Trammel Hook for Campfire Cooking

I've started receiving orders for a variety of projects, many of which are camping and cooking related. All of my customers have wanted hooks to hang their equipment from. A variety of hooks are nice to have, but something adjustable gives more utility. This project allows for different inch separated hook lengths, not including the overall length of the upper and lower portions of this two-part hook.

I know most people don't generally have access to forging equipment, but for those who do, or those who are interested, this can be a fun early project. There are several basic blacksmithing skills required for this project, and it's a great way to practice those skills. It doesn't require a lot of extra tooling, which makes it more accessible to someone just starting in the craft.

Tools required:

• Hammer
• Tongs
• Forge
• Anvil or similar
• Punch and drift
• Hold down tool (optional)
• Bending Jig (optional)
• Water Bucket with water

Materials required:

• one piece of 9" long 1/4" round steel bar
• one piece of 9" long 1"x1/4" rectangular bar

The first skill I had to use was drawing out the material for the hook. I began at the end of the material and striking at 90 degrees from each hit. While I'm working over the horn of the anvil, because it helps draw the material out faster, this can also be done over the flat face of the anvil. The best way to get a nice point is to use the far side of either the horn, or the face, otherwise, you end up with just a blunt square of material. All of the hits being used in this are considered parallel, because they are all flat between the anvil and the hammer.

After I created the point, I continued with the 90 degree hits, but I moved the still and my aim to the shoulder that was created by the last strike. By doing this, I can create the length I need while also tapering the material into a point.

Once the material is drawn out, I use the face of the anvil to help flatten the four sides of my square. I usually have the material drawn out in one heat, so as the material gets to a black heat, I can gently planish (it means cleaning up and smoothing the material) to make my square more square.

On my next heat, I can knock the corners off to make the square into an octagon, then, as the material cools, I can continue taking the corners of by turning the material while I gently hammer. This brings the material back to a nice round shape that fits with the round bar I'm using.

With the material drawn out, I can make a curl on the tapered end by knocking the tip down over the edge of the anvil. After the curl is started, I turn the material upright, and gently brush it back into the bar. Part of this step is aesthetic, but it also serves as a safe way of keeping anyone from stabbing themselves on the hook.

Once I make the curl, I reheat the end, and make sure the bar is glowing orange about halfway down so that I can form the hook. I always quench the curl in a bucket of water, because it is the most fragile part of the bar. By doing that, I don't have to worry about deforming it when I make the hook.

I made a hook bending jig. To use it, I put the curled piece between the two bars, and bend the hook around the larger bar. The hook usually needs fine tuning on the horn of the anvil to make the curve symmetrical, but the shape has very little to do with the utility, so as long as you are happy with what you create, that's what matters most.

When I heat the rectangular bar, I put about 3/4 of an inch onto the anvil so I can create a step by using a half-on/half-off blow. By doing this, I'm flattening the part of the bar on the anvil, and pushing the material that's off the anvil straight down. Another term for this is isolating the material. We're creating a nice flat point that will bend easily near the end of the project. After isolating, I cleaned up the material to make sure it didn't spread side to side, and just got thinner and longer.

To create the holes, we first have to mark where we want them. On the material that was isolated, I marked near the center with a center punch, then measured from the offset corner two inches into the bar, then center punched in the middle of the bar. After that, I measured one inch from that hole to the next, and created three more marks, each an inch apart. I ended up with one hole at the base, and four holes on the body that we'll use to adjust the length of the hook.

After marking, I used a punch to create the holes. Anyone using this guide could also just use a drill, and drill any of the spots marked for holes. Make certain to use at least a 5/16th inch drill bit, or the hook won't fit through the holes. I would go so far as recommending a 3/8th inch bit, as there will be imperfections from the hammer, and there will be a turn at the end, as you will see.

