London passed laws in the 1700s that required houses facing the street to hang lanterns at night.
When gas lanterns were the only available outdoor lighting in many cities, lantern hooks were used to suspend the lanterns on the exteriors of buildings, and became decorative items with beautiful scrolled metalwork. The hooks curved outward to keep the lantern away from flammable wood siding. Today these hooks are used for hanging flower baskets or to suspend candles. All it takes is a scroll bender and a little soldering skill to create a unique, handcrafted lantern hook.
Instructions
1. Design your lantern hook. Choose a shape for your hook and purchase a scroll bender in the desired shape. Use the width and thickness of the metal strip or rod you're using, and the desired scroll design, to inform what size and type of bender you should procure. Decide on the width and length of your wall mount plate and where you'd like the hook and support bracket to attach. The support bracket is a shorter length of metal on which the larger piece rests.
2. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to mount your scroll bender on a flat surface in a large, unobstructed work area.
3. Insert one end of the metal strip or rod into the bender and adjust to grip the metal. Some benders have two adjustable central rollers, while others have a center pillar slot with a clamp.
4. Grip the end of the metal strip or rod and use it like a handle, or use the handle provided with the bender, and turn the metal around the center portion of the bender enough to make a curl. Leave enough opening to slip the lantern handle into. Remove the metal from the bender and bend the other end of the metal according to your design. Release the finished scroll. Then bend the support bracket according to your design.
5. Drill mounting holes in the mounting plate at top and bottom. Solder the lantern hook and support bracket together. Next solder the base of both to the wall mounting plate. Spray paint the entire piece with black spray paint. Mount to the wall with screws.
Tags: support bracket, lantern hook, metal strip, scroll bender, according your, according your design
