Forged hooks from the past

[ausfire]

I admire the work of those old-time smiths. I wish more of them would have used a touchmark to identify their work. I have been dragging out a few old hooks from my scrap pile and, on cleaning them up, discovered that T.P. Jones of Dudley, England, must have been a very prolific hook maker. Research reveals that he was also an anvil maker (anyone got a Dudley anvil??) and anchor & chain maker. I like the way he has stamped BEST and GENUINE on his work. I also like his touchmark of the bullock. Most of the hooks I have came from old bullock drays and wool wagons. And the number 28 occurs on a lot of them. I checked - exactly 28 ounces. So hooks were bought by the weight. I  like the way he left plenty of metal over the eye too. He made things to last. What a legend! Here are a few pics:

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Those hooks look very good and they sure have withstood the test of time.

[ausfire]

Yes, the T.P. Jones company was established in 1866, so I guess these were imported in the late 1800s. They have lasted well.

[ThomasPowers]

Wilkinson Anvils are stamped Queens Cross Dudley and there are a bunch of them around---we seem there fairly commonly here on IFI.

[Adair]

I make hooks sometimes at public demos.  I'm aiming for consistent forms from 3/4" round stock.  No swage, just a hammer, anvil and punch. I like the proportions of the ones you've shared here.  

[Don Shears]

To answer "anyone got a Dudley anvil??";

I've got two anvils from Dudley, an Attwood and a Wilkinson.

I personally don't have any old hooks. Here (in Ontario, Canada) the farmers and loggers would likely have repurposed those broken or damaged hooks, or tossed them into the scrap resource pile.

 

[Shabumi]

Found this in one of our barns, my guess is it went on a yoke or tree of an implement pulled behind a horse (not sure if those are the right terms). Even through the rust, the workmanship of the section that would go around the wood impressed me, though my bar inst very high as I don't have much experience evaluating others work

[ThomasPowers]

Looks like it came off a singletree or doubletree alright. 

I've started adorning my shop walls with old handforged stuff I find.  Keeps it from cluttering the place up and being able to see it is an inspiration.  I rather like the saw that someone riveted a draft horse shoe on as a handle.