Just bought four sets of cabin hooks from B&Q to hold the shed doors open.

Nice, chunky galvanized things, but the hook part slopes outwards i.e. is
less than a right angle to the main shaft. Not one dodgy hook as I have
checked a second set and they are both the same.

The result is that when engaged, a small pressure against the door makes the
hook slide up until it pops out.

The hook and staple are mounted at the same level (checked with wikipedia
just in case there was something special about mounting cabin hooks but
apparently not).

Is it just me, or is this a flawed design?

I am now trying to decide if I should attempt to bend the hook ends or just
take them back.
However taking them back costs time and money.

I think I'll bend them, but problem now is should I bow the shaft, which
should be fairly easy to bend as it is long, or try and bend the hook over.

Any other suggestions?

Would something non-slip like plastic tubing give it more grip?

Cut a notch on the inside of the hook?

Cheers

Dave R

On 24/09/2011 17:36, David WE Roberts wrote:
Just bought four sets of cabin hooks from B&Q to hold the shed doors open.

Nice, chunky galvanized things, but the hook part slopes outwards i.e.
is less than a right angle to the main shaft. Not one dodgy hook as I
have checked a second set and they are both the same.

The result is that when engaged, a small pressure against the door makes
the hook slide up until it pops out.

The hook and staple are mounted at the same level (checked with
wikipedia just in case there was something special about mounting cabin
hooks but apparently not).

Is it just me, or is this a flawed design?

I've always wondered about that. I think it must deliberate cos they
all do the same.

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Sat, 24 Sep 2011 18:18:29 +0100, The Medway Handyman wrote:

On 24/09/2011 17:36, David WE Roberts wrote:
Just bought four sets of cabin hooks from B&Q to hold the shed doors
open.

Nice, chunky galvanized things, but the hook part slopes outwards i.e.
is less than a right angle to the main shaft. Not one dodgy hook as I
have checked a second set and they are both the same.

The result is that when engaged, a small pressure against the door
makes the hook slide up until it pops out.

The hook and staple are mounted at the same level (checked with
wikipedia just in case there was something special about mounting cabin
hooks but apparently not).

Is it just me, or is this a flawed design?

I've always wondered about that. I think it must deliberate cos they
all do the same.

I've always thought it was so that as you push the hook down, it pulls
the door in/back more snugly.

Roughen the inside surface of the hook and eye?



--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Sep 24, 5:36*pm, "David WE Roberts"
wrote:
Just bought four sets of cabin hooks from B&Q to hold the shed doors open..

Nice, chunky galvanized things, but the hook part slopes outwards i.e. is
less than a right angle to the main shaft. Not one dodgy hook as I have
checked a second set and they are both the same.

The result is that when engaged, a small pressure against the door makes the
hook slide up until it pops out.

The hook and staple are mounted at the same level (checked with wikipedia
just in case there was something special about mounting cabin hooks but
apparently not).

Is it just me, or is this a flawed design?

I am now trying to decide if I should attempt to bend the hook ends or just
take them back.
However taking them back costs time and money.

I think I'll bend them, but problem now is should I bow the shaft, which
should be fairly easy to bend as it is long, or try and bend the hook over.

On Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:36:52 +0100, David WE Roberts wrote:

Just bought four sets of cabin hooks from B&Q to hold the shed doors
open.

Nice, chunky galvanized things, but the hook part slopes outwards i.e.
is less than a right angle to the main shaft.

Cheap crap from China...

I'd bung it in a vice bash the end of the hook with an 'ammer to get
it bent inwards a bit.

Bought a hasp the other day, the part with the hole for the padlock
or pin is simply folded steel but the holes are obviously punched
first then the folds done. The fold is out by nearly half the dia of
the hole! All the ones they had in stock were the same in both zinc
plated and painted...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Sep 24, 5:36*pm, "David WE Roberts"
wrote:
Just bought four sets of cabin hooks from B&Q to hold the shed doors open..

Nice, chunky galvanized things, but the hook part slopes outwards i.e. is
less than a right angle to the main shaft.

Yes, they're cabin hooks. They're heavy enough to weigh themselves
down, and they're supposed to hold a door tight against a frame to
stop it rattling.

If you just want retention, then you want cupboard hooks, not cabin
hooks, which are hook shaped to stop them bouncing open and also to
have a bit of "over centre" action to encourage them to stay hooked.
OTOH, if they're not getting bounced around, they won't go either way/

On Sep 25, 4:36 am, "David WE Roberts"
wrote:

I think I'll bend them, but problem now is should I bow the shaft, which
should be fairly easy to bend as it is long, or try and bend the hook over.

