Wanna see how a Jimbo hook is made?

[goldi316]

I can see it being delivered now: "Back it up right here, boys. Little more, little more. Okay. Start lowering the crane... Nice and steady... Yeah, put it right there in the middle of the yard. There you go. Set her down.":devil

 

Just make sure to get that foot out of the way this time!

[funkyreporter]

Just make sure to get that foot out of the way this time!

 

Hardy-har-har. Very funny. The HOUSE attacked ME!!!! Surely Jimbo's hooks are more polite and well-trained.

 

You know, my foot's still sore...

[jimbo]

Interesting... I was just thinking of putting the hook up for bids. But it might need to be licensed and a gross weight stamp might need to be affixed to it somewhere.

Advantage: This hook could be used for other purposes.... self defense for example.... or to lift a cast iron kettle full of possum stew off the fahr (thats Deadman Crick'ese for "fire").

BTW i just posted another instruction... getting close to the end.

I'd love to see pictures of anyone's project hook if you'd care to post. Funky... you can post a shot of the telephone pole you're whispering to. hehe Sorry.

[Yelutci]

Rolling the sandpaper for the "gullet"! Brilliant.

[dewbaby00]

I have been wanting to try making my own hook but unfortunatly I live in wyoming and there aren't many trees here so I may have to wait until I move back to Washington state next summer to try this....or have my sister bring me a dead branch next month but she would probably think I was crazy for asking or something. lol I would love to see pics of what ppl have made though.

[sakurasaku]

Are we allowed to cut dead branches off of trees in national parks??? I was going to go to fire island today, and yes, they do have some low trees... But I don't want to be arrested by a ranger. It'll be hard to explain.

[jimbo]

I doubt they'd have a problem if you took a chunk of a fallen branch. But they'd probably draw down on you and call out the swat team if you was to cut a dead branch out of a tree.

On the other hand, if you asked... they might just give you a chunk.

Good luck!

Post pictures of your adventure if you can.

Jimbo

[jimbo]

Welcome Shelle.... why dontcha make a special fug making hook. Course you can't carve tungsten carbide and that's what i spect you'd have to use, eh?

[jimbo]

Rolling the sandpaper for the "gullet"! Brilliant.

 

 

ah shucks Yelutci....twarnt nuthin. Larned that from rollin cigarettes whild ridin at a full gallop, in the rain, backwards....

 

 

okok so it wasnt raining

[Roli]

Okay...I have three sticks. One elm, one oak, and one maple. I also have a knife and a back saw (from Woodcraft). I'm still missing the sandpaper and the polymer. Sorry, I know I'm retired and have oodles of time but I had to get my RV "re-tired" yesterday so I haven't had a chance to start on that hook yet. At this point, Saturday looks promising. I can sit around my campfire and whittle to my heart's content.

[jimbo]

Campfire whittling's the best kind, Roli! If i can get away today, i'll be doing the same thing up on the crick. Hope you post a picture of your hook.

[Roli]

I'm glad you've been away Jimbo because I haven't had time to work on my hook for a week. I finally found three nice twigs. The first one turned out nice and smooth. It was from an elm branch but when I was ready to cut the notch I saw that the core was pithy...back to the drawing board!

 

The next one was a little crooked but it was an oak twig so I persevered. The oak was very hard to whittle and sand. It still is not very smooth so I had to get some more sandpaper in a courser grade. I haven't been able to finish it but here it is as a WIP.

 

 

 

My Tools (including a plastic hook to copy)

 

First Try - Elm branch with pithy core

 

Oak Hook Work in Progress

 

I'm hoping to do some more work on it this weekend and I'm waiting patiently for your pictures of how to whittle the grip!

[funkyreporter]

Wow, Roli! That looks REALLY GOOD!!!!! I'm impressed.

 

I picked up a stick yesterday that was about 15 inches long so I snapped it and the middle looked sorta questionable so I left it for the squirrels (do squirrels like sticks?)

[jimbo]

Great job and nice tools you got there Roli! I'm proud of you... and Paulette, you got a good start there too. Breaking sticks is a step i didn't include but tis truly an important one. I'd like to have a dollar for every stick i've broke and gave to the squirrels (they do like sticks, you know), they use them for pole vaulting. You've heard of flying squirrels... old wives tale. They don't fly... they pole vault. Course some of the shorter sticks don't get them very far.

And speaking of far, i have to admit that some of the broken sticks have contributed to my camp far.

 

I'm hoping to get busy and finish the tutorial soon, and i'm hoping the tutorial hook won't turn into a big fat pole vault with a pokey end.

