Tutorial: Making A Bob Punch Clip

ARE YOU READY??? Relax....and have fun! It's only a horseshoe.

This method has worked for me for many years. For this tutorial I decided to draw quarter clips. I always start on the right side of the shoe first (heels pointing up). Bring the portion of shoe to be clipped to a bright yellow heat and we're ready to start.

Step #1	Place punch on the ground side of the shoe about 1/8th of an inch from the outside of the web between the 1st and 2nd nail holes. Drive the punch down until it bottoms out.	Image 1
Step #2	Leave the punch in the shoe and drag it over to the upper left-hand corner of the hardie hole. Tip the punch at about a 45-degree angle and drive it into the corner of the hardie hole until you feel it bottom out. [Image 2] If you turn the shoe over to the foot side there should be a bubble. [Image 3]	Image 2 Image 3
Step #3	With the ground side up and the heels pointing away from you, reach over the left branch and grasp the right heel with your tongs. The reins of the tongs should lay on top of the right branch somewhere around the 1st or 2ndnail holes. Lay the bubble on the edge of the anvil.	Image 4
Step #4	Using the round side of your hammer, forge the base of the clip.	Image 5
Step #5	Now, use the flat side. Drop your hammer handle down so that you can strike the base of the clip with the bottom face edge of the hammer. Surf's Up! Ride the wave! With a steady swing of the hammer, pull the clip slowly away. You'll notice a kind of ripple effect caused by the hammer's edge.	Image 6
Step #6	After you have achieved the desired length of clip, raise the hammer handle so that you can smooth out all those ripples.	Image 7
Step #7	Level the shoe around the clip. [Image 8]. The foot side should be smooth so that there is no sole pressure. [Image 9]	Image 8 Image 9
Step #8	Place the shoe over the bick (horn) with the clip pointing toward the table. Lightly strike the base of the clip. The hammer should be striking over the top of the bick, so that the shape of the shoe is not altered. Bring the clip to the hammer by moving the shoe around the bick. [Image 10] This should give your clip the proper pitch. [Image 11]	Image 10 Image 11
Step #9	Now draw the other clip using the same steps with only two small changes. The heels of the shoe will face you this time, and you have to grasp the shoe a little differently before drawing the clip. With the ground side up and the heels pointing to the bick, reach over the branch to be clipped and grasp the opposite branch at about the 1stnail hole. The reins of the tongs should lay on top of the branch to be clipped at about the heel area.	The Finished Shoe! Image 12

Voila! You're there!

With a little practice, you should be able to draw a clip in one heat. Maybe even two clips in one heat!

Email: KFremlin@worldnet.att.net

DISCLAIMER AND WARNING: Forgery, metalsmithing, welding, blacksmithing and similar activities have INHERENT RISKS INCLUDING POTENTIAL SERIOUS INJURY TO THE PRACTITIONER AND/OR BYSTANDERS. The practitioner is responsible for ensuring adequate safety precautions (including eye protection appropriate to this type of activity) and skill, issues not covered or purported to be covered in these web pages. KEITH FREMLIN ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR INJURY TO THE PRACTIONER OR OTHERS ENGAGING IN ACTIVITIES OF FORGERY, METALSMITHING, WELDING, BLACKSMITHING OR THE LIKE AS ILLUSTRATED IN THESE WEB PAGES.

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