I learned how to make hooks from Geronimo Bayard in May of 2001 . He was quite a character. Nail-in hooks were the first project in his beginning blacksmithing class. They teach drawing-out and bending. Hooks are also handy to have around.

I'd like to thank my wife, Dorothy, for taking these photographs of the process I use to make hooks

The piece of steel in the pictures is 5/16 inch square bar, eight inches long. You can use a bigger or smaller piece to make a longer or shorter hook.

-----------------

First, I measure about two inches of steel beyond the edge of my anvil. This is conveniently the width of my hammer.

-----------------


I begin drawing out the bar from this point, trying to get an even taper about four and a half inches long. It will be important for the tip to be as small as possible without risk of burning it up. The taper is rounded. (Forge S-O-R: first Square, then Octagonal, then Round)

-----------------

The piece curves a bit during forging, but is easily straightened. Always position the piece with the bulge upward and flatten toward the anvil. I like to use the "step" by the anvil's table for small pieces like this.

-----------------

Don't forget to brush off any scale that clings to the work.

-----------------

The next step is to make the curlie-Q on the tip. This adds a lot of character to the finished piece.

Take a good heat - bring the tip up to yellow, but be watchful so as not to burn it. Hold the hammer face at a forty-five degree angle to the work and "brush" the end as it sticks over the anvil. The piece will curl downward.

-----------------

I usually need to true up the curl at this point. Then I continue by tightening the curl. It's important during this part to be flexible with specific technique. I try to "figure out what the metal is trying to say to me." A little practice goes a long way with these tip curls.

-----------------

Again, some truing-up will be in order. Close up the curl as tightly as possible.

-----------------

Next I chamfer the edges of where the hook's belly will be. This is a bit of a departure from what Geronimo taught me - he had us round a sufficient length of bar prior to making the tip curl. The belly on his hooks was a little thinner and nicely round. (His way allows for using a shorter piece of stock to begin with as well.) It is important for the belly not to have squared edges, as this could potentially damage something that hangs from the finished hook.

-----------------

Now it's time for my favorite mistake. (OK, so it's my second favorite mistake.) Take another heat on the piece, making sure that the curlie-Q is pointed upward in the fire. (Having it pointed upward reduces the risk of burning it - which is my favorite mistake.) Lay the piece over the edge of the anvil with the tip-curl pointed DOWNWARD. (Up in the fire, down on the anvil.) It should rest right at the point where the chamfering stops. Give a good whack or two just beyond the anvil's edge. You should get about a forty-five degree angle at the anvil's edge, with what Geronimo called "inertia" in the rest of the heated piece.

____

Quickly and carefully quench only the tip curl before making the hook body.

-----------------

Now you can bang on the curlie-Q without deforming it. I use the same "brushing" technique to bend the hook that was used in making the tip curl. I do alternate this with banging directly on the metal to form it to the anvil's horn. True up on anvil face afterward.

-----------------

Now that the hook is done, we can concentrate on the nail-in spike. Note that you could just as easily put a second hook on the other side! That would make an "S" hook instead of a nail-in hook. Optionally, one could weld the hook onto a fireplace too, ladle, or other implement. It's also possible to punch & drift a hole for a ring or chain or such. The possibilities are limited only by the imagination.

However, I promised a "nail-in" hook, so that's what we'll do here...
To make the "nail," we have to heat up the opposite end.

-----------------

I measure about two inches and draw out square to a point. Brush off scale as needed.

____

Next, bend the nail over at a 90 degree angle. Make sure that it is square and true it up.

-----------------

The final step is to twist the bar. To get the most use out of the final heat, the bending wrench should be pre-set to loosely fit the bar. The vice should also be set up and ready to tighten.

-----------------

Heat the piece up and clamp the hook body in the vice. Twist smoothly with the wrench, 360 degrees. When finishing the twist, make sure that the nail and the hook are lined up.

-----------------

Brush of the scale, let it cool, and call it "done."

-----------------

To install the nail-in hook, just nail it in!

Updated 11/28/2003