horse Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 I like making coat hooks etc with large draft shoes. I generally don't keep my drafts shod so have run out of shoes. A friend gave me a box of them and they all have Borium. What is the best way to remove the Borium. I thought I had it all off the shoe by beating in the forge and wire brushing it off but some must have imbedded in the shoe and Borium pitted my anvil a bit. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotshoein4 (Mark) Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 A torch works great. Easier than a forge. Just keep working at it. And do NOT hit that stuff with a hammer or against your anvil. Messes them up in a hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horse Posted February 7, 2018 Author Share Posted February 7, 2018 Thanks. Yep I thought I had all of it off a shoe. I hit it a couple of times and marked my anvil. No real harm done but I could tell that it would not take long to have a real mess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 7, 2018 Share Posted February 7, 2018 An improvised anvil that can be ground clean at regular intervals works too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horse Posted February 8, 2018 Author Share Posted February 8, 2018 Thanks Thomas that is a good suggestion, but will likely see to see if I can remove all Borium before I hit it. Or look for shoes without the stuff. It was quick to see that it needs to be gone before hitting it. That tungsten stuff must be very hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Seems like it might be more efficient to just try to get shoes without the stuff. Save them for a welded art project where you don't need to forge them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 I had no idea how "Borium" could be added to a horseshoe (since I was thinking in Bohrium) so a little google search gave me the answer Borium is a brand name for a tungsten carbide product made by the Stoody Division of the Thermadyne Company. The type of product is more properly called a tube rod or tube metal. Other brand names include Wear-Trac from Hartwell Industries and E-Bor from Amsterdam Farrier Supply. In tube rods, fine tungsten carbide particles are encased in a metal tube or rod made mostly of steel. This type of material must be welded to the shoe. Composite or composite rods are used for similar purposes, but are a different kind of product. In composite rods, larger-sized tungsten carbide particles are bound together within a matrix. So if that is surface hardening by welding, the only real way to get rid of it is to grind it off. I am not sure if it can be toxic to do wihtout a respirator, but if it is me, I would take the lot to the scrap merchant and swap it for something useful ... or weld them together as they are to make a sculpture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Grinding off tungsten particles has to be a really, expensive, time-consuming, abrasive consuming, thankless, job. Perhaps it would worthwhile just for the bragging rights. I suppose. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1 Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Ok ... on second thoughts ... if you heat the things up and fold them in two real hot ... can you forge weld them together? If so, you may encase the hard part and have a semi normal piece of steel to work with. Worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 First question, is the borrium (carbide) in a brass, copper or steel matrix? Copper and brass are melted and wire brushed off. Steel is welded on and require grinding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horse Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 I believe it to be copper or brass can't tell for sure without heating them again. The one thing I know is that I felt like I had all of that junk off the shoe and when I hit it I was surprised to see the marks on the anvil. Not a big deal on the anvil as I caught it quickly. I feel like the best advice is to continue to seek clean shoes I do know a lot of people in the draft horse world the problem is most of the are tight wads like me and don't pitch a shoe until they are plumb wore out. Thanks for the advise I think taking off as much as I can and then Welding those faces is a good concept By the way Charles. I lurk far more than I post. I learn more that way. At any rate I have a great respect for what I believe you know about horses and their feet. thank you for your kind and patient contributions to this site. Seems like if we ever met we could have a great conversation about the "foot" on a horse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 Thank you, the knowledge. Is hard wone but a love of horses has modivated me. What breed, and what do your 4 footed children do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 I have a feeling that even tho it might have been added with brass or copper , with the impact and weight, the carbide bits might have become imbedded in the steel of the shoe leading you to think it was gone when the brass or copper was gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horse Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 Das. That makes sense to me little bits imbedded. Too bad too as I got a bunch of shoes off of some big ole pulling horses. Charles I have a team of Belgian geldings. Way too big. Will never buy another pair of 18++ draft horses. In my late sixties now and that harness feels like it has doubled in weight in the last decade. Also a nice little Haflinger for the grandkids. He is a goodun. Qtrx Philly for my wife to ride. She never does. Mostly they all stand around and eat us out of house and home. I use the team for parades, family trots down the road and haul some manure from time to time. No real justification for these critters is there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 Yea, big dray bred geldings. Sound like a pair of