#wallhooks

[threeriversforge]

Some hooks needed forging, so while the fire was lit I decided to make a new punch for knocking in the countersink divots.  There’s a great deal of satisfaction in making your own tools -- it’s the blacksmith way!

T-shirts and Hoodies > 

https://www.storefrontier.com/store/three-rivers-forge

[mellowmonkeydecor]

New! Marine Propeller Cast Iron Wall Hook | 7-1/2-in $ 45 https://mellowmonkey.com/products/marine-propeller-cast-iron-wall-hook-7-1-2-in-1 Available online and in store at The Showroom at Mellow Monkey | 360 Sniffens Lane | Stratford, Connecticut 888-300-0631 Open Daily: Monday-Saturday 10am-7pm Sunday 10am-4pm #boating #wallhooks #towelhook #propeller #marine #coastal #beachhouse #boat (at The Showroom at Mellow Monkey)

[theindoorjungle]

I get more and more wall hooks. :) #plant #plants #houseplant #houseplants #greendecor #wallhook #wallhooks

[threeriversforge]

Ask and you shall receive.  In this case, a customer said they needed some hooks to hold big stuff.  They wanted them to “look forged” and be strong enough to handle a passel of kids -- creatures known for breaking things that should be unbreakable.

So, a couple hours of steady hammering... and the hooks were finished.  Now they’re on the way to their new home in Florida and we can only hope that they survive whatever the kids throw at them!

[threeriversforge]

Forty hooks finished, and now I get to start working on a dish.

Everyone likes to think blacksmithing is full of glorious builds like we can see in a lot of the pictures I’ve posted here.  But, no, mostly you do repetitive production work to keep the lights on.

Even in olden times, very few smiths were able to step away from production work to do the grand things we consider relics today.  For that, they needed a wealthy patron who didn’t mind spending crazy money to “one up” the neighbors.  The Italian Renaissance was driven by this.  And, amazingly, this creativity then bled over into average society because it fostered new techniques and technologies. If you’ve ever used a cast iron skillet, you can thank the wealthy patrons of the English blacksmiths back in the day.  It was their drive for more complicated ironwork that led to the streamlining of cast iron manufacture, making it economical enough for the masses.  Weird how things are connected like that when it doesn’t seem like they should be!

[threeriversforge]

Little details make a big difference.  The nested scroll on the one end makes for a nice touch without being “too much”.  Add in a groove on the other end, and you get something that’s obviously made by hand and not mass-produced.

[threeriversforge]

Big hooks to hold a big oar.  It’s always surprising to see what folks can come up with.  If it’s not a pitchfork, it’s an ox yoke.  If it’s not an ox yoke, it’s a 14-foot oar.

Regardless, I’m happy to pitch in.  This time, I opted to split and splay the ends so there’s be a bit more visual interest.  

[threeriversforge]

Another happy customer -- there’s nothing better!

I just got an email with some pictures of the hooks up and working.  The customer is happy, his wife is happy, so you can imagine that I’m happy.

And it’s a pretty oar, too.  Fourteen feet long and I’m sure it has a thousand stories it could tell.