Smitty is right. For little, fine feet 3/8 x 5/8 works wonderfully. For normal size feet, use the 3/8 x 3/4 and and you can punch as fine as you want without creating massive frog eyes. You can control nail size ( e head) by running the ground side edge with your hammer while the concaved edge is flat on the horn. You can size them for mx50's, e3 slims whatever you choose. It takes bareley more time to turn a concave plate than it does to convert a keg shoe to a horseshoe and the thing just FITS: nail size, nail placement, clip style and placement , heel style, exact lenght you desire, and shoe fit are there off the hammer. A ten second buzz with the grinder to shine the edges and nail it up. With practice, I can turn and clip a pair for the foot ready to be hot fit in ten minutes, with out rushing. I am not a great forgeman, but have practiced a lot. Here is a 13 1/4 inch front hammer finished ready to nail.
Just practice!
Jason

Forgewizard wrote:
Hi Kim
i know a lad that taught by drilling all his 5/8 x 1/4 hand mades
was the way forward

he had to knock that idea on the head
he spent more time replacing shoes


maybe the odd drilled hole in a ali might get you out

Just thought I'd Share a little.

I got a call from a Lady, that is 2hrs and a ferry ride away. She had her
20+ yr old Arab flown over from England only months after her own arrival to Canada.
I say this only to qualify that, as she says she has had the best Farriers (in eng.)
and the worst farriers(can.) work on her horses. The Arab
mare I was told had extremely thin walls and since moving to Canada has
had great trouble keeping shoes on for more that a week to three after the
shoeing. This is even with two toe quarter clips on each shoe.


So, with out delay, I grabbed a pair of 1/4 x 3/4 (I say shoes reluctantly)
shoes that I had made 5yrs ago where I had punched the nail holes
embarrassingly shallow. And I mean shallow.
I have found that when you use 1/4" thin steel, you need to use a #1 nail,
so as the nail head wont stick out like a stiletto heel on a leggy lady.
So, how shallow were the nail holes punched? Well general rule of thumb for
steel is that the edge steel should be no less that 1/2 the thickness of the
fastener used. Even with a #1 nail try to imagine, that I was near in on to
breaking that rule.

I had to draw the clips between nail holes that were punched without clips
in mind, meaning there wasn’t much room for a clip.

Being very careful when nailing, as the ever watchful, scrutinizing English
owners eye was upon me, making sure I did not quick the horse, nailed the
shoes on. When applying 4 shoes I work in pairs, so with the hind shoes
nailed, but not clinched, and the horse just standing there . . .
. . . we both at the same time noticed . . . out of one nail hole . . .
. . . a little round . . . bit of red oozing out.

E-Gads. (what ever that means)

I pulled the nail out, and got my inkjet ink applicator syringe, and filling it
with Hydrogen peroxide, next stuck it into the nail hole of the shoe and
somewhat into the foot and filled it till it came out the other end on top of the hoof.

Leaving the nail out, and much to do about apologizing, clinched the rest of
the nails, then only to sit down to a nice cup of warm tea.

Well, being kinda hillbillyish, and a number of other things, this all seemed a little odd to me.
That the horses foot would be that thin, and that
even after drawing blood the client was still happy with my work.

When I was back to reset the shoes on both horses, she raved that the
shoes stayed on, and that, in of it self, spoke highly of me.

Well third time out, (and again all shoes were still on) I built new shoes all of
the way around for both horses, and stuk to the original style for each
as the prescription seemed to fit the bill. More tea, and a nice Cheque again.

But two hours travel, plus a ferry ride? That is four hours of travel
for two horses in one day. You must think me crazy.

((((( She pays my gas 100% and I make a days wage, and she is happy with my work)))))

Maybe one day a couple of old ladies will be rocking in thier chairs at the old folks home,
over looking the lake, and the one says,
". . . and ya know, it took a lot of years before I thought of him
as one equil to a Worshipfull Farrier."
When it comes to this last paragraph, Yea I'm a dreamer, but thats ok, I enjoy what I do.