Snake (or Hook) Stick for Safe Snake Collecting

This is my first Instructable, so I'd really appreciate as much help and feedback as possible. 

Firstly, and most importantly, we need to clear the air on a few things:

1) This is more a report on how I made my hook stick as opposed to how to make the best one - This means that some parts are optional and won't have much influence on the finished project if you decide to leave them out - use your own discretion. It's not the cheapest, nor does it follow the general trend in snake collecting gear. More on this later.
2) The gear doesn't make you an expert - Get to know the hook stick and get to know how it should be used. Practice on rubber snakes, thick ropes or harmless species before trying your hand at venomous snakes.
3) Obviously certain snake species are dangerous, remember that at all times, and treat every snake with the respect they deserve. Don't catch snakes if you don't need to. Unless it's for extraction or for research, leave them alone.

When used in the correct manner, hook sticks can help you to safely collect and move snakes of varying sizes safely, with minimal hazard to yourself and to the snake.  

This snake stick works particularly well when used along with the Snake Tube, which you can find by clicking here for the Instructable.
Also, by clicking here you'll find a How-to on catching snakes.

Step 1: Materials Used

Again, referring to the intro, this is what I used so I've added what's essential and what's optional:

1 Broomstick with a rubber cap on the flat end. (Essential)
+/- 1 metre of strong, 4mm steel wire. (Essential)
A length of softer steel wire. (Optional)
2 hose clamps (Optional)
Clear silicone sealant (Essential)

Drill & Bits (Essential)
2 G-clamps (Optional)
Bolt cutters (Essential)
Precision wire cutters (Optional)
Vice grip (Essential)
Wire pliers (Essential)
Measuring Calliper (Essential)

Comments

[freeza36]

I would wrap some sort of cloth around the hook end, to make sure you do not injure the snake.

[freeza36]

I tried doing this, but the wire was way too flexible

[ShutterEye]

The silicone prevents injury to the snake, but cloth would work too.

It's strange that your hook is flexible. It could be that the wire isn't thick enough or that it's not twisted up tightly enough?

The hook on the stick I made in this Instructable has proven to be strong enough to flip rocks and logs without bending at all. As a test I took a 5kg weight and suspended it on the very tip of the hook (where the level effect is strongest and the most stress put on the bend) and it supports the weight without bending a fraction... What kind of wire did you use bud?

[freeza36]

I didn't mean to pad the sharp end, many hooks have a padding to prevent injury on the entire hook.

[freeza36]

Average clother hanger wire.

[mark36091]

Instead of using silicone to glue the hook in place, try using a two part epoxy. That's what holds golf club heads onto the shafts. I think that would make the hook much less likely to fall out. Otherwise, excellent instructable!

[ShutterEye]

Good plan, it would work better. Indeed, there's a lot on my hook stick that could have been better, but I just went out to build one using scraps around the workshop so that there's no cost involved - I had silicone, and didn't have epoxy...

Just stay away from that greyish cement-like two-part adhesive - it has a habit of popping out the shaft.

[rimar2000]

Very interesting.

When I was a conscript (in the pleistocene), to catch poisonous snakes I used two thin canes, freshly cut from any tree. First put a cane at middle of the body, then the other nearer to the head, and so on until press its nape(neck?) on the floor. Then with nude fingers catch it from its neck and introduce it in a bottle, the tail first. To avoid any danger of biting, when all the body was into the bottle, a little stick was put into its mouth before drop it. The cork had two or three grooves for the air can renew.

This procedure is safe and not injure it. Then the snake was carried to an institute to extract its venom in order to make antivenom, without killing it.

[ShutterEye]

Yeah, I've heard of this method, although I wouldn't risk it, especially out here where I live - the nearest reputable hospital is about 2 and a half hours drive away, so I play it safe...

I catch venomous species using these two methods - http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Safely-Catch-a-Snake/