That looks like something you could make yourself with a sturdy pair of needle-nosed pliers, and some steel wire of similar gauge. Use self-tapping sheet metal screws.

Thanks, David. I thought about doing that before but then I became consumed by trying to find out what they are called. I'll give it a shot.

That's an odd piece I've never seen in a 'modern' hardware store.

Couple places to check: Architectural salvage stores around your area. And Restoration Hardware or similar catalog places.

Thanks, toxcrusadr - I'll check those out as well. FYI, for anyone that is curious, I've attached another view of the piece.

Russ

Good point. From this angle it looks a lot like the hook part of what you see on a simple shed door, with the eye bent over.

Hook Eye Latch

https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Hardware-S750-490-SAFETY-GATE/dp/B00004Z0OS

This is like nothing I've ever come across, but although even places like Home Depot have the two inch long "register screws" or "vent screws" I don't think you're apt to find the hook in anything but a specialty supply house.

I'd suggest you comb the Yellow Pages for Supply Houses that cater specifically to Heating and Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, and Small Appliance installers and servicemen, and with both pieces of hardware in hand, make the rounds of whatever you find.

Or perhaps it would prove easier to find and speak to the servicemen themselves since they are the ones most apt to recognize what it is they're looking at and know where to get them.

Short of that, and a little bit of luck, I think DavidR's suggestion is the most realistic yet.

1. 1) Buy Hook and Eye and twist hook to fit.

2) Cut off ~3" of Wire Coat hanger and bend to fit.

3) Drive yourself batty trying to find an item from over 100 years ago that is hidden inside a wall.

Thanks, everyone, for weighing in. My next stop is the most well-known HVAC place in town to see what they know. If that fails, I'll machine it using some wire. I'll post here how that goes, though it will probably be a month before that happens. I think my main fascination with this problem is that such an elegant solution doesn't have a name...

... which means I'm still hanging on to SaltiDawg's number 3. :)

Maybe someone in the Heating/Air conditioning Forum would know...?

Can you post a picture of your vent cover ? It looks really nice.

I’m thinking the reason you can’t find a name for this is because there isn’t one. It looks someone jury rigged it because there wasn’t anything behind the screw hole to screw into. If it were me I’d attach a piece of wood inside the opening and then screw directly into that. You could use a corner brace you have lying around to hold the wood if you wanted to make it fancy, or you could just screw right into the brace.

Sammy, every single vent in my house uses the same fastening technology, so I don't think it is jury-rigged. They could have easily designed it so that the screw hole on the vent cover was 1/2 inch further out and then the screw would just go into the face of the box rather than the inside of the box. I could put wood inside as you suggest, but that would reduce the airflow and it would potentially interfere with the operation of the vent itself. I'll post a front view of the vent tonight so you can see what I mean.

What about using small rare earth magnets to hold the assembly in place, assuming the vent cover frame is metal?

Or build a frame out of 1/2" stock to frame the opening, nail or glue to wall and screw the vent assembly to the frame?

Thanks for the idea, ci_lantro.

That is a simple modified vintage eyed J hook. Not as common as they use to be since they have mostly went to screw in, nuts or butterfly type fasteners.

I have saw them made by modifying large barbless fish hooks before. The eye end was heated and bent backwards to a 90 degree angle.. A sheet metal screw will screw right into them.

You could ask for a nut since that is what goes on a screw. Not certain that I have seen this type for a while but used to be used to hold certain types of windows in place.

I think the piece has been 'jury rigged'. My guess is the original screw was a coarse threaded bolt with a square nut.

Just coming across this discussion a couple years later.

my home was milled on site in 1907.

since moving in 2 years ago, we have been busy with a list of projects large & small.

these wall & floor vents were one of the first things on the list, mostly because I have no interest in fishing my 1 & 3 year old out of them.

I agree with you Russ. This was the standard hardware & fashion for the time. There was a metal vent shaft that covered the wood shaft. A screw, then eye of the hook hardware threaded onto screw at one end. The end of the Hook fastens to the hole in the metal shaft.

All of mine are this way as well.

I have not seen these parts in my searches either. Over the years if the metal shafts are damaged or removed, I’m sure you would have to get creative & secure the vent cover another way.

local hvac company sounds like a good place to look.

Also, I have come across good accessories online at ”house of antique hardware”.

here is a picture of our vent with inside hook & screw attatched & unattached.

That is so helpful! Thank you