Forging a gate or door hook - Blacksmithing for beginners

[@5x535]

One of the dangers of getting old is how comfortable it is becoming to watch you work John, rather than getting out to my shop and doing it myself. Enjoyed the video and simple project. Today I am going to attempt a dragonfly---the old ways.

[@oc98mciver]

I love it when I'm looking for a specific item to forge and black bear forge comes up. thanks for the knowledge 👍💪⚒

[@leperejoe1536]

Now that is an elegant hook! Indeed forging this hook involves various forging tasks. Thanks for showing us your way.

[@larryking606]

Simple , but very Nice little hook set ! The double Twist , really makes it look Good !!

[@TheChickenFootStudio]

This was perfect for the project I have coming up very soon. I need a latch for a gate to a chicken pen.

[@steelpennyforge5152]

I love the practical projects. Nice touch with adding the barbs for better hold

[@johnjude2677]

Yesterday i made a hook 5 ft long to hold my shop door open and prevent wind damage in less that 30 mile per hour winds. Thanks John Boy did the eyehole come out perfect round using the horn.

[@3870TheDad]

I think it's interesting that two of the top Blacksmithing video channels are just now focusing on building "basic skills" projects. As for the tip of the hook, which you filled off, you could have "pig-tailed" it to add more interest. I find your projects are more in keeping with the "traditional" Blacksmithing trade. Which I like more. Thanks for the great video.

[@mannaz3322]

The basics you teach, the wonderful stuff you show make your videos so great. Ich love them all Greetings from Germany

[@drason69]

Great information. I have a young smith friend, and I think the points you noted, will be helpful for he, as a student, but more for me as his teacher, to help him advance. Thank you!

[@AevasHouse]

Was curious to see what the final CBA level I final project looked like and this is a great example of what the final product should be thank you 🙏

[@TomokosEnterprize]

I love to make these quick/easy pieces. All kinds of options for them. Thanks bud. Giving the staples a "Virgin" profile helps them hold better too. The barbs are a great idea. Who knows what ya learn on any day eh.Sweet piece my friend.

[@coffeesstudios2122]

Love your videos sir. Your a hell of a teacher. Wish I had known you when I lived in Pueblo 35 years ago.

[@BlackBearForge]

35 years ago I lived in Aurora

[@carlaj1972]

Next project really like all your episodes that I've seen so far

[@casper1240]

Nice Project thanks

[@TonyUrryMakes]

I made screw eyes by forging a taper, then flattening it and then twisting the flattened taper. It created a lag screw type thread that worked well. The only hitch was that I created a left hand thread by twisting clockwise. Lesson learned: twist counter clockwise for a right hand thread!

[@BlackBearForge]

I will have to give it a try

[@andrewblack6185]

Very useful video.Thank you.

[@johnyb3454]

Morning John great video again, reminded me how important a blacksmith was, from making hinges to railings, I think we forget that household and businesses were dependant on the blacksmith, will definitely give the gate hook a try, thanks again mate 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@casper1240]

Amazing how handy that Anvil saddle is for a lot of fiddly jobs

[@mitchelledwards883]

Great video you did a great job explaining how to do this

[@mande3110]

Thanks, nailed it.

[@bigd341]

Good morning John . Love all the little projects you do . They seem so simple but they do take a lot of thought . And they seem so amazing when there done . Thanks for sharing your talent and time making the video's and bringing them to us . Can't wait till the next one . Thanks again for sharing . Hope your day is a great one !☺

[@gregsmith3289]

Nice little project, John. Here lately, I'm getting all my ideas for weekend projects from your work. Thanks for the information.

[@stanervin7581]

Was doing demo's for the local craft gathering attendees several years ago and made enough nails to fill 2 coffee cans in a day. Got a rhythm going and after the first hour was getting 2 nails done in one heat twice a minute.

[@5x535]

W0W! Good job Stan! The rewards of repetition and patience. I need to do chain like that.

[@rusticsmith4074]

Thanks for sharing your skills

[@BlackBearForge]

You are welcome

[@hosiercraft9675]

Thanks again for another great video. A wonderful example on how to practice many skills and techniques while making beautiful useful items.

