# Making a hook(gaff)



## Aukai (Jul 23, 2020)

I have never made a SS gaff before, so I'm testing the water. I wanted to use 304L, but it was not available, so I got reg 304 1/2 SS. The full size gaffs will be 22" total hook length, but there was a remnant piece of 11"s so that was my practice piece. I made a jig on the fab table, but no way, no how could I get the short piece to start curling. Plan A was ROTFL at me, so to kick plan A's butt, I went to plan B. It was a long day. To use the short piece, I went to the hyd press, but the beams are 4"s apart, that called for a 3" die cut from 5" diameter piece. I put some grooves for 1/2", and 3/8" SS, and a flat for the press if I use it again. I'll have to make a jig for the 5" diameter gaff since plan A is not working, this one is going to be used for delivery, and dragging fish out of the hold. I still need to TIG the .125 wall handle on the shaft. I still need to figure out the amperage for that to finish it, but I did get a good idea on what I'm doing for now.


----------



## mmcmdl (Jul 23, 2020)

Looks like a Captain Hook prop for Halloween Mike !  Did you heat that thing up ? I bent 1" stainless round stock for tractor pins after heating them up with no problems .


----------



## Aukai (Jul 23, 2020)

No heat, just bend, so it stays strong, and won't open. The bigger throat gaffs do open with heavy fish BTDT


----------



## mmcmdl (Jul 23, 2020)

They must be some REAL fish !


----------



## Aukai (Jul 23, 2020)

I've had a 247 yf tuna, and a 735 marlin, and a few marlins between 400, and 650, so gaffs get worked. There have been quite a few tunas in the last 20+ years too, by myself.


----------



## RJSakowski (Jul 23, 2020)

The farm boys would call that a bale hook but none of theirs would be made from stainless.


----------



## Cadillac (Jul 23, 2020)

Aukai said:


> I've had a 247 yf tuna, and a 735 marlin, and a few marlins between 400, and 650, so gaffs get worked. There have been quite a few tunas in the last 20+ years too, by myself.



Now that’s some real fishing. Ain’t doing that on a row boat


----------



## Aukai (Jul 23, 2020)

It was a 30' with twin Cummins, and shafts. It was getting full at about 11-12 100 lb + tunas.

The gaff is now complete, and seeing as this was an experiment, I TIGed it too, my first try at it. The shaft is welded on both sides of the handle, so it's not pretty, but it wont come apart, and I wire wheeled the colors away.....


----------



## Ulma Doctor (Jul 23, 2020)

looking very stout, mike! 
nice job


----------



## epanzella (Jul 23, 2020)

Aukai said:


> I have never made a SS gaff before, so I'm testing the water. I wanted to use 304L, but it was not available, so I got reg 304 1/2 SS. The full size gaffs will be 22" total hook length, but there was a remnant piece of 11"s so that was my practice piece. I made a jig on the fab table, but no way, no how could I get the short piece to start curling. Plan A was ROTFL at me, so to kick plan A's butt, I went to plan B. It was a long day. To use the short piece, I went to the hyd press, but the beams are 4"s apart, that called for a 3" die cut from 5" diameter piece. I put some grooves for 1/2", and 3/8" SS, and a flat for the press if I use it again. I'll have to make a jig for the 5" diameter gaff since plan A is not working, this one is going to be used for delivery, and dragging fish out of the hold. I still need to TIG the .125 wall handle on the shaft. I still need to figure out the amperage for that to finish it, but I did get a good idea on what I'm doing for now.


WoW! Nice gaff!


----------



## Aukai (Sep 1, 2020)

OK making progress, with a learning curve,this is the jig I made to make the gaff. For the handle, while knurling, the tubing was getting pushed into the chuck, and I lost real estate on the handle, and it was short. I'm also learning the amount of length needed for the hook radius, this one is a bit long for shaft length, so that will be adjusted. Then the handle can be welded on. The air over pneumatic 20 ton press works awesome, but at ten tons you can hear it labor, so that's probably the max


----------



## RJSakowski (Sep 1, 2020)

Many years ago, my farrier ex asked me to make a slide rule to calculate the length of bar stock need to make a horse shoe.  I designed a circular slide rule that did the calculation.  She ended up making and selling them.  The calculation was similar to that required for your hook.  

When I am making bends in stock, I take the easy way and leave an excess length on either end.  After making the required bend, I trim the ends to length.  It gets a more complicated if there are multiple bends.  One way is to make witness marks on the bar stock before the bend and measure where they are after the bend.  From there you can get a fairly good idea of how to form the next bend.


----------



## Papa Charlie (Sep 1, 2020)

Wheelwrights use traveler wheel to run around the wooden wheel to measure the distance. Then transfer that to the rectangular bar for cutting. It is also used to size the metal wheel for the final fitting. Pretty cool tool.


----------



## Flyinfool (Sep 1, 2020)

I have one of these.








						44 in. Telescoping Handle Compact Bender
					

Amazing deals on this Compact Bender  at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.




					www.harborfreight.com
				




It will bend that 1/2 stainless like wet spaghetti. I used mine to make a 180° bend in 3/8 x 1-1/4 SS bar no sweat. It is made for doing all the fancy bending for wrought iron fence type stuff.
For your 5 inch inside bend you will need to make your own die, but that is no big deal as it appears you already have it made.

I have mine bolted in the middle of the floor with threaded anchors in the concrete, When not being used it takes to minutes to remove the 4 bolts and set the whole thing in its corner. It sets back up just as quick.


----------



## Aukai (Sep 1, 2020)

Thank you guys, I tried rolling the die along the shaft, and left a little too much stick out. The bars are pre cut to length, and I sharpen the point before the bending, so I don't want to sacrifice too much of the length. I'll look into the bender, if shipping isn't a killer. Is there room for a 5" die?


----------



## Flyinfool (Sep 1, 2020)

I made an 8 inch dia die for mine.

Mine is not the same brand as the HF, but Id bet it came from the same factory in china.


----------



## Aukai (Sep 1, 2020)

I have the production part down pretty good now, the welding is a whole other matter. Working around a 1/2 piece with big guns is gonna take some practice. I tried .025 SS MIG, and TIG, both had issues.....


----------



## Papa Charlie (Sep 2, 2020)

Aukai said:


> I have the production part down pretty good now, the welding is a whole other matter. Working around a 1/2 piece with big guns is gonna take some practice. I tried .025 SS MIG, and TIG, both had issues.....



Those look really nice. Good job.


----------

