought one from Ron Fournier's site. it boasted of being made in the u.s.a. and tig welded construction with stamped brackets and solid bar for increased strength. when it showed up It was a mig welded peice of junk made form 1/4inch bar stock it looks more at home in a harbor freight catalog which is fine except for the price..... I'm not impressed and needless to say I'm sending it back, but does any one know where to find the old original bullseye pics?

I bought one from Fournier just before Christmas and it turned out to be a Metalace unit. Came with both point and blunt tips, and hit nice at any angle. I wonder why they changed suppliers.

[52pickup]

Funny this topic comes up, I'm going to be making my own bulleye(s) in the next week or two for a project I'm working on.

I'd love to hear anymore suggestions and/or pictures of shop built picks to pick up some ideas from.

[J. Clear]

I bought mine from Ron about 4 years ago and it is a good one. Nice welds & an American made sticker on it.

J. Clear