[@DavoShed]

Yours and Alec’s are the two Blacksmith channels I watch. Sometimes his channel is all sparks and power hammers. Entertaining but not always stuff I can try and learn from. He has been mixing it up a bit lately with more beginner stuff which is great. Both your channel and Alec’s are interesting and educational just in different ways. I have been wondering if you have come across his work. Now I know 😀 Love the hook and staple. I know a toilet (Dunny) door that could use one. Don’t know I didn’t think of it my self.

[@djay6651]

Rowan Taylor does good work and makes good videos as well.

[@xxxclampgodxxx5511]

I like that project John. Very practical Useful. Thx for your video and your experience......Paul..

[@brettsayers7768]

Another interesting project John. Great work.

[@bc65925]

John, when you are barbing your staples, put a small piece of flat stock on top of your vice under the stable to support it. Just a thought.

[@BlackBearForge]

That would have helped.

[@bentoombs]

I thought launching Hot steel across the shop and trying to find what's on fire was the point of this sport.. well that's no fun. I'm out. Lol great video John like always. 👍👍🔨On!

[@Dominic.Minischetti]

Ben Toombs lol

[@jetblackstar]

I think every blacksmith I watch that I feel has much skill has dropped many pieces of hot steel on camera. It does in deed seem to be a skill requirement, to be good at dropping hot iron and A) moving out the way B) doing this gracefully and fast.

[@klkkylekin5948]

Very good love your videos keep them coming

[@GodschildinNC]

Made mine today. I am a new Smith. This is my first multi piece project. Sorry for some reason I can't upload photos of it. Needless to say, but not as good as yours.

[@rolliekelly6783]

Factory made staples are intentionally made asymmetrical. This way, one can hold the shorter leg to start and then pull the fingers back before sinking the staple to depth.

[@grayem76]

i like this project great job john i dont have a cut off hardy but i could see myself making 50 of these with the cut off wheel

[@bentoombs]

grayem pepper a hot cut Hardie isn't that hard to make. I actually made my first one out of a railroad spike which work until I made a real one

[@grayem76]

yeh well my main problem is i have a great big piece of the anvil hard face missing and it goes all the way to the halfway point of the hardy

[@bentoombs]

grayem pepper Bummer. You can't repair that somewhat to make it usable?

[@grayem76]

i will weld it up but at the moment its too cold to keep the heat in it long enough my welder has a duty cycle of 10% so 1 minute of welding 9 minutes of down time

[@bentoombs]

grayem pepper I I'm sure eventually it all work out for you. See if Roy has a better welder that can help. I bring mine over to help you but I'm a long ways away. Lol

[@Hadlor]

Seems like you could either forge a way to pad lock it or possibly with the right sized padlock, just put it up through the staple and around the hook and lock it.

[@BlackBearForge]

You could, but I think there would be more secure options if a lock was required. But if its just to keep the neighbors and the kids out it would work.

[@TrainClown]

Hi John! I've been watching a lot of your videos recently. This will really help when I set up my forge again and I thank you for that. I have some forging experience but my technique is a little rusty. Anyway, I have an observation and a request and a suggestion or two. Observation: I notice you often change tongs and you never say anything about your choice, like what kind of tong it is and if it was made for that specific job and I would be interested in that. Request: I plan to make some tools, chisels in particular and after watching your video on punching an eye for a hammer, I'm wondering if there is a way to punch socket on the top of a chisel that the handle would insert in to. The way I make them now is to form a shoulder at the top of the chizel and a tang that fits into a hole in the handle and then a ferrel is made to keep the handle from splitting, but on larger chizels, like a slick, this is not the best way to do it. in the past I have made a socket out of 1/4" plate and then welded it together (this can prove to be a tedious routine) Could you please demonstrate how to punch a socket (if possible) or how parts like that are made? Suggestions: You asked about ideas for some 'how to' videos and here are some, small hand held garden tools, a hoe, a fork, a weed tool. a weather vain. a plant hanger. a garden torch holder (like a Tiki torch). Just some ideas, but the chisel socket is what I really need to know. Keep up the yackin', I'm soaking up every word. Sincerely, Christopher Dowie.

[@BlackBearForge]

For a socket chisel it is best to forge weld the socket. I will look at that in n upcoming video. I will see what I can do about explaining specific tool choices better, but often its just a matter of what one has on hand.

