When I was in Karmøy Viking Festival, I made a couple of fish hooks. Smithy was tilljänglig in the evenings and Tom seemed to be responsible for the blacksmith made fish hooks which I was not late to try. I did the first one in the iron and then a brass to test the difference in approach. The basic method is the same, it forges a point to fold and then plotting out a second tip in viket. That way you get a barbed tip. It then bends to the hook, cut it to length and bend of the loop. The last files you tighten up the lead. The big difference between working methods of brass and iron is that iron is hot forged and brass kallmids with regular heating to reduce tensions. I finished the rest with a little cold forging of two hooks to thereby deformationshärda them something.
When I come home from Norway, I could compare the hooks with a photo of a bargain from medieval Söderköping (right). I already knew in advance that the wire I used was rough on the high side but the find has other features I should take to me for any fish hooks in the future. The hook is straight a bit behind the tip and is sharply bent and then have a more open bend further up the stem. In this way it strengthens the hook so that it does not bend up as easily (short lever) and the fish slides down so that it always kept the barb.
next step is to spin a rope of hair, but it will have to wait until I get hold of suitable raw materials. A pitch linen thread could probably do until further notice.
0 comments:
Post a Comment