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Forging a Simple S Hook

Blacksmith Harry Burdett takes us through the steps to forge a simple “S” hook in a coal forge. While this is a marketing video for Arapahoe Community College, it’s valuable for a few reasons:

  • The tutorial is clear and the audio is good.
  • It shows that there are still institutions teaching blacksmithing.
  • It uses captions to reinforce what Mr. Burdett is saying.

Things to watch for are how the blacksmithing maintains the shape of each end of the hook and how you might correct a “mistake.” With S hooks it’s easy to bend the finished side while you’re working on the unfinished one. Fixing little bends like this is a common part of blacksmithing.

Go to Wall Hooks or See more S Hook Tutorials

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Leaf Hooks – Adding Some Style

So you’re starting to get the hang of forging hooks at this point and want to branch out a little. This leaf hook tutorial is a simple, great way to do that. This technique is presented by Steven Bailey at Lakeside Forge, a member of the Ocmulgee Blacksmith Guild down in Georgia.

The sounds may be a little off, but the music is good. If you watch the technique you’ll pick up a few things.

Go back to the basics or Move on to S Hooks.

 

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Creating a Basic Hook on a Railroad Track Anvil

This short video is particularly interesting because the blacksmith, Timothy Charles, is forging the hook on a very long piece of railroad track tapered into a horn at one end. It’s an excellent example of using DIY ingenuity when genuine anvils may be scarce or too expensive.

You can see similar techniques to this video: drawing out, tapering, and scrolling. Practicing these basic skills on small projects like this eventually leads to blacksmithing mastery.

Go back or Watch the next video.

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Forging a Wall Hook with Self-Hanging Spike

This video from Peter Lindholm demonstrates two fundamental blacksmithing techniques: Drawing out and Scrolling.

Peter takes care to draw out both ends of his piece of round rod to fine points. He then bends one end at a 90 degree angle. This is so he can pound the hook directly into the wall or beam for hanging.

He then focuses on the other end and gently scrolls the tip to give it some style. This also keeps it from catching on garments or whatever he might hang on it.

For more, go to the Next Hook Video.