forging fish hooks???

[Standing Wolf]

I have a question on forging eyeless fish hooks. Has anyone ever forged eyeless fish hooks and if you have can u send me some pics of the process.
Thanks,
    Standing Wolf

[mhackney]

Standing Wolf, I make my own hooks - both with and without eyes. There are several good reference sources:

The Fly-Fisher's Craft: The Art and History by Darrel Martin has a great treatment of making hooks.

Also, check out my friend and mountain main at Historic Angling Enterprises. He sells hook wire and tools and they come with a reprint of the chapter in Martin's book on hook making.

I don't have any photos of my process but the task is not difficult. The only tricky part is in heat treating and tempering the hook, but even that is not all that difficult.

regards,
Michael

[Rasch Chronicles]

I just wrote a post on spring making and materials on ALR, I am guessing that fish hooks should be tempered just like a good spring, maybe a little softer. Assuming you are going to use spring wire or carbon steel wire, you could make them, put them in a shallow pan of oil and set it on fire with a torch. When the oil is consumed, it should have left them spring tempered.

You will probably have to make a bending jig out of a piece of plate and two drill rods, one the size of your hook's bend, and another to hold the wire in place. The gap between them will be the maximum gauge wire you will use. Heat the wire, forge the tip, bend it around the mandrel, and tap the bulge in place and cut off above the bulge. That's how I would try to do it.

I think...

Best regards, :salute
Albert “The Afghan” Rasch

[david32cal]

had a fella on another site send me this info,have made a few and they work great.

Made from size 1 1/4inch 18 brads (A) from Ace Hardware:
 I flatten the point end, file the barb with small triangular needle files and shape the point with a flat file.  At 90 degrees to the point axis I flatten the head of the brad to serve as a stop for the line and bend it slightly (much like the shank end of fish hooks without an eye) . I bend the hook to shape with round-nosed jewelers pliers, heat the barb/bend red hot and cool in water.  The hook is ready to use.