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I Forge Iron

Got paid to blacksmith today!


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Talked with my daughter and y'all have already covered her observations. (and my pets are doing ok)  She weighs about 1/2 of what I do and was telling how physically strenuous the cattle rotation was.  Showed me a picture of a calf she delivered  whose momma had a torsion of the uterus so they had to get her down and roll her around to straighten it out and then pull the calf.

Manolito, (named after the Bullfighter?), this isn't an "ask" site this is more a jump in with both boots kind of place.  You got expertise, you willing to share it?  Let us have it with both barrels!

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Manolito,

   No slight was intended, Sorry if it was perceived that way.  Charles and Matto both mentioned leaving a gap between the crossing lines.

I am going to give the new owner his iron and tell him about your suggestion of adding a second handle and see if he wants me to add it. If it were mine , after your comment, and a bit of time handle in the iron I would have welded one on.

Thank you  

Russell

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I took no offense at all. I tried to answer the private message sent me but after typing for ten minutes I got the forbidden message when I hit send.

I am no blacksmith nor did I sleep at the Holiday inn last night. I have Birthed, Castrated, doctored, and lost a fingerprint to the spawn of the devil you folks call cows. Not to mention the limp but that was carelessness on my part.

Two things I will pass on to those thinking of branding get a temp stick it melts at the proper temp. (nothing more than a crayon that melts at a certain temp) and get a good two handed grip on the iron. It is as slippery as a toads bottom on a wet bar of soap. Four inches is the minimum size to be seen from horseback. The best gift you could give would be what we call a short iron. This is the four inch brand on a short handle with a forged cone on the shaft. It will fit across the back of a saddle and you can whittle a branch to fit allowing the brand on a new calf in the field.

Again my comment was not meant to offend or relay hurt feelings nothing more than moving on now. I will be more careful how I respond in the future. I just got excited I finally found a subject I could comment on.

Respectfully,

Bill

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Thanks Bill,

   Your mention of a short iron now makes something I saw a while back make since.  a short wooden handled branding iron someone brought to our meeting. I didn't pay to much attention to how the handle was attached as I was to busy  admiring all the forge welding on the iron.  the man who brought it was fairly sure it was made per 1900.  I will check next month to see if it is still there and have a more educated look at it thanks to you guys.

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Years ago I knew someone who held some sort of a commitment ceremony with his girlfriend where she was going to get branded with his mark.  I didn't make it to the party and we've lost touch so I have no idea if they're still together or if she just has a permanent reminder of a bad decision.  I think they used cold instead of heat to do the job.

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Often a hot iron on the rear pocket of a pair of jeans with a piece of shale rock in the pocket so it doesn't hurt or leave a mark. Alcohol was often involved. The pants had to be hid from their Mom or your Mom would get a call you didn't want her to have.

Edited by manolito
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