Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

Re: Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (catskilljohn) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:24:40 GMT

Royce,
Thank you for that... the sanding of tiny hooks has roughed the tender tips of my digits. Dipping in solvent sounds more to my liking!

ps, hows the rodmaking ? CJ

Re: Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (roycestearns) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:56:54 GMT

At the big box home improvement pick up some Prep and Etch phosphoric cleaner. Drop your hooks in and wait about 15 minutes. If you forget about them you'll return and find an empty jar. It will also chemically sharpen the hooks.
The original bronze was a bronze japan, like the black japan impervious to lacquer thinner and acetone.. The modern hooks have a bronze lacquer coating. Bill Bailey has produced a black japan for sale. Paint hardly holds up to the vise, but a true...

Re: Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (HFR53) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:06:17 GMT

Birchwood Casey also makes a solution I believe is called Plum Brown I used it on a coupla muzzleloaders I built a few years back,nice color and you use it the same as regular bluing

Re: Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (catskilljohn) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:20:46 GMT

Alright, after thinking about this all during the workday, I was anxious to get home and give it a try.

I had some hooks soaking in acetone all day, but that didn't do the trick, so I just scuffed them with green Scotchbrite pad. It only takes a minute to rub all the factory bronze coat off.

I dipped the hook in some very nasty stuff I bought at the Rod Makers Gathering a few years ago that is used to blue ferrules. This stuff is dangerous, when you pull the hook...

Re: Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (slw) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:57:14 GMT

I posted a question about bronzing hooks on the Outdoor Best/FFM tying forum. My interest in the subject is mostly historical, less practical. There're at least a couple folks there who might know how the old/dark/durable finish was achieved.

Re: Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (Marty) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:10:43 GMT

I don't know that I will go to the trouble till I have a hard time finding older hooks. But I agree that the finish on most hooks lately is less than pleasing. Some of the current blacked salmon hooks are passable but lack the lustre of older ones. I would offer one suggestion....I had to redo a large amount of kitchen hardware small rough finish...borrowed my nephew's rock tumbler. Sand + parts all sanded while I had an adult beverage.......if a nephew or son or grandson has...

Re: Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (slw) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:56:15 GMT

I got curious, so I tried messing with striping some hooks myself. I experimented with a Mustad hook from the 1970s, an Orvis/Partridge hook from the 1970s, and a contemporary Orvis hook that I understand is made by Daiichi. I strung all three hooks on fine copper wire and hung them in a bit of Formby's Furniture Refinisher. After a couple hours in the bath I could scrape the light brassy finish off the Orvis/Daiichi hook with my finger nail. The finish on the older hooks seems the same...

Re: Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (HFR53) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:09:45 GMT

Hi Alan,Thanks for the welcome,sanding the hooks doesnt take as long as you would think tho it does get a bit tricky around the barb and eye,whatever they put on them is quite thin,I have always thought that the hooks were run thru a bronzing soloution then varnished with lacquer,I plan on trying a Lacquer thinner soak and see what that brings me,as I said Im experimenting

Re: Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (WatercolorMan) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:38:13 GMT

HFR53 Welcome to the forum ! ! !

Sounds like a lot of work and time to do all that . . . .

Alan

Re: Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (slw) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:30:47 GMT

I've never done it. FWIW, I understand that the "bronzing" found on contemporary hooks is nothing more that varnish or shellac. Assuming that's true, it would seem that a bath in varnish/shellac thinner would remove the coating.

Re: Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (HFR53) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 11:47:06 GMT

Ive been experimenting with this over the winter,what Ive done is to sand off the the bronzing with 1000 grit automotive sandpaper dip in gun blue then dip in thinned head cement, going to find out this spring how they hold up to fishing

Bluing or other-wise treating too bright hooks?

feeds@yuku.com (creakycane) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 10:26:19 GMT

Does anyone ever do this to hooks, or batches of hooks, that have that too-bright of bronze finish? A few of the Japanese hoosk come to mine......Looking for a way to give new hooks that aged look Any suggestions out there? Thanks