I've never pickled, but I have made plenty of hot sauce. My general recipe:

Toss fresh peppers in a food processor.
Add some salt.
Add soem white vinegar.
Puree.
Transfer to bottles.
Wait at least one month,

I've made this the consistency of relish and also made it runny like store bought tobasco, although I never filter out the chunks so mine should be shaken prior to use.

I use whatever peppers are fresh the day I am making it so each batch is a little different. I have found a sauce comprising primarily of cayenne with a few habenero and a few banana peppers makes a good flavor hot pepper sauce.

I have a nice set up with a ring stand, ring and funnel to help fill the bottles.