What is the purpose of a clip horn?

How does it work?

Does anyone have a link to the clip horn being used? I've searched and searched but can't find a video. I can find several videos on forming a clip, bt none using the clip horn.

Thanks

Mule

 

 

A clip horn makes it easier to pull clips on horse shoe. Clips are those little tabs typically on the toe of the shoe. I'm not sure why anyone needs a "clip horn" on an anvil, maybe it's a marketing or special shoe thing. The farrier I bought my Soderfors from just rounded one corner on the heal to pull clips. The corner is rounded, not the edge. The edge isn't sharp but it's not radiused just broken.

Frosty The Lucky.

Someone, probably at Hay-Budden, thought up and designed the clip horn. It was used to draw clips but was not all that popular among horseshoers. Say you're drawing a toe clip, you find center on the turned shoe and hold the foot surface against the outer, central edge of the clip horn leaving about 3/16" of shoe above that edge. Hold it at about a 45 degree angle, heels angled away and lower than the toe contact. Hammer back onto the hot shoe toe width, centering the hammer face on the point of contact. As you hammer, you'll lower the heels of the shoe slightly after each blow or every second blow. The clip will start forming over the top of the clip horn. You'll start angling your blows to draw the clip rather than continuing to hammer in one place. Doing the latter, you may cut the base of the clip. The clip should be about finished when the shoe is lowered to vertical.

I think that most of the old shoers noticed that on the foot surface after the clip was drawn, there was a crescent shaped gouge or depression which provided the material necessary for the clip. This removed a little ferrous material where the horse's outer foot was to bear. The radius of the clip horn was part of the problem. Anyway, the appearance and the removal was not desired. My old farrier mentor told me, "You don't want to gut out the foot surface of the shoe!"

There are other ways of drawing clips, but I think that most shoers today would rather hold the shoe against a straight corner, far side of the anvil preferably. Less gutting of the foot surface is done by using a ball peen hammer or specially made clipping hammer. You'd be drawing more clip material from the ground surface of the shoe than the foot surface.

Actually it was S.D. Kimbark that is first credit with the "farrier" anvil form.  Their early anvils were made in Germany (most likely Boker), and then later made by Hay Budden.

"SDK" is S.D. Kimbark, a large hardware, iron, and farrier supply in Chicago.

Don't see where they were first with the clip in that ad; perhaps a patent search? (I mean they don't claim the london pattern with hardy in pritchel which is also part of the picture.) They may very well have priority, just that ad doesn't say the clip is their idea.  (Yeah I had a lot of discussion with teachers and professors pointing out their exam questions did not ask what they thought they did and I answered what they actually said rather than what they meant to say...)

In 1882, Kimbark originated the "farrier anvil", being designated by the brand new addition of the clip to the side.  I even have a picture of the man Kimbark himself.  For 10 years it was made in Germany before being made in the U.S. by upstarting company called Hay-Budden.

I've done lots of research, have you?  Believe what you like....

 

Todd is best.., LOL

Forge on and make beautiful things 

Jim

You may very well be the world's leading authority on the subject.  That does not change that what was posted does not prove that He was the first one with a clip.

With your depth of research I assume you are well aware of the issues of claims in advertisements; especially ones from earlier times are not necessarily factual and need supporting proof.  I was able to take a few minutes out during lunch to look over anvil patents on Google; but while seeing some with clips I did not see any claiming the clip; can you share the patent for it---probably under a different search term(s) than I used and even that does not provide total proof; lots of things were patented long after they first appeared!

Thanks to Frosty and Frank Turley.

I am sorry but at this point, I wish I had never posted.

I did not ask, nor do I care, who made the first one.

Mule

 

On 3/3/2017 at 3:59 PM, confederatemule said:

Thanks to Frosty and Frank Turley.

I am sorry but at this point, I wish I had never posted.

I did not ask, nor do I care, who made the first one.

Mule

 

Mr Turley was correct, especially in how it makes a gouge on the foot surface that none of us like.

Here is a vid of a clip being drawn cold over a cliphorn.

Is much better to do it hot but it can be done cold too annoying as it might be to see. You'll note this individual uses the same technique Mr Turley so accurately described.

George

I've seen many clips made, but not by using the clip horn. This was a first for me. Thanks, George, for the video. 

Mule

On 3/3/2017 at 2:59 PM, confederatemule said:

Thanks to Frosty and Frank Turley.

I am sorry but at this point, I wish I had never posted.

I did not ask, nor do I care, who made the first one.

Mule

 

I completely understand this response. I would just like to say that I am very glad you started this thread and this conversation occurred. It may not be of much significance to most people however, I obtained a small amount of information that is special to me.

Thank you Black Frog for the information. If you could post the picture of Mr. Kimbark I would love to view it.

 

Cool. I use a Trenton shoers anvil quite often. I have oft wondered what the idea was behind this. Outside of simply "clip horn. I have spoken to many a farrier and they seem to dislike or perhaps ignore that clip.

I do enjoy attempting to forge shoes for my own enjoyment and simple amusement.  I will have to watch that video. Thank you. I can't  get my mind about what Frank describes outside of strike and rotate downward to vertical. 

I see an add for such an anvil. Perhaps in the "anvil book"?? The toe of shoe is pictured resting upon the top of clip horn. Shoe is verticle, NOT horizontal and this flattens the toe when struck. Some shoes  (either front or back i cannot recall) have a "square toe"

I think one of the coolest things about that video is the way he holds one leg of the shoe with the tong bits on one side and sticks the other leg of the shoe between the reins to help hold the shoe straight!  Gotta try that when working with shoes.

Guys,

There are about as many ways to pull a clip as ways to skin a cat.

Some guys like a cliphorn some don't.  Personally I find if I'm using it at all it works much better for a toe clip than for a side or quarter clip.

Makes sense as when that feature was first introduced most horses were toe clipped only all round.

George

Thanks y'all. When I started this thread I had no idea I was going to be using this as a reference to pull clips. I have decided to make at least one heart shaped trivet out of a horseshoe. I pondered on it till I had it planned out in my mind except for the three little feet to keep it off of the cabinet. I got this notification of a new post and that was it. I'll pull three clips and then use a file to make them good and smooth so as to not scratch the cabinet.

 THANKS.

 

1 hour ago, confederatemule said:

 I'll pull three clips and then use a file to make them good and smooth so as to not scratch the cabinet.

Or pull the three clips and then curl them (either out or under) to make little feet.