How to make fish hooks safe for PAX Prime cosplay?

Tundra Fizz · July 2014

I'm making a Fisherman Fizz cosplay for a friend, and I need to know how safe the fish hooks have to be (they will be stuck in a hat), and the best methods to do this.

I was thinking of putting some hot glue at the tips so you can't poke anyone, or maybe file the tips of the barbs a bit. If anyone has any advice or suggestions it would be most appreciated; thanks!

Here's a picture of what it looks like:

The Ender · July 2014

I'd recommend just not using real fish hooks.

Have you looked around for rubber ones?

Tundra Fizz · July 2014

I tried doing some Google searches for rubber fish hooks, but I couldn't find anything.

SmokeStacks · July 2014

You could get larger hooks and use wire or boltcutters to clip off the point and barb of each hook, then file it a little to round the edges a bit.

You'd be left with a hook that was no longer sharp, but still had the "fishhook" shape.

schuss · July 2014

I'd just cut them out of foam or something.

mere_immortal · July 2014

Could you maybe use the hook bit from the top of a metal coathanger? That has roughly the right shape but should be blunted at the end.

zagdrob · July 2014

Cutting / filing the tips will normally work fine.

Since they are on a hat they won't easily snag on other people. If you're putting them somewhere that will have a lot of contact with other people (like a shirt / vest) you might want to consider something different.

PedroAsani · July 2014

Use a Dremel to take the points off sharp metal objects.

Iruka · July 2014

Fish hooks aren't an uncommon motif in jewelry. If you have a beachy store, you may not even have to use the internet: https://www.etsy.com/listing/172911650/beachcomber-leather-fish-hook-bracelet?ref=sr_gallery_23&ga_search_query=fish+hook&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_view_type=gallery

alternatively, if you want them to be sort of large and cartoony, this would be really easy to make out of sculpey

NightDragon · July 2014

Yeah, I would absolutely not use real fishhooks. Firstly I could see them being too small to be easily seen, and obvious there's the danger from using real ones (and the time spent trying to not make them not dangerous, especially for any larger hooks).

I think Iruka's idea of jewelry fishhooks is great - you could easily find something large enough, and likely really cheaply. If you want them to be larger, making them out of craft supplies would fast and also really cheap.

AngelHedgie · July 2014

Or cast them in soft rubber. I believe @tapeslinger‌ would know more about what you would need to do that.

tinwhiskers · July 2014

Just get some clear vinyl tubing and put it over the point/barb. Make sure it is small enough that it has to become at bit oblong to fit , then the elasticity of the vinyl & the barb will hold them in place. Lots of cutting tools come packaged that way.

SmokeStacks · July 2014

NightDragon wrote: »

Firstly I could see them being too small to be easily seen

Fishhooks can get pretty large. This is a size 19/0 hook for example:

"Too small to be easily seen" is not an issue.

tapeslinger · July 2014

Thanks for the @, @AngelHedgie‌!

I'd say the Sculpey idea is a pretty good one, because then you can make them for the size of the hat instead of hoping to find something that is the right size.
Use a little piece of wire to help it hold its shape. Once it's baked it can be sewn on like a button.

You can also use plumber's putty, which wouldn't need baking but would need to be painted later.

Tundra Fizz · July 2014

For the suggestions of sculpting/creating my own, I should have mentioned when I created this thread that I already purchased the most accurate-looking fish hooks possible and inserted a couple of them into the hat.

Because I want the costume to be as accurate as possible, I would much prefer weaving them through the hat's fabric as done in the photo instead of sewing them on.

Right now I'm thinking of using a dremel like PedroAsani mentioned; I like the idea of rounding the barbs off to make them completely safe, but they will still retain most of their accuracy.

tapeslinger · July 2014

Yea, you could grind that down, get one of the grinding bits for chainsaw blades.

Tundra Fizz · July 2014

tapeslinger wrote: »

Yea, you could grind that down, get one of the grinding bits for chainsaw blades.

I'm not a 100% sure what you mean by this (it's my first time ever constructing a costume and a few of these tools I'm looking up are unfamiliar to me), but I'm guessing this is what I want?

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-453-Grinding-Stone-Pack/dp/B00004UDHM/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1405725845&sr=1-1&keywords=grinding+bit+chainsaw

DevoutlyApathetic · July 2014

That should work but looking at that picture from before....is there a reason you just don't coat them in a bit of the hot glue gun stuff? So long as it hardens clear. With the location you really just need to take care of the sharp points on the end and barb and coating them in some clear plastic would probably do that well enough.

Though it's been ages since I used one of those, they may not be that clear when they set.

Shogun · July 2014

I would put foam balls or small corks on the hooks. You can get foam balls of various sizes at any craft store a la Michael's, Hobby Lobby etc. For Corks of all sizes I would go to Lowe's/Home Depot to the hardware section with the big drawers. Another idea is plastidip. People use this stuff on metal tools to give them a nice grip. It is also sold at hardware stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. It comes in the stove-top mix variety and there is also a spray can.

Tundra Fizz · July 2014

DevoutlyApathetic wrote: »

That should work but looking at that picture from before....is there a reason you just don't coat them in a bit of the hot glue gun stuff? So long as it hardens clear. With the location you really just need to take care of the sharp points on the end and barb and coating them in some clear plastic would probably do that well enough.

Though it's been ages since I used one of those, they may not be that clear when they set.

I have some spare large fish hooks, so I'll coat one of those with a bit of hot glue and see if it can be seen through clearly.

Shogun wrote: »

I would put foam balls or small corks on the hooks. You can get foam balls of various sizes at any craft store a la Michael's, Hobby Lobby etc. For Corks of all sizes I would go to Lowe's/Home Depot to the hardware section with the big drawers. Another idea is plastidip. People use this stuff on metal tools to give them a nice grip. It is also sold at hardware stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. It comes in the stove-top mix variety and there is also a spray can.

Because I want as much accuracy as possible in the costume, I would rather not use methods of covering up the barbs with non-transparent objects.

tapeslinger · July 2014

Tundra Fizz wrote: »

tapeslinger wrote: »

Yea, you could grind that down, get one of the grinding bits for chainsaw blades.

I'm not a 100% sure what you mean by this (it's my first time ever constructing a costume and a few of these tools I'm looking up are unfamiliar to me), but I'm guessing this is what I want?

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-453-Grinding-Stone-Pack/dp/B00004UDHM/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1405725845&sr=1-1&keywords=grinding+bit+chainsaw

those are they, yes

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