Great, an eight year old made that shoe and I can't even turn one right now for lack of a forge or that much skill. I envy him and got 30 years on him. Where the hell did I go wrong? Just kidding, I think it's fantastic, I have a two and half year old who love's to drive horsehsoe nail's into the side of the garage and has not to this point ever hit his thumb. Knock on wood, but he's got the hang of it so far.

I better go get some steel and practice, I feel inadequate somehow now. Godd job Roy, keep him going.

Hi all,

Ha I'm not impressed at all the kid probably has 6 or 7 years experience, hee hee.

Kevin

Hi all,

I built another shoe with a wider toe cap that is nicer than the last one but gotta ask how is everyone doing their toe cap.

Kevin

Ben, don't worry I'd bet your boy rides better than me.

Kevin, Just sholdering down the toe over an edge of the anvil, then isolating the cap material with the fuller, then drawing it out.

Whatever you did with the first one looked pretty good to me. I'd stick with that.

Did you see what I mean about the heels?

I don't have a fuller yet, so I was wondering if a devil would work or maybe a chisel or something common. Don't have the cash to get a fuller for this right now.

I chissel might work or a clinch cutter might be better. Put the straight edge towards the shoe (same direction a fuller would go).

If you use a chissel with a V-shape lean it away from the shoe so you have a vertical edge around the shoe. If you don't you'll end up with a rolled toe which isn't in the picture.

You could also skip that part and be very carefull about just setting it down over a crisp edge of the anvil. Be especialy carefull it stays straight.

Maby you'll win a fuller!

LOL ya that would be funny. So the straight edge of the clinch cutter would be where the shoe is. I plan on trying the shoe tomarrow, been busy with family stuff and went to a David Farmilo clinic yesterday. I'll post a picture or how horrible it went tomarrow...

cowboy_bc wrote:
kevin i just done the same as in the mag

When i spent some months in France gaining some post qualification experience, i put a lot of these shoes on hind feet with Denis Leveillard. He called it "le rim" and it was used predominantly on dressage horses that scrubbed the dorsal walls of their hind feet in sand. Haven't seen one for a front foot before though.

regards,
matt

Roy Amaral CJF wrote:
Yes I did I was on auto pilot and cut the heels hot as usual, easy fix.

Kevin

cowboy_bc wrote:
kevin you wil find cutting heels is not a good habit
to get into for a specimen shoe or for a shoe

for a foot in a compitition it can throw the shoe
off balance.

Oakstaff wrote:
As far as I can tell the purpose is just to isolate the stock that's to be drawn out. That sort of makes it a clasic fullering oporation. You could probably use any dull chissel or since you're doing it hot you could even shape the edge of any old piece steel and it would work. Fullers and punches are meant to be made/shaped on the fly as needed. If you don't have anything else, you could even take a foot long piece of shoe par stock, maybe flare the business end and shape it...abracodabra...presto chango...you now have a top fuller special made for isolating toe caps.

if you're going to be any kind of blacksmith, you have to stop complaining that you don't have the tool that you need. Blacksmiths make the tools. If they don't have the tool they need to make the tool they need then they make that first. You might be a blacksmith if you make a tool to use to make a tool...or if you wash your hands before going to the bathroom.

I wasn't meaning to sound as though I was complaining. I was just asking for a way to do it with what I have on hand. I enjoy forge work greatly, but I am not sure if I am ready to try and make some actual tools. Picks and other oddities I can do pritty reliably now though.

Oakstaff wrote:
Chad,

The green smiley face in my post meant that I was just having fun with you.

Just didn't want people to think all I do is whine.

Just gave the shoe a shot and got the side shouldered and down to 3/4 on the sides. Just as I was about to try to use the improvised fuller.....my forge dies...sigh need to run and get more Propane...heh