Bend the hook more.
I just made a hook for my garage door that is 3.6 metres wide. The
wind force on the door can be strong. Naturally I bent the hook so
that the door stays open with increasing force.

David WE Roberts wrote:

Just bought four sets of cabin hooks from B&Q to hold the shed doors
open.

Nice, chunky galvanized things, but the hook part slopes outwards
i.e. is less than a right angle to the main shaft. Not one dodgy hook
as I have checked a second set and they are both the same.

The result is that when engaged, a small pressure against the door
makes the hook slide up until it pops out.

The hook and staple are mounted at the same level (checked with
wikipedia just in case there was something special about mounting
cabin hooks but apparently not).

Is it just me, or is this a flawed design?

I am now trying to decide if I should attempt to bend the hook ends
or just take them back. However taking them back costs time and
money.

I think I'll bend them, but problem now is should I bow the shaft,
which should be fairly easy to bend as it is long, or try and bend
the hook over.

Any other suggestions?

Would something non-slip like plastic tubing give it more grip?

Cut a notch on the inside of the hook?

I use them for the sheds at our school, when fitting them all I do is
raise the height of the hook relative to the plate such that the hook
points a tad backwards, it's far easier than bending them.

This also helps keep the kids from easily shutting the doors as you
need a positive force to lift the hook out, they can't just be flicked
up.

--
Paul - xxx

On Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:08:02 -0700, Matty F wrote:

I just made a hook for my garage door that is 3.6 metres wide.

Bloody hell! How big is the door? .-)

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Sep 25, 8:52 pm, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:08:02 -0700, Matty F wrote:
I just made a hook for my garage door that is 3.6 metres wide.

Bloody hell! How big is the door? .-)

Rephrasing, the door is 3.6 metres wide. The hook is about 1 metre
long, in order to reach a nearby post. The other door is 2.4 metres
wide.

On Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:16:49 -0700, Matty F wrote:

On Sep 25, 8:52 pm, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:08:02 -0700, Matty F wrote:
I just made a hook for my garage door that is 3.6 metres wide.

Bloody hell! How big is the door? .-)

Rephrasing, the door is 3.6 metres wide. The hook is about 1 metre long,
in order to reach a nearby post. The other door is 2.4 metres wide.

I was joking, hence the smiley! But it's still a big hook!

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

"Paul - xxx" wrote in message
...
David WE Roberts wrote:

Just bought four sets of cabin hooks from B&Q to hold the shed doors
open.

Nice, chunky galvanized things, but the hook part slopes outwards
i.e. is less than a right angle to the main shaft. Not one dodgy hook
as I have checked a second set and they are both the same.

The result is that when engaged, a small pressure against the door
makes the hook slide up until it pops out.

The hook and staple are mounted at the same level (checked with
wikipedia just in case there was something special about mounting
cabin hooks but apparently not).

Is it just me, or is this a flawed design?

I am now trying to decide if I should attempt to bend the hook ends
or just take them back. However taking them back costs time and
money.

I think I'll bend them, but problem now is should I bow the shaft,
which should be fairly easy to bend as it is long, or try and bend
the hook over.

Any other suggestions?

Would something non-slip like plastic tubing give it more grip?

Cut a notch on the inside of the hook?

I use them for the sheds at our school, when fitting them all I do is
raise the height of the hook relative to the plate such that the hook
points a tad backwards, it's far easier than bending them.

This also helps keep the kids from easily shutting the doors as you
need a positive force to lift the hook out, they can't just be flicked
up.

To try and cover various helpful suggestions:

I tried moving the staple up and down relative to the hook and this made no
difference.

In the end I gripped the last bit of the hook in a metalwork vice (stood on
a bit of wood because I still don't have a bench) and belted the shaft with
a club hammer.
This turned the hook inwards with a nice curve which now holds in the staple
just as I would have expected it to in the first place.
Downside is that I have taken some of the surface treatment off the end of
the hook and also the shaft where I belted it with a hammer.

Still nor convinced any hook should pop out that easily.

The quality of stuff from B&Q seems to have gone downhill a long way since
last year.
The bolts I fitted to the other door are an order of magnitude better
quality than the ones I got this week which are amazingly flimsy.
The cabin hooks seem to be very cheap and nasty as well with the brackets
being folded and punched metal.

Ah, well, even the Chinese can't keep producing quality for peanuts.

Cheers

Dave R