I am not the best at making handmade shoes, but i can do it. It just takes longer & there by all means NOT perfect (aligning nail holes)!! But i don't plan or wan't to enter any contests anyways.
I used to practice alot!! But to me it's soo.. much easyier & faster to use keg shoes (time is money & they make "almost" every shoe!)
Most farriers i know shoe the same way, but how many of you still make your own (all 4!)
What do you charge for your skill & time with handmades? How quik can you make them?

We've talked about this on quite a few threads but one mopre doesn't hurt. LOL

I use hand mades on the foot wavers and I get $40/pair and up for the shoes. I use store baughts on most of my flat shod horses. It just more economical.

I carry bar stock in the truck so I can make what I need when I get caught without something.

I make all of mine and I charge from my low end 185 to my high end of 500 per head. It is a lot of work, but for me it is the satisfaction at the end of the day that pays off. It is an art to take a straight length of steel and make it like the foot of a horse.

Hossboss, I make all my shoes.. at first it was to practice for the CJF exam... I was struggling and it took me forever.. luckily the economy helped me out and most of my clients got rid of horses... Got to see the light somewhere right?

I am on the mid to high end of the cost but my cost is my cost... I don't charge extra for handmades because they are not a specialty item in my business, my business is special... $110 for full shoes. I had one girl with a lame horse think that my pricing was crazy, her shoer charges her 60... hmm.. but I know there are a few at $125 and $150 and I don't know anyone around here who makes all their shoes.

Uncle Rico, if folks pay that much for shoes then where do I need to move to... AZ has some of the better farriers and the lowest paying customers.. I put 3 ads on craigslist upping prices and all three of them got flagged and deleted for being over priced.. nice huh...

I have been making my own shoes for every horse for almost a year now... I started with 40 minutes to make a pair down to 12 per pair... 20 for 4 shoes. What it has done for me is it has really shown me what is in a foot. I have learned about the toe quarters, the branches, the shape of the foot... it all comes to my eyes now. I noticed other farriers using kegs and seen how they are not really fitting that shoe to the foot... I build the toe into the shoe, the branches.. line up the heels with the toe nails, toe nails lined up with the inside web of the toe and everything comes together... I make the shoes and go to the horse. I don't go back to the anvil because I know the shape I am building because I can see it... I rarely fuller, but you will see one set fullered, one set with concave for the fronts and the hinds get plain stamped and the rest plain stamped.. most of what I nail on is plain stamped.
I have tried using kegs with a friend of mine and it is almost more difficult to fit a keg to that foot than it is to build the shoe for it...
That is what is going on in my world

Uncle Rico , I would love to spend some time with you!

Good work Eric ! How's it going?

Jake, school start Aug 23... San Antonio.. looks like the only place for me to do my CJF horse is in OK... are you going there? Maybe we can ride together?
Man, things are going pretty good... I have been helping a friend get horses done with kegs... wow trying to shape those weird things... came home and had to make a pair of plains just to make sure I didn't ruin my smart hand... ha ha ha
Those pics are actually old pics of shoes, I have since improved tenfold... but that is how it goes isn't? My buddy I was riding with was a little hesitant to give me a tip on improving my finishing with the rasp.. I was like, heck, if I am not going to learn something then why bother helping you? Bring it on!

Eric, Give me a shout , I'll have a set-up for you , if you need it. Come a day early , if you can. I will probably slave-you out though! Take care. Have you heard from Drew??

For my customers who have driving horses, I make all of them. Special shoes I make. I put on a lot of werkmans, but do enjoy punching iron.

uncle Rico wrote:
http://www.horseshoes.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=6231&stc=1&d=1214704399

Nice Shoe, I like your style.

Is it an aluminum, or stainless steel shoe?????

Thanks for the props. the shoe is made from aluminum; it is a replica that I made of a shoe that was in the pro farrier a few years ago. The original was made by the Ice Man from Whales

uncle Rico wrote:
grant moon?

redburnshoe wrote:
The Ice Man is Richard Ellis from "Wales".

BPethick wrote:
thanks. grant made few of these shoes year ago.