ornament hooks

Re: ornament hooks

Jerry Whitaker

>Some Ace Hardware stores carry the small ones. If they do not have them in stock, a decent store should order them for you. Also, you can go to Hobby Lobby or similar store and get some pins used in making jewelry that have small circles and the shank is is an inch or so long. You can cut them shorter....then take a pair of needle nose pliers and double the shank and glue it in... or you can get some small posts and rings from Craft Supplies #047-3100/ 1-/pkg for $2.99.

Re: ornament hooks

Jerry Whitaker

>P.S. You can also get gold or nickel plated fish hooks....the ones with the barbs way up the shank work best and may not even have to be glued in, just friction fit.

Re: ornament hooks

Randy Rhine

>I get mine at craft stores...like..."Craft Warehouse" or "Michaels".

Re: ornament hooks

Phil Joines Krum, Texas

>I use eye pins, they are available as jewelry findings. They need a #60 drill. Because I turn the fineals backwards to most people, the tennon is turned first at the tailstock end, they are drilled with a Dremmel after the turning is finished.

Re: ornament hooks

Leo Van Der Loo

>I have made eye loops from copper and brass wire, with the little bird houses or where I can have the wire outside the ornament, Iwill bend the end 3 or 4 mm (3/16) 180 degrees and then 90 degrees side ways pull the wire up till the bend part seats against the inside, then cut the wire, long enough to make a loop around a thin rod, wind around itself and cut off the rest, the ornament is able to be turned around this way, if I can't get at the wire, to make the double bend, I will make the eye loop on the wire and then glue the wire in the hole, might have to dubble or triple the end.

Have fun and take care

Leo V

Screw eyes

Fred in NC

>Miniature brass plated screw eyes. Aboput $2 for a bag of 100.

http://www.craftparts.com/mall/ScrewEyes.asp

Re: ornament hooks

John Lucas

>Gary

I turn the ornament finial and then there is usually short piece left in the chuck. I turn a 3/8" tenon on this piece to make my top finial. I hollow it just a little because the ornament is usually rounded on top. Then I turn it around and grip it in my small jaws so I can turn the top of the finial. Then I hold the small drill bit in a pin chuck that I hold by hand and drill it while it's on the lathe.

I've tried all sorts of hangers. They all work but the earing wires I tried would break off if you bend them a few times. I've been using deck railing pins that I got from Micro Mark tools. The hole is a little small in the top so it's hard to put ribbon or string through the hole. The wire hangers do fit through the hole.

I couldn't find really small screw in eyes around here but Nick Cook says he gets his from Benny's Woodworks in Nolensville Tn. I have't tried to find them yet. Bob Rosand also uses small screw eyes but I don't know where he get's his.

The fish hooks work great but they get a little expensive if you have to buy 100. Twisted brass wire also works well if your just going to do a few but gets a little tiring to make 100.

Re: ornament hooks

Dick Hines

>If you are using brass screw eyes they will ring off. If the wood is soft like holly they go in ok. If not drill a hole. If you do not have a drill the right size put some thick CA on the threads and stick the eye in the hole.

I get my screw eyes from Ben Franklin craft stores. The 5mm is about right for the ornaments I make.

Re: ornament hooks

Bob Persing (Skillman NJ)

>Gary,

I have purchased small screw-eye hooks at Home Depot. They were cadmium or galvanized plated but I sprayed them with gold paint. I drill a hole in the top of the ornament that is ever so slightly smaller in diameter than the screw. I do this at my drillpress with a primative jig to hold the ornament. If screw-eye is too loose I add some CA glue.

I noticed that in the recent catalog from Packard Woodworks they were selling small scre-eyes for use when making ornaments. You might check them out as a source.

BobP

Re: ornament hooks -- NONE !

Brad Vietje

>Another possibility is to design the finial so you can drill through it from the side, and use a bent wire hanger. I use a 1/16" drill bit, and drill them hand-held (not one goof-up yet). I decide which way the ornament will look best (I sometimes use burled or spalted wood, etc..), and drill at 90 degrees to that so the best face can be displayed.

Before drilling, I make a small divot with the long point of a small skew to keep the drill bit from wandering. I get solid brass wire from craft stores in a 100' roll, and bend "S" hooks for hanging ornaments -- very quick and easy. Modified store-bought ornament hanging wires would work well, too. So far, I've only used ribbon once (at my wife's request), but I thought it detracted from the turning -- too much visual competition.

Safe spinning,

Brad Vietje

Thetford, VT

Re: ornament hooks

Mac

>I drill a small hole in the top before I take it off the lathe, with a pin vise.I use music wire for the hanger.Cut a 6" piece,crimp it in the middle to make it sort of torpedo shaped,insert the two ends into the hole you made in the finial.Crimp the two ends over with needle nose pliers,and epoxy them to the underside of the finial.I also put a silver bead on the wire before I insert it into the finial,gives it a nice finishing touch.

Re: ornament hooks

gary clarke

>thanks for all the tips on hanging ornaments(not hanging chads:) )

Re: Packards *LINK*

Bill Turpin in WNC mountains

>Gold tone screw eyes are listed in catalog as 3/8". The eye is closer to 1/8". Three eighths is the total length of eye and threaded portion. These are very good quality and stay brite. I like to support vendors who support turning and public service projects like Freedom Pens.

Bill in WNC mountains


Packards