Down'n'dirty Blacksmithing/Project 2

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Note: Edits on this section were interupted, please excuse the construction dust -- erraunt

That will function fine. And we suggest you make a plain one first to get the feel of it, but then we challenge you to "make it pretty" and use more of what you have just learned.

There are two challenges you will likely encounter in this project: 1) Working with the locking pliers and 2) Getting the right length of stock.

In the excercises we've had you work with longer pieces of stock and cut off the end when you're done with the excercise. With the "S" hook you will start with stock longer than necessary, work the first curve, then cut it off with enough stock to complete the second curve. Unless you make a very long "S" hook you will have to use the locking pliers as tongs to hold the stock while you work the other end. Working with pliers or tongs takes some getting used to. The stock handles differently, and you'll have to keep an eye on the grip so that the stock stays put in the pliers.

As for the second challenge, this will be your first exposure to determining how much stock you will need before you begin the project, and the double curve presents something of a challenge.

We're going to make a "S" that's about six inches from top to bottom. For some reason there seems to be a desire to start with 6" of stock or maybe 12". And then one starts thinking it through and realizes they need something else.

Let's refine what we're after: a 6" overall "S" hook with 1" radius curves at either end.

So 2 curves with a 1" radius is about 2" of overall length. 4" of stem to make 6". Now the 4" of stem is pretty straightforward, but how much more metal will be needed to make 2 curves with a 1" radius?

Math to the rescue (and the fact that this is not an exact science).

Remember pi? 3.14159, etc.?

Circumference of a circle is 2 x radius x pi. Or diameter x pi.

OK, you say, but we aren't making circles.

No but we're close.

Pi for blacksmiths can be simplified a bit to "three times and a bit".

If we were making 1" radius circles we'd need 6" of stock. 1" radius = 2" diameter 2" X pi = 6+" (a bit more than 6.25" actually)

So 6" or so to make a 2" circle, but it's not a full circle, we'll want a gap of maybe 1" so it will be an "S" instead of an "8".

So call it 5" to make a hook with a 1" gap between the end of the hook and the stem. Two hooks = 10". Add a 4" stem and it's 14" of stock to make a 6" "S".

That's for a simple "S".

How much if we taper the ends and put a little curl on the ends?

Since we're reducing the width and depth the length of the metal will increase. When we make the "fancy" "S" hook we might only need 12" to make a six inch hook.

So let's try this.