FieryFurnace Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Well it is official! I am the worlds most talented smith! I have just successfully completed the ugliest hook ever forged by human hand. That takes some top-notch tallent! Material: 1/2" square Technique: S-hook with J-hooks forge welded on I tacked the J-hooks onto the main hook with the mig welder just to hold them in place. I also waited to bend the S-hook shape until after the other two hooks were welded on! This is just an all around bad design of hook in my opinion! It is too difficult to do any finish work on the hook, and the forge welds are insanely difficult to do without frying the parts! Tack welding was the way to go because I didn't have to worry about lining things up, ballancing, and then dropping the tongs to weld! Normal lap welding is a walk in the park compared to this! I have no idea on time, as I did the hook in three different forging sessions! I've just had to work on it a little bit at a time because I've been busy with the construction and other things around here that have to be done as well. Someone else please try this! If you want something to make you mad sometime......this is the perfect thing. LOL I've got to stress test these welds to make sure that when my client sticks his "pot-o-beans" on to boil, they don't break off! Thoughts??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanieltheFarrier Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 its not that ugly. and make sure if the customer wants it to hold to price acordingly :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Dave, No parent should ever call or admit in public that their child is ugly. Leave that to others. I really don't think that it's ugly although it may not be beauty padgent material. The questions are, is it functional and does the customer think its pretty? If it holds a pot of beans safely then mission accomplished. It's going to hang over a fire and get all sooty. I think its a good job and I am not about to tackle something like that. I probably would have started with larger stock, perhaps 1/2 x 1 and slit the different hooks to avoid any welding but I'm not that talented either. I like it Dave. Mark<>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Have you thought about hot chiseling the stock to make the hooks from a thicker parent bar? Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 it looks just like the originals ive seen in a book ... it would be a lot easyier in wrought iron tho ... not bad lookin just not a item that lends itself to astetic beauty..hang sumthin heavy from every hook it looks like the welds are good but that will prove it ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 It could be very functional for someone, and just what they need. Who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 not even in the running for ugliest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason @ MacTalis Ironworks Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 personally, I'd have welded the secondary hooks on as scabs then worked the hooks from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason @ MacTalis Ironworks Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I think it might have made the welds a little simpler for you. Though in WI, it would weld like a dream too. I actually really like the design, I think I am going to give a try at making one once I get my shop moved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsberg Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Hey Dave, What about riviting the two top hooks onto the main one? Caleb Ramsby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 The design was my client's pick.... Hot cutting out of larger stock might be the way to go, but the example my client sent me was of forge welded hook, and I had nothing to do but comply! I hung a 35 pound weight on it! You think that's enough? I mean a 35 pounds of pork-n-beans is a whole bunch of food......If he's cooking that much, I BETTER get an invitation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I hung a 35 pound weight on it! You think that's enough? I mean a 35 pounds of pork-n-beans is a whole bunch of food......If he's cooking that much, I BETTER get an invitation! While that is a lot of food my cast iron dutch oven or bean pot weighs quite a bit by itself.http://www.dutchoven...utch-oven.shtml I have the 6qt and this lists it at 20# for the pot alone. I weighed it on the bathroom scale and believe it. Remember that water is 2# per qt, so my 6 qt dutch oven is about 32# with water in it. Food weighs a little more. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 What to worry about is if rust sneaks in an "iffy" weld and pops it open later in it's use life. Also dynamic loading---someone with that full pot trying to hang it on the hook may lurch and "drop" it. Don't say yours will see that; just things for people to be aware of. I had to build a tripod for a 10 gallon bean pot once---10 gallons is 80 pounds of *water*! The pot was not light either. I ran the feet out horizontally a bit and flattened them so they would resist sinking into the dirt---and turned the tips down in a 2" spike so they would resist sliding apart once set. (Had an old country vet who would trade smithing for vet work back around 1985...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I think that looks pretty awesome, I would have destroyed the entire thing welding/trying to weld the hooks on. Good job !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I am wondering what order your welded it up in now. I cant tell from the pics if you welded the top is essentially an S hook with the two bottom hooks attached, or if the intermediate hooks are welded to a common backbone S hook made of the top to the bottom hooks. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Well maybe I'll throw another 35# weight on tomorrow! The pattern of weld is as follows. There is a larger S-hook with the middle and top hook added. The middle hook was welded on first and the the second hook. The actual S-hook was bent after the other two J-hooks were welded on. This made moving it around in the fire much easier. In order to position the hooks correctly (aprox 3 inches between hooks,) I layed the backbone hook on the table after the tapers were done, but before the hooks were bent. Then I figured up how much steel I would need to bend those hooks around. After that I drew the entire hook, full-scale, on the table. Then I lined everything up with the drawing with the aid of reference marks on the hooks, tack welded the J-hooks in place, and then forge welded them on! Piece of cake! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Hi Dave, Glad you achieved your objective and stuck with the customers specification. One minor point for future reference, instead of tack welding the additional pieces on. it was a common practice to hold pieces in place with 'rivets' when forge welding items to a specific relationship These rivets could vary from horseshoe nails to rod ends, and blended in when the weld was finally complete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hildenmw Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Well it is official! I am the worlds most talented smith! I have just successfully completed the ugliest hook ever forged by human hand. That takes some top-notch tallent! Material: 1/2" square Technique: S-hook with J-hooks forge welded on I tacked the J-hooks onto the main hook with the mig welder just to hold them in place. I also waited to bend the S-hook shape until after the other two hooks were welded on! This is just an all around bad design of hook in my opinion! It is too difficult to do any finish work on the hook, and the forge welds are insanely difficult to do without frying the parts! Tack welding was the way to go because I didn't have to worry about lining things up, ballancing, and then dropping the tongs to weld! Normal lap welding is a walk in the park compared to this! I have no idea on time, as I did the hook in three different forging sessions! I've just had to work on it a little bit at a time because I've been busy with the construction and other things around here that have to be done as well. Someone else please try this! If you want something to make you mad sometime......this is the perfect thing. LOL I've got to stress test these welds to make sure that when my client sticks his "pot-o-beans" on to boil, they don't break off! Thoughts??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hildenmw Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Overall it looks good. I never attempted a hook like yours . but like other items , The first 100 are the rough ones. Marc H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Overall it looks good. I never attempted a hook like yours . but like other items , The first 100 are the rough ones. Marc H. Hehehehe! First hundred??? Well I'll just send my client over to you if he wants another one! I was wondering what the traditional route would be Mr. John! Thanks for bringing that forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 That's *one* traditional method. Another is to have your apprentice hold one piece on the anvil while you take the other out, place it and weld it. Remember back in the day having a "one person smithy" was about as common as going to a modern hospital and having only 1 person in the operating room besides the patient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 That's *one* traditional method. Another is to have your apprentice hold one piece on the anvil while you take the other out, place it and weld it. Remember back in the day having a "one person smithy" was about as common as going to a modern hospital and having only 1 person in the operating room besides the patient. Yea! Hey I got an idea....you could come work for me! LOL Actually I have a friend about 1 1/2 hours west of here....been trying to talk him into moving here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Well my current job is due to phase out soon but I'd like to stay here now that I just doubled my shop's size! I hope to retire here or in NW AR where I have some family acres coming to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 aaw man! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Hey, I doubled the size of my shop and bought another triphammer---of course I expect to have to move soon! Perhaps after the fire/flood/tornado/earthquake/volcano strikes---and actually that last one, Volcano *is* a possibility where I live! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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