whealers to me. Up bred halflingers are becoming more common as the show peaple have bred heavies to tall for farm work. I have 3 apps I ride way to rarely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horse Posted February 10, 2018 Author Share Posted February 10, 2018 Yep wheelers out of a pretty decent hitch in its day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 A teem always has been on my wish list. I train driving horses, and one of the apps is a “trade in” one of these days I would like an up bread team of halflingers. Nice 15h so the harness isn’t so hard to throw. Tho my work harness won’t be any lighter. I live in the middle of the oil field (you know a horse is broke when Cudd passes you with a convoy moving from one fracking site to another), and 8 miles from town both directions so in less than an hour I can drive to a restraunt or the store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Charles I once had the pleasure riding an extremely well crowd broke horse---in a crowd at the Dublin (Ohio) Irish Festival. So there I was on top a horse moving down the road dressed in a silk tunic with ornate decorations holding a real spear, (playing the role of King Brian Boru), and people kept walking into the side of the horse! Didn't bother it at all; I was impressed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Horses are incredible. Tho they are prey animals if they didn’t learn what not to be afraid of fast and to depend on the opinion of others higher in the pecking order they would starve to death. Research indicates a rough corilation between a 4 year old human and a horses ability to reason. They are probably most impressive as law enforcement “tools” probably more than dogs. They give us a 9’ tall police office who can run at almost 40 mph, leap obstacles as well as provide a half a ton of muscle and bone that will actively defend a rider who has earned loyalty. Hearing, sight and smell are many times better than ours, this makes them very good at search and rescue operations, size makes them good for crowd control, especially moving emergency vehicles threw them. Even as traction power, horses have autopilot. Learning rather quickly particular jobs and roughts. Inisualy turning strait rows is hard but soon the horses figure out what you are trying to do and begins to do much of the thinking for you. By a strange twist of fate, horses will exept humans into the herd, and if you learn the proper “manners” will even look to you as their leader. Now like all mammals, horses form violent hierarchies, this is not to say you beat a horse to gain dominance, but you push them around with body language and the accasinal lash with the end of a lead rope ( like a child getting their diaper swatted, after the first time the threat is usually enough) any one who watches horses bites and kicks are part of life ( foot stomps and jaw to skull as well) but like your mother, “that look” is usually enough, pinned ears, a cocked head, bared teach and squeals generaly get it done. Somthing so simple as to remember to make them move out of the way instead of walking around reinforces who the lead mare is. Human manners are artificial compared to horses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horse Posted February 10, 2018 Author Share Posted February 10, 2018 So on point with horses. I have little patience with people that move a whole barn corral, stuff around so the horse always has the clear path. They truly need to learn to move around us. Watching a good farrier "get around" a horse is a thing of beauty. Mutual respect with the farrier in charge is what makes it work. In my case a horse well over ton needs to know when and where to step away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 The big ones are generaly much more respectfull and kind than light horses. The trick is to know how to read their body language and effectively communicate in a way that makes sense to them. This isn’t at all about intimidation, yes a threat at the appropriate moment may be called for ( Not unlike dad raising an eyebrow or saying your name when you are about to do somthing stupid) but generaly it’s much more about giving and expecting respect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Geist Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 Anybody read this story out of Wisconsin? https://www.americanfarriers.com/articles/9798-highway-damage-caused-by-horseshoes-prompts-wisconsin-bill?utm_source=omail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=deu&utm_content=afj&ajs_uid=5578C0141245D5Z Crying out loud what will they think of next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seldom (dick renker) Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Charles, couldn't agree with you more. Well said. George, that was interesting, as was noted in a side note in Indiana, nobdy saying anything about snowmobile tracks and skis doing damage as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 On 2/9/2018 at 1:36 PM, horse said: I use the team for parades, family trots down the road and haul some manure from time to time. No real justification for these critters is there? You keep the team to haul the manure they leave behind. The Justification for keeping horses is the same as keeping friends they are always glad to see you, Just that the horses are 100% glad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horse Posted February 22, 2018 Author Share Posted February 22, 2018 i suppose one should say no economic or practical justification for keeping horses that are seldom used. I would feel incomplete without them. Will have a pair for as long as I can afford to properly keep them. Notown the Fryeburg fair can't be too far from you. Have you been there? It is on my list for sure. I have heard great things about the draft horse and oxen that compete there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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