I found a teensy S-hook among my miscellaneous nails & screws, and am wondering how the hell it wound up orphaned in my toolbox among the other odds’n’ends, and what else I could use it for. (I love to MacGyver things, though some call it repurposing or upcycling.) So my twofold Q is: what’s the usual intended retail purpose for an S-hook under one inch in size, and to what alternate usage can I put it?)
They’re usually for hooking two pieces of chain together, or hooking a chain to an eyelet. It’s a general enough item that we couldn’t say exactly what specific purpose yours would be used for, but my guess would be something like a hanging planter.
I have used S hooks of that size to fasten fusible links in mechanical fire apparatus. Typical example: A spring loaded fire damper held open by a chain with a 165f degree fusible link. When the temperature reaches 165 degrees, the link melts and the spring closes the fire damper.
Often used to attach dog tags to collars.
Hanging plants.
I’ll second Renee. Every year our dog tags (for dogs not soldiers) came with one of those to fasten it to their collars.
And other knick-knacks: little pendants, old pocket-watches, action figures, Mardi Gras beads, etc.
I commonly use them to hang fluorescent light fixtures.
This ↑↑↑
With enough of them you could make your own chain.
and birdfeeders.
The size shown is very lightweight. Probably not strong enough for these usages. Dog license is most likely the original source.
On my Venetian blinds there is a similar S-hook, which connects the rod that you spin to open and close the blinds, to the rotating mechanism located at the top within the blind assembly.
Bad idea, IMO; the opening is too wide and the license would be too likely to fall off.
I just close them with pliers when I need dog tags for critters to stay on but not be so strong that if hung on something while they are jumping something.
Just right for medium to large dogs. Zeus is a large dog. Bawahahaha
What kind of plants are you hanging? A Redwood?
That size s-hook is exactly her right size for hanging a small plastic pot.
Zyada, crafty girl that she is, used such hooks to hang light shades from bare-bulb ceiling fixtures.
She got some cheap plastic bowls from the dollar store, frosted them with some spray she had*, punched holes at the edges, and hung them from some leftover brass chain, using the hooks to attach.
*Epsom salts would work, she says, but if you wash the shades you have to frost them again.
It could even be used as part of clothing packaging, eg joining or attaching elastic to hold the sleeves around the back in the package…