[funkyreporter]

Ah, Jimbo... I'm so confused on the wood issue. I learned the difference between telephone poles and trees, now I'm trying to figure out how to find dead wood. You said dead wood had to be used, but does it have to die of natural causes? Can I kill it? And what about roots? Do roots make good hooks, 'cause this big tree that the squirrels hang out in (oh, and they did like the sticks, by the way, you were right) - but this big tree has roots sticking up that look like sticks - would they work? But they aren't dead. I don't want to be a branch killer. My rose bushes have some dead branches... do you think they would work?

 

I think I need a knife too.... and some tools... sandpaper and stuff. bandages.

[anu_paradox]

don't forget you're tetanus shot:lol

[sakurasaku]

Well, Tropical Storm Ernesto blew about all over the place on the East Coast, and there were branches EVERYWHERE, some of them as big as a tree...well, some trees did come down wholesale.

 

So, I went for a walk in a park and picked up a few branches that I thought might make a good hook. The problem was, that I couldn't always tell which tree the branch came from. But that didn't matter, because I can't identify most trees anyway. I know at least one of them was a poplar, but I've never heard of a poplar crochet hook. There is probably a very good reason for that, but I have a poplar branch anyway. The rest is probably maple, oak, etc.

 

Here is a pic of the work in progress. I need to make the tip a little more blunt.

 

 

 

Yes, I realize it's not straight...I kind of like the way it sits in my hand with a little curve, though. It'll be too much work to whittle it straight...

 

But the wood was quite moist when I took off the bark, probably because of the rain. Is that a problem, or can I just let it dry for a few days???

 

 

Roli, your hook is beautiful! Thanks for sharing, and also big thanks to jimbo for sharing his clandestine knowledge with the uninitiated.

[Barbara in FL]

I must admit I love reading Jimbo's posts. He sound more like he is from the South than way out upper west. I'm from the south and when he talks to y'all, he sounds more like he's talkin the suthrn axent with the crick, down the holla, down the road a piece, . Ya no, all them suthrn wurds. We've gotten so big here, what with us always havin all them navy peepl here and growin so fast, I've bout lost all thos littl thangs. But I'm fixin to go outside fur a spell so I better let y'all go now. :devil

[jimbo]

Ah you guys are coming along just fine! I'm thinkin that enough time's past so you're done or about done. So we all would like to see posts of your finished hooks. Or if you're not done, let me know where your stuck. I'll try to help.

[Jimmie Lu]

Ok I got a knife a box af band aides and a tetnus shot. I think I shall walk the property this after noon while the kids are at school and see what calls out to me.

Question?

Does it have to be dead wood?

If its wet when we whittle can we just let it dry out?

I have got to mail you Jimbo my stick from my aunts tree because I dont trust myself to do it!!! lol

Sure hope I dont cut off my finger!!! lol

[sakurasaku]

Ah you guys are coming along just fine! I'm thinkin that enough time's past so you're done or about done. So we all would like to see posts of your finished hooks. Or if you're not done, let me know where your stuck. I'll try to help.

 

Oh...I haven't done a thing with my hook-in-progress since my last picture post. I have been crocheting frantically for my friend's birthday (her friend calls me up and tells me that they are having a surprise party this Saturday...!), and then there is the tea cozy swap that I need to finish up...

 

But I have my sandpaper in different grits, and I have my poly finishing stuff. Depending on how much get's sanded down, I think it's going to be something like a P hook.

 

Jimbo, is damp wood okay ? It's been drying in my kitchen for a few days now.

[jimbo]

Damp wood is not ok. Dead wood is almost necessary. You can try drying your wood in the microwave in very short cycles.. in for say 15 seconds, then out to cool... in again for another 15 and out to cool, and so on till the stick is dry.

Good luck!!! And keep the bandaids handy.

[Roli]

Jimbo, life comes at ya FAST! I haven't had a minute to work on my poor hook languishing in the shoebox with my hook tools. My mom and Dad (79 and 80) are visiting from Florida and my time has been at a premium. Hopefully I'll be back in full carving mode in two weeks.

[belant]

You're gonna have to make this real simple for folks like me... do I have to find a really skinny tree to do this with? Like a 'G' sized tree or a 'K' sized tree? Or is there another way???

 

LOL! Thanks for the early morning laugh! You're too funny.

[funkyreporter]

Wow, Sakurasaku, that's a GREAT stick! I really like the curve it has... it should make a really nice hook.

 

Interesting what Jimbo said about nuking it (my term for microwaving) to dry it out... One of my co-workers was trying to do something with his bird's nest that involved nuking it (I think it had mites:eek ) and it caught on FIRE! Boy was his wife ticked.

 

Oh, as for me... I'm still looking for some dead wood... and bidding on Jimbo's auctions:devil