Hooks for pavilion

Many years ago I bought a bunch of second hand meat hooks for hanging stuff in the pavilion. I never liked the sharp points, and some of them were not open enough to hang properly from the poles.

So 2026-07-25 at the smithy in Vallens Dag, we fixed them.

• Keldor showed me how to do the first half of the first, I did the second half
• I started the second, Keldor took over and showed me another technique
• Keldor did one completely himself
• I did several on my own

Tutorial photos

When there was only one left to do, it occurred to me that it could be nice to have a photo record of How-To, so he did the last one, and I took photos

Before

The starting material are S-shaped meat hooks with very pointy ends

Step 1: straighten one of the curves

• Heat one end of the hook in the fire
  
• Straighten the hot end by bending and by hammering
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Step 2: straighten the other end

• heat the second end
• straighten it by bending and hammering
  
  
  
  
  

Step 3: draw out the end a bit

• strike perpendicular to the tongs holding the hot metal
  
• rotate 90°, and strike again
  
• repeat often enough to turn the end of the rod into a squarish profile that is longer and narrower than you started with
  
  

Step 4: make a tight rolled curl at that end

• bend the point over the edge of the anvil
  
• rotate it and hit the bent part to curl it further
  
• keep turning and hitting at various angles till it rolls up nicely
  
  
  
  

Step 5: draw out the other end

• use a clamp with room to hold the curled point without squishing it, or having the curl make it wobble
  
  
• keep hitting two sides, till it has drawn out nicely
  
  

Step 6: make a tight rolled curl on the second end

Step 7: make the first broad curve of the S

• use a smaller hammer, to make it easier to hit the rod, and not the curl at the end
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Step 8: make the second curve of the S

Optional step: twist the center

final step: blacken it

• dip the hook in oil
• put the oiled hook into the fire till it is hot enough to smoke
  

All of the finished hooks

the things Keldor made while I was working on hooks

![[2026-07-25_Vallen_63.jpg|200]