[@TrainClown]

well, I would forge the socket and then Mig weld it all together. So I was closer than I thought. I'll have to work on forge welding. Thanks for the tong video. I guess you just make a special tong when the job comes round and then you always have it after that. I welded a coupling nut to the thumb screw of a large pair of vice grips, then welded a bolt to a piece of rebar three feet long, then put a loop in the other end. May not be perfect, but comes in real handy for all sorts of things.

[@Degovernator]

I think each time I leave the cut off in the hardy hole that it would be a tad uncomfortable to hit that with my hammer hand and cut off a finger instead of a piece of material. Good job thinking about it. lol

[@BlackBearForge]

That is one reason my hardy hole is toward the tong hand and not the hammer hand.

[@robphone4895]

Another great one! Again I have a question. You showed how to make a bolt, can you also create a bolt with wood threat? Would be a nice addition to this project.

[@BlackBearForge]

I have never made a wood thread and haen't seen how it would have been done before the machine age.

[@robphone4895]

Black Bear Forge I feel a challenge coming up😏. Maybe I'll try it this weekend. Thinking about trying a diamond (almost flat) shaped tapper and give it a twist.

[@robphone4895]

I tried making a screw, posted the result on the FB. It kind of worked but it is not a realy a screw it's more like a drill.

[@WildBoreWoodWind]

👍

[@GibClark]

👍👍👍👍

[@l.l.blacksmithing4059]

What camera set up do you have I see you can operate it with your phone

[@BlackBearForge]

I use a Sony FDR AX33 I talked about it here kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKTVhJygrbeoq80

[@l.l.blacksmithing4059]

Black Bear Forge awesome thank you

[@jamesbrandon8520]

Nice video John but you are good at forge welding so why don’t you make some small pieces of Damascus and make a mild steel adze and forge weld the Damascus high carbon steel into it think of the higher profits you could make

[@BlackBearForge]

Not sure what that has to do with a gate hook. But I doubt the green woodworkers that buy adzes would be all that impressed with a bit of Damascus.

[@jamesbrandon8520]

Black Bear Forge sorry nothing to do with the hook just a little comment on Alec Steele that you mentioned and I am glad that he’s going back to the basics that’s why I started watching him in the first place not because of the knives and swords

[@truegeekified]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnS9YYShjrKUhbc The video you mention at the end. Thanks again John!

[@BlackBearForge]

Thats it. I can't add the link until its uploaded and since I start the upload and go to bed I have to add the links the next morning

[@Xlaxsauce]

I'm surprised you don't like pattern welded metal. I always thought it looked very beautiful and makes for a very nice knife. The only bad part about it is that it takes time to learn how to make it right, to get the layers to weld properly and to learn how to make a lot of different patterns. Oh and you lose more metal by the looks of it, therefore making it far more expensive.

[@BlackBearForge]

I don’t think I said I didn’t like it. It just isn’t something I spend much time on. Making it is straight forward enough but it can mire than double the time it takes to make a product and I don’t see my current customers wanting to pay double. I am sure there will be some videos on it, but they aren’t likely to become a large part of what I do.

[@mjc26250]

No wonder it's easier to use staples...trying to find a die to cut the threads for a wood/lag screw is not easy! I saw a forum post, somewhere, that way back (1700s) they made the tapered rod, hand filed the threads then made a swage set to 'mass' produce more. I guess using a commercial screw and skipping all that hand filing, along with power hammers, fly presses and whatr not would be the 'modern' solution if you don't want to just buy them.

[@BlackBearForge]

I have never thought of trying to swage a screw thread, its an interesting idea

[@mjc26250]

I saw it in a comment about making a part for a cannon. It does make sense, though, if you look at some of the commercerial threads...they do look stamped.

[@OuroborosArmory]

Second?

[@JarlSeamus]

You forgot the links to Alex Steele's Vids. He is a fantastic personality. Anyhow, here are the "How to get started" and "Make 100 of these" links kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKO8Xqecm9Wplbs kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnS9YYShjrKUhbc

[@BlackBearForge]

I didn't actually forget. I can't add the links until my video is completely uploaded. It takes about 4 hours to do the upload, so I start it and go to bed. Then I take care of things like links in the morning.