Fun stuff

Tai Goo

Tai Goo

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Apr 7, 2006
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Frog and fish gear...

Top to bottom:

Toad sticker (10 inches OAL)
Gig
Scalpel
Lure
Hooks

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I made this spoon out of some sheet brass sunk into a spoon swedge block. Most of the stuff is pretty easy. Forge welding the barbs on the sticker and gig was a bit tricky,... and making the treble hook. On the treble, I had to make that tiny ring to hold the third prong in place while I silver soldered it.

I’m going to mount the gig on a shaft made from a saguaro rib, and try it out.
 
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Here’s what the gig looks like mounted on a shaft made from a saguaro cactus rib I found in the desert around my land.
(That went quick, but I had everything ready.)


I made the hole for the 90 degree bend in the tang with the point of the gig, cut the groove for the shaft and made some notches on the back (to keep the wrappings from slipping) with the scalpel. Then, I trimmed and super glued the ends of the cord and sealed the wrappings with shellac.

I did all the forging, forge welding, soldering and heat treating with a Mapp gas torch, bean can forge, muffles, electric toaster oven and gas oven (for all the items). Some of the details were done cold.


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Do they have toads in the desert? I mean besides horny toads:D You're having too much fun.
 
Yeah! Surprisingly we have some really big "Sonoran desert toads". Luckily the hippies didn't wipe them all out back in the 60s! They only come out during wet monsoon season in the summer.

There's lots of stupid quail, squirrels, rabbits and stuff like that right now though.
 
I cringe when i think of all the toads which must have been killed because some idiot wanted to try to smoke their skin. If they want to get incredibly ill, they should just lick them instead.

Those turned out great. It must have been fun.
 
Tai Goo said:
Yeah! Surprisingly we have some really big "Sonoran desert toads". Luckily the hippies didn't wipe them all out back in the 60s! They only come out during wet monsoon season in the summer.

There's lots of stupid quail, squirrels, rabbits and stuff like that right now though.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I've seen those toads before, on the nature channal "monsoon special" There's surprisingly quite a lot of wildlife in the desert, one of my favorite places, though I don't get down from the arctic much. BTW, what material is piano wire made of?
 
Wow those are cool Tai! :cool:

I think I'll stick with the good 'ol Gamakatsu hooks... but they don't have the cool factor yours do!!! :thumbup: :cool: :D
 
Tai Goo said:
Troop, I'll have to find some hungry fish that are real stupid... LOL
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Nice line i'll have to start using that one. Nice work Tai those are some pretty cool fishing utinsels. Never under estimate a lure till you have tried it!

Bob
 
Mark, I got the piano wire at Ace hardware in rod stock. There's a variety of alloys they use, all similar, but I couldn't find out what the exact alloy is. Most of the stuff is just cold drawn spring steel with between .65 - .95 carbon, low manganese, (from about .3 - .7 percent). It's pretty simple stuff. I spark tested it and judging from that, this stuff has about the same carbon content as ordinary file steel. It's very similar to 1095. It really works great for small parts.

I've been experimenting with the heat treating and like the results I'm getting. It'll definitely do the job.

I can't hardly believe I found some good steel at Ace. I wonder if Home Depot has it? :)

Piano/music wire
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=593249
 
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Reminds me of my youth gigging frogs in Indiana. My friend and I would go out at night in the ponds near by and gig bull frogs! We have some healthy ones here! We would shine a light in thier eyes and they would sit still. Then we'd spear 'em. We would put a mess together and spend a late night dressing them. There's nothing like home fried frog legs!
 
Tai Goo said:
Mark, I got the piano wire at Ace hardware in rod stock. There's a variety of alloys they use, all similar, but I couldn't find out what the exact alloy is. Most of the stuff is just cold drawn spring steel with between .65 - .95 carbon, low manganese, (from about .3 - .7 percent). It's pretty simple stuff. I spark tested it and judging from that, this stuff has about the same carbon content as ordinary file steel. It's very similar to 1095. It really works great for small parts.

I've been experimenting with the heat treating and like the results I'm getting. It'll definitely do the job.

I can't hardly believe I found some good steel at Ace. I wonder if Home Depot has it? :)

Piano/music wire
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=593249
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info, I think that gem and mineral show in Tucson is just about the best place for a knife guy to get inspiration, not to mention materials. Spent many days with my head just spinning there. Regards
 
Otto, I doubt the desert toads would be good eat'n, but I'll never know until I try. :) I'll have to find out where there's bull frogs close by in AZ. When I was a kid we shot them with pellet guns at my grandfather’s pond in Iowa.

Mark, the music wire comes in an extreme work hardened state and is generally cold formed. That route has limitations because it’s very hard to bend as it comes. I had to use some hot forging, normalizing, quenching and tempering to get it to do what I wanted. It seems to respond well to heat treating, but the small sizes makes it a bit tricky.

Here's the forge set up I used for most of the forming. The white powder in the jar is borax flux for forge welding the barbs.

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I never usually do much stuff for Christmas goodies, but thought it might be fun this year.
 
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just to be on the safe side, i'll say it in case you aren't aware: if you try eating them, be sure to skin the legs and wash well afterward.

some of the toxins in their venom are very harsh, and they coat the skin.
 
Is the third item down from the top a little knife for gutting and skinning the frogs? ;-)

LonePine
AKA Paul Meske, Wisconsin
 
Canid, Yes I was aware of the toad venom. One of my dogs got a hold of one once and had a really bad trip... I wasn't sure what the best way to prepare them was. Thanks.

Paul, Yes the scalpel is a little knife for gutting and to help extract the barbs and hooks from frogs, fish etc…
 
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