Volume
3, Chapter 18: Hanging Hooks.
Ch’in should be hung up.
One should not leave them horizontal for long periods. It is be feared that this (horizontal
placement) might cause warping in the waist. Avoid hanging the ch’in in wind, sun, damp,
or wet places. It is appropriate to use
a wooden pillar or wooden wall, window frame, or other place.
In order to
make a hook, use brass or iron.
The head of the hook should be rounded and flat, and five to six-tenths
of an inch in length.[1] The hook’s body should be one and one-half
inch long, four-tenths of an inch wide, and one-tenth of an inch or so
thick. The tail of the hook should be
around one-half inch in length.[2] It should stick out like a rat’s tail. Use a piece of hard wood, that is five inches
long, four tenths of an inch thick, and about half an inch wide. Drill a hole in the center and stick in the
hook’s rat tail, twisting it in to the base, and nailing it level. On both ends of the piece of wood, drill a
hole. Use small nails with heads that
are an inch long and nail them into a pillar or wall, thus making it not too
difficult to move to another place. It
is appropriate to wrap the hook in cloth to avoid damaging the phoenix
pond.
Another method: Take a piece of
bamboo that is one and a half inches long, two tenths of an inch thick, and
with the center about three tenths of an inch wide.[3] Drill a small hole (in the center). Both ends should be somewhat rounded. Use two strands of cord that is six to seven
inches long. One end goes into the
bamboo hanger, and the other end goes around the nail. Put the nail into the pillar or wall. Put the bamboo piece into the phoenix pool
and hang up the ch’in. This is both
stable and easy to use.
Figure 1: Wall Hanging Hardware