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Homemade Grapple

A grapple, or grappling hook, is a multi-pronged hook with a number of uses. In miniature, it makes an inventive toy for your kids' dolls and action figures. The other end of the spectrum are on the scale required for boat anchors. In between you have grapples used for climbing, pulling, fishing, hooking and retrieving things that might otherwise be out of reach. The materials you choose must be of a strength and scale for your individual grappling needs. A boat anchor requires a minimum of 3/8-inch steel re-bar, whereas a child's toy requires paper clips.

Things You'll Need

Hook material, re-bar, paper clips, etc
Blow torch, soldering iron, or pipe and cement
Rope, chain or string
Duct tape

Instructions

- 1
  Cut your chosen material for your hooks to the scale required. For a large grapple, 4-foot lengths of re-bar work. For a toy grapple, jumbo paperclips are perfect. Any material can be used as long as it can be bent to form a hook, and is strong enough for the task at hand.
- 2
  Make a minimum of three hooks. In your finished grapple, these hooks will be positioned back to back at 10 o'clock, 2 o'clock and 6 o'clock. For four hooks, place a hook at 90 degree intervals.
- 3
  Join your hooks together. This may be accomplished by welding, cementing them in a length of pipe for reinforcement, or soldering for a toy grapple. If using pipe and cement, the pipe should be of just enough diameter to hold the bars. After pouring the cement, depending on your choice of cement, you should have time to adequately position the hooks as stated in Step 2. However your grapple is assembled, be certain your joints are strong enough to support the grapple's purpose.
- 4
  Attach a rope, chain or string to the shaft of your grapple. For heavy duty purposes, you must be certain the rope is knotted securely with an anchor bend knot and will not slide up the shaft and cause you to lose the grapple. Loop the rope twice around the shaft, loop around the standing rope and back through the original two turns, and tighten. Bring the rope back up and around the standing line and feed the end through this new loop. Tighten it down on itself. Placing the rope below the pipe will prevent slippage. For toys, a piece of duct tape is adequate.

Action Figures