Mike Connor wrote:

"Conan the Librarian" wrote in message
...

So what have you found to be the optimal range for hooks?

Depends on the steel used. From light straw to blue. Much the same as for
many tools. The simplest thing is to try a few, it does not take long.
"Case hardening", will improve many wires. This can be done on a charcoal
block, or by placing the hooks in charcoal powder, ( or similar) and heating
to red heat.

For the needles I have used I aim mainly for dark straw, and test from
there.

One may temper as many times as one wishes, so it is not really a problem,
except with very fine wires. Hooks below about a size 16 are not really
worth the bother either.

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize that you could temper
multiple times without making the hooks too brittle. (If I'm not
mistaken, that is an issue with tool steel.)

When you say you "test from there", do you mean you simply take them
astream, or do you have some other way of testing them?

Anyhow, thanks for the detailed description and the followup. I
love the DIY approach to these sorts of things, so it looks like I may
be entering a new aspect of this hobby.


Chuck Vance