Bending Hooks

[Barbless Bob 0]

Another set of GREAT responses. Thanks. The One-step Looper is getting very close to what I had envisioned. Thanks so much Kimo for the suggestion. Think I'll order one. And, I really like the Sneck Bend hook from Mike!!!! Too cool. Heck, now I've got to try to get a jig template for that Sneck! :-)

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Barbless, those "new hooks" you have aren't the 34011 (pretty sure they're still available if you look around a bit..). Any hook coated with duratin isn't a stainless hook at all. Mustad, as well as other hook manufacturers will make the same "style" of hook in different wire materials... As an example the 3407 is a plain steel version of the 34007 which is done up in stainless.... I've been tying long enough that I can remember when, instead of "duratin" coated plain steel hooks they simply listed them as "tinned". I have had customers years ago specifying plain steel hooks for some orders since they're a bit stronger than the stainless equivalent...

 

Hope this helps

[Barbless Bob 0]

Capt Bob LeMay, Thanks for the info. I have a 2018 Mustad product catalog (printed for the USA market) that shows and states that the 34011-SS hook style has been replaced with the S74SNP-DT. And, the 34007 has been replaced with the S71SNP-DT. The catalog does not say if the Duratin finish is over stainless steel...however, the new J. Stockard catalog (where I placed an order for the hooks) says that the S74SNP is a stainless steel hook with a Duratin finish. We'll see. My order still hasn't arrived. PS: I sent an email to you at your aol address last week. Did you get it? Thanks again for you insights.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Interesting... I order my hooks from a wholesaler, Shorty's Hook Sales at - 1000 per size so I never get the current info from any hook maker... Your input will have me doing a bit of research since I'm obviously behind the times...

 

I also order directly from Owner America and once again - no literature or links to whatever this year's current info is... With a foot in the door price of somewhere between $200 and $300 per size you can bet I'm only ordering when I absolutely have to...

[brooknut 0]

look at the tools used for jewelry making - that's where those round-nosed pliers are easily found.

[Barbless Bob 0]

Brooknut, Good suggestion. I've searched the jewelry making products a lot, and the products offered seem endless. I've tried round nose pliers and even bought a jewelry wire bending jig about a year ago, but nothing I've tried so far is substantial enough for bending size 2 Mustad SS hook wire. It seemed like a great idea at first, but I'm thinking the jig or tool must have a compound action to work properly for hooks. That is, to get a precise, repeatable bend, a part of the "jig" component must be able to be adjustably rotated consistently. It's not enough to use my clumsy hands to make the bends accurately. I've seen a home-designed metal bending machine on YouTube made by a true genius from India that performs the type of action I'm thinking about. It uses rollers and ball bearings to get precise bends but it's too large for hooks. Right now, I'm settling for Capt. Bob LeMay's process as the only practical solution. The new style Duratin Mustad 34011 hooks are supposed to be delivered today, so hopefully they will bend like the old style stainless steel.

[flytire 0]

What is the actual shape you want to bend the hook into?

 

With all of the hook styles that are already bent, isn't there one that will work?

 

Round nose beading/jewelry pliers are pretty flimsy and are for bending light wire.

 

Why wouldn't the more substantial round nosed pliers shown above work?

[Barbless Bob 0]

Hi Flytire...you are right.

 

To answer the first part of your question, a curved hook such as a Daiichi Klinkhamer 1160 is almost the bend I need (although the hook shank isn't long enough). But no manufacturer that I know of offers such a Klinkhamer-type bend in a stainless steel (saltwater hook), 4x long, straight eye, and in large sizes 4 to 1. If I were tying a freshwater pattern in a size smaller than size 6, you are perfectly correct, there are hooks on the market that would suffice with a minimum of modification. But, I'm tying a size 2, 4x long, spoon fly for saltwater.

 

There are many different styles and grades of round-nose pliers, some of which would work great for making circular bends (such as for hook eyes or figure-s curves). But in my hands, I can't control pliers well enough to make a consistent, large elliptical curve in the shank portion of the hook. Therein lies my problem and why I'm fixated on finding a simple solution. The frustrating part for me is that I believe there is an answer to this problem. In the old days before hook making machines were invented, many unforged, barbed needle blanks were bent by child labor using a stick with a rounded steel template to get the right shape and gap (Sproat, Limerick, etc.) But, in those hooks, the shank was straight. If a bent shank was required, it was shaped on an anvil before forging.

 

Right now, I'm thinking it would almost be easier to start making my own hooks from scratch. But, I'm not at that point yet.

[Kimo 0]

TMC 811S #6
Bent with Looper in 2 places.
You have to do it slowly or the hook will snap.
Don't see why it wouldn't work on a size 2.
You will need to modify the Looper by cutting off the cutting arm
of the pliers.



Kimo

[Barbless Bob 0]

KIMO, Thanks for the tip. I'll take a closer look at the Looper. One of the key issues is keeping the shank totally inline with the hook point while making the curve. Visualizing how to accomplish that with a Looper is hard for me. BTW, thanks for your photos/videos and photo tips, EXCELLENT!

[Barbless Bob 0]

Status report about the hook bending issue: Seems like Mustad HAS PERMANENTLY discontinued its stainless steel hook 34011 4x long. Reportedly it has been replaced by a Duratin model S74SNP-DT, which isn't as easily bendable, especially the gap. I have called and emailed Mustad USA and Mustad headquarters 3x about whether or not the stainless steel configuration has been discontinued and they are totally unresponsive. Mustad's 2018 catalog indicates that S74SNP-DT is the new model number for the 34011, even though the hooks differ quite a bit. My last phone contact was with the Mustad USA office in Florida last week. The person there said they would contact me back with an answer, which they never did. However, SHORTY'S HOOKS in the USA did confirm to me that 34011 has been discontinued. Just thought that anyone using the old style 34011 might want to know about the status of this hook. The hook pictured on top is 34011, bottom is S74SNP.