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| Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [30 messages per page] Muskie Fishing -> Lures,Tackle, and Equipment -> $2.50 split ring pliers that WORK |
Makintrax73 |
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Posts: 156 | First I want to say that I completely stole this idea from a Musky Hunter Mag article, which I believe was written by Tom Gelb. I am a cheap bastard, and I like working with metal so this was a fun, easy project. Start with a cheap pair of needle nose pliers. I got some out of the cheap tool bin at the local hardware store. Tools: bench vise, bench grinder, hammer, propane torch, and jewelers file if you want to make it look pretty. 1) Grind one side of the nose down flat with the bench grinder. Go down maybe 3/8". 2) Lock the pliers in your vise TIGHT. Heat the now longer side of the nose just about as hot as you can get it with the torch. Hit the long side at approx 45 deg angle so it folds over flat on top of the short side. I held the torch with one hand and the hammer with the other to keep it hot while slowly working the long side over 90 deg. 3lb sledge helps, but a regular hammer should work fine. The main thing is to work slow, you are not going to fold it over with one hit, you are peening it over with a couple dozen wacks. 3) Shape and smooth rough edges with bench grinder, and then with a jewelers file if you are picky. Note I also coated the pliers with gun bluing paste that I had sitting around to help prevent corrosion. These work 50x better than any cheap stamped steel split ring pliers which are less than worthless on musky sized split rings. They are cheap to make, work great, and if you lose them no big loss. Plus it is a fun evening project better than watching TV. Edited by Makintrax73 6/9/2010 8:07 AM Attachments ----------------  100_0830.JPG (133KB - 191 downloads) | ||
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