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Tried a different forging technique on a front foot yesterday and learned something the hard way | Farriers - SMM Buzz

Tried a different forging technique on a front foot yesterday and learned something the hard way

I've been shoeing for about 12 years now and I usually stick with the same hammer technique for shaping the toe on a front foot. Yesterday I had a big draft cross with a nasty quarter crack and I decided to try a different method I saw online where you punch the toe down before you even touch the heels. Figured it would save me some time on the anvil. Well I got the shape roughed in and went to fit it hot and the shoe was twisted sideways at the heels. Never had that happen before. Took me three tries to get it close to straight again. Learned that the order you strike the steel matters way more than I thought. Has anyone else botched a shoe bad trying a new method and had to start over?

3 comments

3 Comments

david373mo ago

Man that twisted heel thing got me too the first time I tried changing up my order. If you punch the toe down first you gotta be real careful about keeping your heel spread even or the whole thing goes crooked on you.

emma_clark3mo ago

Hey @alicecooper i get what you're saying about learning from mistakes but I see it different. Honestly changing the order of your strikes without understanding why the old order worked in the first place is just asking for trouble. I've been doing this long enough to know that some methods stick around for a reason they work reliably. Ngl you said it yourself the shoe got twisted and he spent three tries fixing it. That's not a lesson that's wasted time and material on a horse that needed to get shod. Tbh if you're just trying random stuff from the internet without knowing the basics of why the steel moves the way it does you're gonna end up with a lot of crooked shoes and pissed off clients. Respect the craft learn the fundamentals before you start swapping steps around.

alicecooper3mo ago

...but see I think you're looking at this wrong. That shoe might have been twisted but now you know exactly what happens when you change the order of your strikes. That's not failing, that's learning with fire and steel. The guys who think there's only one right way to do things are the ones who end up with a lot of wasted bar stock and nothing to show for it. You got through three tries and got it straight, so you actually came out ahead on the lesson. I'd rather botch a shoe and figure out why than stick to the same old routine for twenty years and never know what else works.