How to Make a Hook Barb

Making fish hooks is an ancient and fulfilling pastime that increases the thrill of the catch. Creating the hook barb is the first step in the process. The barb is the sliver of metal that is cut and raised away from the shaft, pointing in the opposite direction of the hook point. The length and extension-angle can be altered to suit varying applications. Machined hooks are barbed in a high-tech, mechanized jig. Hand-made hooks can be barbed with greater precision using only household tools. Once the hook shaft is barbed, it is ready to be bent, pointed, eyed and tempered.

Things You'll Need

  • 5/32-inch galvanized steel wire
  • Wire cutters
  • Steel vise
  • Fine-cut file
  • Work gloves
  • Safety goggles
  • Pencil-flame utility torch
  • Thin-blade pocket knife
  • Ball-peen hammer
  • Small needle-nose pliers
  • Motor oil
  • Fine-grit fish hook sharpener
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Instructions

  1. Prepare the Hook Shaft

    • 1

      Use wire cutters to cut a 2-inch length of 5/32-inch galvanized steel wire to cut the hook shaft.

    • 2

      Bend the hook shaft twice using small, needle nose-pliers, creating a Z-bend in the material.

    • 3

      Insert the hook shaft into a steel vise so that one end is inside the jaws and the other end is rotated, lying above and against the upper surface of the vise so it can be worked.

    • 4

      Use a fine-cut file to laterally score the hook shaft to a depth of 1/64 inch at a point 1/4 inch from the point-end of the shaft. The file should be nearly flat against the material with the leading edge toward the end of the shaft, producing an L-score rather than a V-score.

    Temper the Hook Shaft

    • 5

      Safely prepare to work with a torch. Put on work gloves and safety goggles.

    • 6

      Use a pencil-flame utility torch to heat the target end of the hook shaft to a temper level -- 1800 degrees -- recognized by its yellowish-white color.

    • 7

      Turn off the torch and place it in a hot-safe location.

    • 8

      Monitor the temperature. Observe the material as it cools until it reaches steel-work temperature -- 1200 degrees -- recognized by its yellowish-red color.

    Form the Barb

    • 9

      Use a sharpened, thin-blade pocked knife to begin the barb cut by placing the base-end of the blade into the barb score and toward the end of the shaft. Lift the blade to a 20-degree angle.

    • 10

      Tap the back edge of the knife blade gently with a ball-peen hammer until it cuts into the hook shaft to a depth of 1/3 the diameter of the shaft.

    • 11

      Grasp both ends of the knife blade and gently lift it out and against the barb, ending with a curving motion to spur the end of the barb.

    • 12

      Grasp the hook shaft with needle-nose pliers, release the vise grip and immerse the barbed shaft into room-temperature motor oil for cooling.

    • 13

      Use a fine-grit fish hook sharpener to sharpen the upper and lower surfaces of the barb, testing for sharpness by dragging it gently across your fingernail to see if it catches.