Boot hook - easy blacksmithing and wood lathe project
This is an easy blacksmithing project practice some fundamental blacksmithing skills. These skills include rounding off some square solid bar, drawing out the length then adding a simple hook at one end. I also perform a 360-degree twist to add a decorative element to the square section.
It is important to note that I am not a blacksmith and do not profess to be an expert. I am using a solid chunk of steel for an anvil and some pipe as an anvil horn. To heat the iron I'm using the single burner gas forge that I built in another video. As my skills progress, I will consider investing in a proper anvil but there are many things you can achieve without spending a lot of money.
Although this project could be made entirely in iron, I decided to use the wood lathe to turn a basic handle. I'm using a scrap piece of osage orange which is a lovely golden coloured timber. The stock had a large crack and hole but I was able to turn the handle without any issues. One end of the handle has a big hole in it, but I don't mind the imperfections.
For this project, I finished the timber in epoxy resin as an experiment. It turned out ok but I'm not sure I would do this again. It is messy and takes too long to harden. It is also expensive but I happened to have some gloss epoxy resin from another project. I spray the iron with a matt black paint then burnish off the edges with sandpaper. This technique highlights the edges in silver which look particularly nice around the twist. The final piece is coated in satin clear to prevent it from rusting.
Watch the YouTube video for the full build and please support me by subscribing.
