Compact Grappling Hook

When I was a kid I made little grappling hooks out of paper clips. No G.I. JOE was complete without one! Now that I'm all grown I've graduated from paper clips. Last year I made my son a Katana Letter Opener for Christmas. This year I made him a grappling hook. It screws apart for compact storage and even has an N52 Neodymium magnet. It's tied to 50' of paracord.

Step 1: Gather Materials

Everything you need is at the hardware store.

1, 3/4" bolt

1, 3/4" nut

5/16" steel rod

Neodymium magnet.

Over all it all cost about $11.00.

Step 2: Turn the Body

All the work is done on a Harbor Freight Mini Lathe. To start I machined a flat face on the head of the bolt. This allowed it to sit square against the chuck when I flipped it around. Next I drilled a hole in the end so I would have a place for the live center (a live center is a support that spins along with your work piece while supporting it).

I machined the threads off leaving just enough for the width of the nut. I followed by machining in a cool shape.

Step 3: Finish the Head

Taking the head of the bolt from six sides to a circle takes some patience. It helps to use gear oil to keep things cutting smooth. I turned all the sides round and used a file to bevel the edge.

Since the magnet is 1/2" x1/4" I used a 1/2" drill bit to drill a hole that was just shy of 1/4".

Step 4: Prep the Nut

I used a ruler to mark the center of the nut and drilled a pilot hole. I followed that with a 5/16" bit.

Step 5: Form the Eye Bolt

Every grappling hook has to have a way to tie off. I took a section of 3/16" steel rod and wrapped it around the 5/16" rod. This made a spiral which I could cut down to one loop. I inserted the eye bolt into the same hole that supported the live center. I then cross drilled a hole and hammered in a pin to keep it in place.

Step 6: Making the Tines

This is not the sanctioned way to use a pipe cutter but I do it all the time and it works great. I cut out 3 sections of equal length from the 5/16" rod. I set my lathe to 10 degrees and machined a point onto each tine. Next I used a piece of wire to help determine the final shape.

Step 7: Bend and Weld

I put each tine into a vise and bent them to shape with the help of a pipe. I welded them into the holes I drilled for the nut. I cleaned up the welds with a deburring tool.

Step 8: Powder Coat

I powder coated the everything and baked it in an old toaster oven. I glued in the magnet with super glue and and finally tied it off with paracord. Thanks for reading.