Hand Forged Hook BLOG:

3/4/05:

I'm doing my best for you guys, thanks to everyone who has contacted me with comments and idea. I still working on getting the barbs mastered done, no machine or jigs were used in this batch. These are 0.055" wire, with around 3/0 gap. It's hard to stay consistent but I think of it as a under painting before the painting is tied, and I love to just freestyle hooks to my own fashion also. It make a pattern that much more unique when a hook that will never be duplicated (ever) is used, it's like that one in million thing. Everyone I have talked to want consistency and most want the Bartleet style bend and I am doing my best to design jigs that will form to a certain bend. Most of the criticism is of course the finish, I use a cold bluing technique which if not cured in oil long enough leave a little smut and can get scratch oh so easy. I have been looking at many options from patina(japanned), bronze with a lacquer, tinning, zinc, nickel or stay with Oxidized finish (bluing) and purchasing a better quality solution and the curing with either a water base, silicone or Teflon seal. I have also looked into colored hooks, I know they are not authentic, but could be fun. Hooks, before they were japanned, were blued (hot blue finish) or layered in fat. I personally would love to get my hooks to a point they are black from afar yet have a nice bluish hue at vise. I would love to hear comments, especially about the different finishes. Thanx for all the input.

2/17/05:

I have finished off some other hooks, all free style and more like what I am trying to achieve in my designs. Two are going to the partridge hook company after they asked for one. Here are a couple pics of them.

2/15/05:

I started on a package of 30 blind eyes today, they have all been tapered and bent to shape using a wooden form and pliers, there are slight differnce but thats the best part of my hook is each one is somthing different to tie on, this make one fly unique from the rest. I came to the conclusion that people have to see these things to realize how nice they are. The temper is the most impressive part, I can break most hooks with my bare hands yet I have only been able to break a few of mine with my hands. The sharpening process just make me smile, it is unreal to watch the metal just fall off the wire, the things you can do with a battery charger : ) here is a pic of them

2/12/2005:

With more and more pratice and design influence I have been working on some new stuff. I have also figured out how to use electrolyte process to sharpen my hooks to a near if not better needle point. Here is a picture of one of a dozen that I formed on a jig to produce all the same or as close as possible. I made these for a local fly tyer in my area, he wanted some heavy wire hooks, well the dozen I made him were made of .055 wire which is quite heavy.

Below is a picture of the first point I did in a electrolyte solution, just like a needle. This save me so much time, before I filed each hook by hand and now I dip the tip in and hit the power.

Here is a assortment I did for a friend, these are all freestyled and around size #1, they were made using piano wire and it tempered quite nice, I was unsure at first since it's not tinned like the other wire I buy. I would choose piano wire over tinned music wire if I had choice, price wise and the tempers seemed more spring were the tinned wire is springy but work hardens rather quickly.

Some Time in 2004:

Below are some hooks I hand forged. Most are still dirty and unsharpened, yet shows what modern man is still capable of. I have tempered them to about a RW45, this will allow sharpening of the spear yet leaves the bend springy enough to handle most fish. They are created from heavy gauge music wire and have a good carbon amount. If you had a design in mind share it with me and I will be glad to forge one for you.

Forging your own hooks give you the ability to change or re-invent a pattern by the shape of the hook. This can be a strong tool in a fishermen's arsenal. For instance a Salmon 3X long hook like the one below would be difficult for me to find in fly shops in my area but has great use to me. Being able to adapt the hook to a pattern is something people never really think to do. Of course you have stonefly hooks now, which before were just bent streamer hooks. This gives me the choices that many want. I really do not like "high carbon" hooks, they work harden to fast and break, so forging my own hooks allows me to choose the steel I like. A medium-high carbon (e.g.. 1074) steel can be made into a great spring tempered hook that would hold out for the test of time. Making my own hooks also allows me to finish them in ways I would like, for example I used "Gun Blueing" to prevent rust and give my hooks a look like no other.

These are only my second batch and I turned them out in about a half an hour. The first batch I tempered too hard (about RW60) and they all snapped around 8lbs. during testing. This batch with held some brutal test, my standard salmon hook took up to 26lbs. before it was at a 45 bend. Compared to a Gamu at the same size 16lbs., of course the Gamu is made from way light wire(.037inch / 20g). I use a (.045inch / 18g) and mustad uses a (.039inch / 20g). So these were meant to be used on sinking patterns without the aid of weight. Soon as a get new scale I will weigh the differences between them and other hooks.

The trick to good hook is when you temper to temper in controlled way that you keep the spear about 10-20 RW softer then the bend and shaft. This is where modern hook manufactures fail because they temper so many hooks at a time. Insulating the spear is one way on larger hooks but having a keen eye works better on smaller hooks, I use a MAAP touch to harden then to +60 RW then I bring the to a temper by heating until blue-ish purple start to travel down the shank and into the bend. The trick is to keep the spear some what annealed through out the process and to harden it now. but you only want around a 30-40 RW on the very tip or you will be doing allot of filing, of course a softer tip can not hold the sharpest edge.

Here are some from my third batch which the temper is perfect. The bend and shaft are spring temper and the spear in about a RW 40 which allow easy sharpening. The trout hooks are super light wire (.025inch / 23g), the dry is a size 12 and the streamer is a size 6. They like are tough as a spring. while sharpening the streamer I stuck the spear through the binding of a dictionary and picked it up. I think they will tie great and fish well.

My favorite style so far is my Steelhead hook. With a good bend to tie on and a heavy wire to sink the fly without adding to much weight. These tie great and handle massive weight and torque. The one below is a size 1/0.

My fourth batch is also perfect in temper and the looks and styles are increasing. With more understanding of shape and design of a hook I strive to make a assortment every time that will show me the way of creating well formed hooks. Of course with every batch I get the sizes smaller these are 2 & 4 and the one at the top I have no idea what size it is.

And with every Salmon hook batch I do, I try to create some trout hooks. During the hardening process I always lose a few, because the metal is so brittle the slightest bend in the hook and they snap.

My favorite this batch was the straight eye. This will make a great marabou spey hook for winter Steelhead. I have made sure to test the performance of every hook up to 20lbs. I look for a good spear travel and no soft spots from after the temper, and if they break well I don't use them. I have had two break in the last batch which is a improvement.

Here are examples of my 8th batch, blued and cured in oil but unsharpened. They are made with .035 wire which in a light wire hook.

For some reason I love tying on these over styled hooks, they make spey and shrimp pattern look so much more life like.

But staying with the basics of steelhead hooks is what I'm about. I try to make hook for certain pattern. While I'm bending out the design I am thinking about what pattern I am going to tie on it.

Also I try to think about how the fish would approach the hook and where would it be set. We all want that perfect hook up in the corner of the mouth. I have tried making barbs but they have all sucked, I am sure I will get it figured out, the only reason I would like to have a barb is if I was making a hook for someone else. I am still trying to get my wife out to take pictures of the process of make the hook which I pretty sure people would like to see.