By Phil Wolf
“There’s no such thing as a universal hook, but what we try to do is make the tapered end beveled and narrow enough to where you can use it for almost anything” – Chris Woodcock
My name is Phil Wolf, and I’m a herper. Over the past 10 years I’ve mentored countless individuals in the safe handling of exotic wildlife. And through my endeavors I’ve come to find that in our vast world of herpetoculture, we as keepers and enthusiasts appreciate our tools and equipment almost as much as the animals themselves.
Enclosures, lighting, decor, and handling equipment as well as custom apparel, keep us and our animals happy and healthy. Despite our hobby growing exponentially in the 21st-century, it’s still a relatively small group of vendors and manufactures paving the way for innovation. In the realm of venomous reptile keeping, two companies, synonymous with one another, have become truly groundbreaking, Venom Life Gear and GetHooked.
Venom Life Gear and GetHooked were founded by Chris Woodcock and Brent Schulze. Two names that have become staples in the venomous community. From education and fine apparel, to innovation and design, Chris and Brent bring us the finest tools and equipment for our trade. From their revolutionary Travel Series, to the timeless classic 40 inch “U-hook,” Chris and Brent are perpetually on the cutting edge of design to produce the finest safety instruments available.
But how do these fine implements get made? I had to know firsthand. When I first reached out to Chris Woodcock, it was for Issue #12 back in October 2020 for our Industry Spotlight. Chris was kind enough to invite me to his facility in central Florida to show me around. Chris explained that making a good snake hook wasn’t just bending a “U” at the end of a golf putter. There was a tried and true method to producing a professional instrument, intended for a specific task. And while no snake hook is designed for every species of snake, GetHooked’s catalogue strives to encompass every aspect of captive snake husbandry.
As I started to pick Chris’ brain about metallurgy and grip contour, he stopped me and said, “we should make you your own hook so you can really see how it’s done!” What was I supposed to say? No? I decided that for this hook, I wanted it to be the flagship in my collection. A snake hook I would keep with me at all times, no matter where I was, and could be used with an eclectic group of animals at it’s moment’s notice.
We decided to go with the GetHooked’s Standard Series, in a 32-inch shaft. Now most people may question my desired length of snake hook. I am personally a little vertically challenged, and oftentimes find a longer snake hook cumbersome, especially when exiting a vehicle. I’ve found that for me, a 30 to 35-inch snake hook allows me to handle most specimens in captivity, as well as all the species of snakes native to my home state of Florida. This is a personal preference, and it’s of the opinion of this author that everyone try different lengths of snake hook to see what best suits their needs.
Once the desired length is chosen, the actual head of the hook (the “U” shaped part) must be articulated. For my hook, I went with a standard U-shape, but with a slight variation. I wanted the bend in the hook to be slightly tapered and narrower than the opening. My thought behind this, was to be able to better balance smaller arboreal species that wouldn’t normally be used with such a large hook.
After we decided on the hook shape, I asked Chris if the foot of my hook could be lengthened, so as to be less perpendicular to the elbow in the shaft. The “foot” of the snake hook is the pointed side of the U, opposite of the side connected to the shaft. This longer foot would essentially change my hook head from the tradition U-shape, to have more of a check mark appearance. The thought being, I can use this longer foot to drag larger specimens, as well as balance wide or heavy bodied species better and not damage their ribs on the thin metal.
We begin the hook making process with sculpting the head of the hook. Chris uses 2024 round bar aluminum, cut to the right length. From there, he starts to shape one end of the bar stock with a series of high-speed belt sanders and an electric powered drill. Using different grades of sandpaper belts, at different angles, Chris meticulously handcrafts each hook to the desired shape. Most hooks are shaped to have a chiseled tip. The idea behind this, is that the chisel acts as a wedge to get underneath a snake. For my hook however, we decided to make a perfectly round, conical point, to be more versatile in the field.
Once the hook is shaped, Chris places the bar stock in a vise and then proceeds to de-bur and polish by hand using different grades of sandpaper. This may be the most time consuming and tedious task in the hook’s construction. After the tip of the hook is finished, it now gets bent into its actual hook shape. Using a custom-made palate jig with interchangeable shaping dies, Chris marks and positions the bar stock to be bent. Over bending the bar could result in improper hook angle, or even compromise the integrity of the hook.
To actually bend the bar, Chris has a custom-made tool, reminiscent of a spanner wrench, to apply force to the bar stock and use leverage to bend the bar into shape. Using little more than the amount of force to open a jar, the wrench is pulled back and a hook head is formed.
Now for the actual hook shaft. A large shaft of chrome plated stainless steel is used. These shafts were originally slated to be “Belly Putter” golf clubs, and are over length to be cut to the customer’s desired length. Every Standard Series of hooks from GetHooked are made of this plated stainless steel to withstand the elements of rugged field use.
Using a rotary cutter, Chris trims the shaft down to the correct length. It’s at this point that Chris also etches hash marks into the tail of the hook head. These etchings are used to add surface area to the tail of the hook head for when it’s inserted and bonded inside the shaft. But before we do that, the grip must be installed on the opposite end of the shaft.
For the hand grip of the snake hook, several different grips can be used. GetHooked uses professional grade golfing grips. The inside diameter of the grip is perfectly slated for the gold club shaft and it makes for relatively easy replacement, as the rubber deteriorates over years of use.
For my grip I chose the Lamkin putter’s “pistol” grip. (If you’re a Star Wars fan, think Count Duku’s lightsaber.) I like the flat top of the putter’s grip to rest my thumb and forearm. And the slight angle of curvature, makes the pistol grip quite comfortable when rotating your wrist with a faster species of snake. The rubber grip is a tight fit, but to ensure it doesn’t slide or rotate, an adhesive grip tape is applied to the shaft with a special quick dry lubricant. This combination gives the grip a firm bond, and prevents unwanted movement.
Finally, the last step in the process, attaching the hook head to the hook shaft. Chris has to apply a binding agent to the tail end of the hook head, and firmly insert it into the opening of the hook shaft. The bonding agent is a binary liquid paste that bonds metals on a molecular level, essential welding them together from the inside out.
Chris prepares the bonding agent on a paper plate, and proceeds to apply it to the etchings he made on the tail end of the hook head. Once an appropriate amount of bonding element has been applied, the tail of the hook head is firmly inserted, and the tip of the hook is then indexed to be concentric with the hand molds on the rubber grip. Chris then wipes away any excess residue and begins to check the hooks alignment by eye. This is the most crucial part of the entire hook making process. If the hook head is crooked, Chris has mere seconds to make final adjustments before the bonding element has solidified.
As I stand there in aw, taking notes, and photographs, I can’t help but think of times long ago. I watch Chris stand in front of me, my newly crafted hook in his hand. And as he wipes it down with a silicone cloth, meticulously examining every inch of his work, I can’t help but to think of ancient Samurai artisans, and the blacksmiths of the Knights of old. I see a look of pride, knowing that this tool he just crafted will be used in a time-honored passion. I’m truly privileged to have been able to experience this. And to share his art with our community.
