Opening Hook Eyes for Chatter Blades

[ipt]

Trying to open hook eyes for the poison tail jig. Using mustad 32886 and or mustad 91768. I've had the best luck using a punch but they still do not want to open (maybe i need a different punch). I've seen some videos of people using plyers / vice grips but the hook just spins inside and wont grip. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Apdriver]

I posted some pics one time how I do it. The secret, I guess, is to use a piece of metal stock, to back the hook eye with,  that has been drilled on the edge to relieve the punch you are using.  Put it on a sturdy table or bench so you can smack the heck out of it.

[azsouth]

I use a small hardened probe or punch.

1. put small socket in vise (that will except probe but not to big for hook eye)

2. lightly oil probe

3. put hook eye on top of socket.

4. insert probe into eye.

5. tap with hammer until desired opening ( I prefer a dead blow hammer)

6. attach blade.

7. close eye using vise.

this is how I do it but I am sure there other guys that do it a different way. 

[Jeff Hahn]

I laid the hook across a vice and then used a punch to open the eye.  In my experience, lighter "taps" with a hammer worked much better than hard "blows."  I tried the hard "blows" on the first couple hooks.  But, given that hooks are made of such hardened material, I shattered the eye on a couple hooks before I backed off.

[Basseducer]

I drilled a hole in the table of my table top drill press. This hole is large enough to accept the pin punch. I lay the poured jig on the table and insert the pin punch. The drill mechanism allows me to apply firm steady pressure and a stop to keep from over opening the eye. This works well, but you stil get the occasional broken eye.

I also found that if you heat the eye if a black nickle hook to a cherry red it will allow it ti open easier. This does not seem to affect the strength of the eye and have not had one fail so far.

[BBK]

I found a piece of scrap rectangle steel stock at the scrap yard. Was about 5" x 5" and 1 1/2" thick. I drilled a hole through it for my punch, then a large hole right next to it (not all the way through) to set the jig head in. Then i clamped it to the back of the shop vise and whacked away. I learned quickly to open the eyes right after pouring, before doing any painting or weed guards. That way if you bust a hook you arent wasting your time. 

 

I'd post a picture but I sold it to a guy when I sold my poison tail molds. It cost me $0.75 at the scrap yard and maybe 5 minutes of time to think up the hole placement. 

Edited June 30, 2018 by BBK

[Braided Line]

Lots of ways as noted by others. 

For me.....one tapered punch. One hammer.   Set hook on anvil ,flat.  Put small end of punch in eye opening and  give it a lick with the hammer.  Continue till opening is the size needed.   Temper The" lick" as needed. 

Nothing hard about this.   

If all else fails, try YouTube for a tutorial on the subject. Audio/visual. 

[Apdriver]

As the tolerance is relatively tight in the molds around the hook, pretty sure you’ll have to open eye after you pour the jig. Otherwise, hook won’t fit in mold.

[ipt]

thanks for all the feedback.

i have checked youtube and wasnt able to do it the way they were doing it. how are people opening them with plyers? it just doesnt work for me.

[BBK]

1 hour ago, ipt said:

thanks for all the feedback.

i have checked youtube and wasnt able to do it the way they were doing it. how are people opening them with plyers? it just doesnt work for me.

 

Might be the old 91768's that were a little softer? The first couple runs I made years ago would bend out pretty bad on snags, so a lot of us switched to the 32886 which is a little bit thicker and stiffer. I don't think you are bending a 32886 with pliers unless they are channel locks and you have that jig head secured real well.. and even then I can see a lot breaking off. I could be wrong, just what I have experienced. You might be able to twist the eye to get it open, I never did try that.. but that's how we open cut treble eyes to put on blade baits, less breakage than pulling the eye back to open. 

[mark poulson]

8 hours ago, Apdriver said:

As the tolerance is relatively tight in the molds around the hook, pretty sure you’ll have to open eye after you pour the jig. Otherwise, hook won’t fit in mold.

 

Since the hook shank below the eye would still be tight in the mold, couldn't you open the area around the hook eye to allow an opened eye hook to be inserted?  That way, if a hook is going to break when it's being opened, it'll be early on in the bait making process, before too much labor is invested.

[Apdriver]

3 hours ago, mark poulson said:

 

Since the hook shank below the eye would still be tight in the mold, couldn't you open the area around the hook eye to allow an opened eye hook to be inserted?  That way, if a hook is going to break when it's being opened, it'll be early on in the bait making process, before too much labor is invested.

I think you could probably but you would have to modify the mold and you may get some flash. That could be fixed with some rtv, though.

[mark poulson]

1 hour ago, Apdriver said:

I think you could probably but you would have to modify the mold and you may get some flash. That could be fixed with some rtv, though.

I just hate to waste the time pouring and powdercoating a jig for a chatterbait, and then have the eye break when I try to open it.

[Apdriver]

Pour, open eye, cover eye with high temp tape, powder coat, remove tape, bake. That’s how I do it anyway. If you break one, just dip the head in your pot to recover the lead. Throw the rest away. Unfortunately, after Mustad moved their manufacturing to China is when I started seeing broken hooks. Before that, I rarely broke any. Must be a different tempering process.......maybe.

[Miller27]

when i pour chatter baits i don't use a jig hook at all. Buy a "figure 8" link and a spinner bait hook. the figure 8 link is soft enough to open both sides with pliers. One end will match where the eye of the hook goes in the mold the other end will sit in the head with the spinner bait hook attached. I get them both from Janns Netcraft best prices ive found.

[Jeff Hahn]

11 hours ago, Miller27 said:

when i pour chatter baits i don't use a jig hook at all. Buy a "figure 8" link and a spinner bait hook. the figure 8 link is soft enough to open both sides with pliers. One end will match where the eye of the hook goes in the mold the other end will sit in the head with the spinner bait hook attached. I get them both from Janns Netcraft best prices ive found.

This is how I make 90% of my vibrating jigs.  But, I made a few weedless vibrating jigs using an Arkie mold and wanted a shorter hook so the weedguard would work.  I used a regular 60 degree Mustad jig hook and had to open the eye to attach the blade.

[Andyco]

A leather hole punch from hobby lobby works good 

[DaBehr]

Here is a link to a video: It works for me!

 

[Munkin]

Use the new Gamakatsu hooks instead of the Mustad 32886. I have punched out about 75 and none have broke. The 32886 is about 1/3 so I quit using them.

Allen

[21xdc]

I built my mold around this hook, And they are awesome. No breaking hook eyes either.  

 

https://www.barlowstackle.com/Eagle-Claw-L3886BP-Jig-Hook--P2838.aspx