Jack Evers

Very nice!!

My 250 pound vulcan

What Jimmy is trying to say is one of the secrets of oil well firefighting. It's common to light a sour gas blowout on fire to burn the H2S to SO2, but that does not reduce the toxicity. SO2 is actually more toxic than H2S, but the thermal plume from the fire carries high where it gets diluted and is harmless on return to earth. (The universal solution to pollution -- DILUTION) If you are working outside, I doubt that fumes from heating sour gas steel would be a problem, but in a closed shop it might be. Additionally, H2S has the characteristic "rotton egg smell", SO2 does not. H2S is detectable by smell at .03 parts per million, a safe level, but at 300ppm it paralyzes the olfactory nerve and you con no longer smell it. At 500 or so ppm (.05%), it can be quickly fatal. That said, high carbon steels do not do well in an H2S environment, so rods from a sour gas well would be low to medium carbon. If in doubt, use a weed burner to burn the gunk off outdoors on a windy day. http://www.wccoff.org/hydrogen%20sulfide%20gas%20fact%20sheet.pdf

I'm a farrier and I couldn't keep the vents adjusted traveling rough roads. Atmospheric just worked better.

Dave, I would credit Ken Mankle with making the modern propane forges a reality. I have a Mankle Horseshoers special+4 that is over 30 years old and still used regularly (of course thats much like owning an ax that belonged to Abe Lincoln - it's had two new heads and eight new handles -- my forge has been converted from blower to atmospheric and has many new linings - the outer covering is still original, the valves are original). I believe Ken is retired now, but his forges are still being sold by Will Lent Horseshoeing Supplies. That said, the one you're looking at is overpriced. Will Lent lists it new at $865 and a two burner knifemakers special at $685. Just Google on Mankle forges or Will Lent Horseshoeing. For that matter Ken probably would be happy to talk to you 616-874-6955.

A cubic foot of propane has nearly twice the energy of a cubic foot of natural gas - hence bigger orfices for NG. However natural gas is sold by the therm (100,000 BTU's or about 100 standard cubic feet), Propane sells by the gallon at almost a therm per gallon (90,000 BTU). In my area (approx $1,00/ per therm for NG and $2 to $3 per gallon for propane, depending on tank size) NG looks like a bargin. The problem is pressure and metering. The gas distribution system is under enough pressure for a forge, but the residential gas meters are designed for the reduced pressure. Even if you could get the gas company to deliver at the higher pressure (doubtful) you would need a second meter at a fixed cost of probably around $20/month. Probably not worth it for a one man shop. You could always check.

Actually, residential gas lines are about three ounces of pressure -- a 6 inch water column at 0.433 psi/foot. Not effective for a forge.

As Uncle Spike says, copper is a good backup. Aluminum will work but I prefer copper. I rarely have the copper bar I need, but I've usually got copper tubing around. Just flatten it and use it for backup.

I have a 280 lb Vulcan -- same thing, had been used as a rest for O/A cutting, deep cuts along both edges. Built up with with 7018 and has worked well for 18 years.

Just a quess that you have a 25 mm hardy hole. One inch equals 25.4 mm, so just a bit smaller than 1 inch. I have also sleeved my big anvil to take the hardy tools for my smaller one.

See post #3, The 10 means 100, etc. All that I've seen actually weighed were about 10% heavier. A casting will vary in weight so they apparently erred on the high side, Mine is marked 25 and on the scales went about 280.

I used to shoe about a thousand head a year. Now I call myself a one client a day shoer and if that client only has one horse, that's OK. Still have 15 of our own, but a couple are retirees and five are still too young, so only eight for the two of us to use. Actually, I do love shoeing horses, but last week after trimming a 10 horse barn, I could only fantasize about how I could shoe that many twenty years ago. Age does take it's toll but as the saying goes "It beats the alternative".

Moving my shop after many years. As I was going through the scrap pile, I had fun trying to remember the purpose of things that I found. Couple of 1/4 inch plates with slots - Oh yeah, that was to help disassemble and reassemble the drive chain on the manure spreader (fecal flinger). hook type assembly with a flat plate on the hook end - yep, when I had to straighten a horse trailer divider. Anybody have that problem - you've made some special tool for a single job, when you find it some years later it's hard to remember why you built it in the first place. Jack

Would you make up jokes about someone who usually carries a hammer with him?

I've made a lot of them, never hardened one, never had a complaint. Soft is safe as you said. Yes shoes are generally mild steel although if you're getting old used shoes some of the older stuff in particular was made from scrap and could be variable. Some, not very much, was hard to shape cold and could stress harden in use. Haven't seen Izumi shoes in years, but they were quite soft.

I've worked with titanium horseshoes. Worked well with high heat, only problem I had was it lost heat quickly.

Never known a person with a radial nerve problem, but have lost a horse to it. Glad that you're on the mend. As they said, a horse (or person) can bump a gate, lay on a rock - more likely to be pressure caused than movement caused. Recovery should be fairly quick, good luck.

As Dablacksmith says - copper melts about 1900 F, steel about 500 degrees hotter, can't be welded together.

Prof, You'll find that farriers who commonly draw clips to extend up from the outer corner of the shoe to parallel the wall can be anal about square edges. The inside corner of that clip must be clean to fit the wall and that means the anvil must have a clean corner to work from. Artistic/ornamental blacksmiths aren't nearly as concerned about square edges. Enjoy your anvil. Jack

Too many years ago to admit to, I participated in my first farrier/forging competition between Dallas and Fort Worth (Las Covina Equestrian center). The competition was intimidating - for the blacksmiths here, Frank Turley was a couple spots away. As the competition was heating up (pun intended), some friends, who had come to watch, said "who's the little guy about three spaces to your right that looks like he might be the neighborhood dentist and isn't sweating nearly as much as most of you". I glanced up and said "that's Randy Luikart from Ohio, I think he's demonstrating that a quality shoe isn't nearly as much work as a mediocre one". Looks can be deceiving. For the record, I'm 5'7" and 165 pounds.

The first is a good start. There have been some changes in forging techniques and remedial shoeing, but the guy you're riding with can help you with that.

Doug Butler Enterprises, Inc.

Sometimes it may be hard to compete on a skill level with established farriers, but offer good service -- don't over schedule, be on time, call if you're held up, etc. -- you'll get clients. They can recognize quality service better than shoeing quality.

Google horseshoes.com and try the classified there. Sorry about your Dad.

Not to steal mike's reply, but use the tapered flange from the channel for the letters. The thin edge would contact the animal to lessen the actual brand surface while the thick edge would be a heat reservoir so the iron carried enough heat. Great idea.