My first 3/4 fullered

So here's my contribution to the history of handmades. For the humour department. The 10 heat or so 3/4 fullered hind shoe. 3/8 by 1 inch. The fullering turned out a bit fine but I think I have a horse I can nail it to nicely. I chickened out with the clips, afraid I'd ruin my first fullered shoes and started them with a clip starter. A home made starter, so half a cheat.

I'll put some heel checks, boxing and safing at the horse in a couple of days, the guinea pig these were intended for turned up lame in the hinds and I gave him a break.





If you think this is an insult to the trade blame it on Smitty and all the others who encourage such attempts.

Thank you all for the knowledge, guidance and inspiration you so selflessly provide.

Somewhere, George Geist is having a hissy fit.
Good effort.

About what ?

LOL, I'd guess Travis is refering to the clip starter.

When I was at the Russell Colvin's shop, I pulled a lot of clips with my ball pein. Tried the cross pein but didn't look better, then for giggles I asked Tom Saunders to use the Clip starter I'd bought in school. I'd never even used it. IT made the coolest litte triangle for drawing the source. Now I'm torn between speed of ball pein for source material or the cool triangle.

It is just a tool, Kim. If one finds it convenient, IMHO he/she should by all means use it. Why not ? Don't we also use bob punches to start a bubble ? Is there anything wrong with that too ?

I agree that as one progresses he/she should try and do things with the least tools possible. But until we slowly gain the skills and confidence to part with our gadgets, producing a few useful shoes with them does pay the bills and supports our practicing and our improvement.

Speed wise the ball pein was faster for me but not as neat looking. The clip starter triangle was cooler looking is what I meant.

I've not tried a bob punch yet. baby steps hehe

Clip starter made a better source than I, so I've got more practice to do anyways.

I made a kinda cool looking clip using my pritchel for a punch, the other day.

Did it mess up the pritchel?

Yes, it looks cool with the clip starter, but eventually it is trickier as you have to adjust the bite for different sections. Safer, but not very practical. I like the ball pein, it works well for me when drawing towards me and gives nice clips. I have not been very lucky with the cross pein, mainlybecause my accuracy with it on the edge of the anvil sucks. The bob punch I tried a few days ago on old shoes and is very interesting, will try more of it in the weekend.

Wasn't the bubble too small with the pritchel ?

Nope, didn't mess up the pritchel, and the bubble was suffiecient.

<Scooby Doo double take> WHAT?!?!

How did I miss that the clip starter was in the cross pein? That's awesome and would eliminate the extra time I was referring to.

This is not my forging cross pein, it is too light for that, lighter than these shoes I think. It is just a little cheap hammer I had lying around in the trailer and having no other use for it I thought of cutting a clip starter in it to try it since it fitted nicely in the hardy hole of my anvil. It is also rather soft steel, I doubt it would stand any regular use. But it did its job, it helped me start pulling my own clips.

I find it is a lot easier starting with a consistent bubble everytime and concentrating on pulling the clip correctly. When there's nobody there to guide you, it takes half the guesswork out of "what the heck went wrong this time and the damn thing is all over the place again". Then, when you get to pull them correctly out of a consistent bubble and understand how this clipping thing works you can move on to starting different bubbles with different hammers on different edges of the anvil.

Just a first stepping stone, not really a tool to go on working with.

Fine, I'll stick with my ball pein.

I'm still just trying to suck a little less every day, when it comes to forging.

Kim, I've always struggled getting consistent clips. I can do one with lots of different tools - ball peen, cross peen, clip starter, rounding hammer ( a real fun way ) corner of the anvil, bob punch. I prefer the ball peen, but am most consistent with the clip starter. For me the hardest one to learn is the bob punch. But that's probably due to my general lack of natural talent.

Regards

Corner of the anvil? Do you drive the shoe down onto the corner to make the bubble?

Yes. A long time farrier named Albert Penny showed me it. I'm not good at it, but he is.

Regards