To punch the holes, with the steel hot, I put my punch on the center mark, and hit repeatedly, cooling the punch after a couple of strikes, otherwise you risk your punch losing temper. Once I could tell the punch was almost all the way through, I turned the piece over. The mark on the back is a dark spot. I put the punch on that mark, and hit with that spot over either of the holes on my anvil until the piece of steel sheared out of the middle of the hole. I repeated this process on each of the other four places marked on the steel.

After the holes were punched, I planished the piece to flatten everything out (see... you already knew what that word meant). I reheated the piece, and used my drift to open the holes to the right diameter. I used the unbent end of my hook to test the fit while I was working on it so I didn't have to go back and rework the holes.

A hook is only good if you can hang it on something. As our desire is to hang the hook, and hang something from the other end, we have to have two hooks. I offset about 1 and 1/2" inches of material, but this time, instead of holding the flat of the bar against the anvil, I held the bar so the narrow side was down. My anvil has a rounded corner, and a sharper corner. I used the rounded corner so that the offset would not have a cutting action on the steel, which can create a weak point, known as a cold shut.

After the offset was created, I drew the offset portion out to get it to the diameter and length needed for a hook. In this case, I made it about 1/4" round so it would match the other hook. It took me several heats because of how much material needed moved. Once again, I drew it out in a square, on 90 degrees, then I knocked the corners off to make it an octagon, and planished it to round with a point.

I created another curl to match the first one. To make the hook centered on the bar, I had to bend it out of the way toward the side of the drawn out material. Once I had it at almost a 90 degree angle, I heated the steel, quenched the curled tip, and bent the hook around the horn of the anvil. Making the hook fit how I wanted took some fiddling, but when it was finished, there was an opening large enough to get the hook on a bar without sliding it over the end.

With both hooks created, I heated up the offset end of the bar, and bent it at 90 degrees to the bar. The hole in that end is what the round bar passes through to allow adjustment. When I bent it over, I made sure to bend it away from the offset so that it creates a nice curve, and keeps from creating a cold shut.

Once that bend is made, I passed the round bar through the hole to determine which way the hook should face. The opening of each hook should face opposite directions to provide stability to whatever is being hung. After determining what direction the hook should face, I bent the round end of the rod in the direction of the adjustment holes.

Most of my metalwork receives my touchmark. This piece is no exception. I heated the trammel at the hook end, and used my touchmark punch to leave my mark. My mark is a representation of my forge. It's named Red Nose Forge after Ivey, my red-nosed pitbull. My touchmark is the Celtic ogham for ivy or gorse. She passed back in May this year, so this has taken on even more meaning for me than before.

There are many ways to finish metalwork. I used a wire brush on an angle grinder to clean the forge scale off both pieces. That step is generally required for any finish to protect the steel from rust. At this point, paint, wax, or oils can be applied to protect the steel. My choice was to heat the steel up to between a purple and black color, then apply boiled linseed oil to the two parts. If the oil isn't smoking when you apply it, the steel isn't hot enough. If the oil smokes, but the piece looks dry, then it's just burning off, so wait for the steel to cool some, then reapply the oil. I used paper towels to apply the oil, but some people use brushes or cloth rags. After the oil smoked for about thirty seconds, I used a rag, and wiped the excess oil off.

After the steel cooled off, I took the bent end of the round rod, and put it through the hole at the base of the trammel. Once it was through, it could be turned back 90 degrees until the bend could be inserted into any of the four holes in the body of the trammel. The force of gravity, and whatever weight is put on the bottom hook keeps the adjustment from dropping out.

The basic design for this project was inspired by a video from the Black Bear Forge channel on YouTube @

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAEQ2FYGyeg

The material sizes are probably different, but it's always nice to find ideas and make them your own.

My 10 year old son took nearly all of the photos. He probably missed some opportunities for some photos, but I hope none of you reading feel short-changed by their lack. Overall, he did a great job, and is really developing into a good photographer. Imagine what he could do if he were using a camera, and not just a phone.

Thanks for reading. I hope you find inspiration from reading this, and determination to make a way to try new things.