Waht do you do with those specimens

nail em on , i only make shoes in pairs and generally only shoes i can use , specimens tend to get burnt if they are not up to scratch , i have a very small shoe board

David I hope that's a dead leg cause it looks like he is bleeding like a stuck hog..lol

I make a lot more in the winter also, but mostly in early spring or late fall, because of the temperature. What I do with them falls between David and Chris. If they're acceptable, I sometimes save them to nail on, if they're not I beat them to death making modifications, clips, onion heels, rockered toes, welded in bars, square toes, trailers, extra nail holes, etc. I try to really get my monies worth out of a piece of barstock. The size of my shoe pile also serves to humble me on my shoe making skills.

Regards

the only non work shoes i make are for comp practice but what i dont understand is why i cannot get a welding heat on a good bar but a can manage to burn a crap shoe , it must be the apprentice coming out of me LOL . its mainly flat and heeled shoes i make and 50% of concave i shoe for myself , its all readymades when i shoe elsewhere

buy some JBs LOL

when our Paul Mitchel was alive and letting me go to practice n learn from him at his forge I used to admire the shoe display he had hanging on wall
some were croamed some blacked all were supurb examples made by him and other farriers from all over the world
the shoes were insperational and great examples in guidence of what was required
there being available to view was very deffinatly an aid to the learning for anyone
appart from the learning side there proof that Farriery can introduce you to new friends from all around the world and your welcome to their homes n they to yours
Put your better example on display Chris they wont go to waist Mate ay

Red i have plenty , just dont tell David

I was sitting around with my feet up yesterday afternoon relaxing when I got a call from a friend. He made the smart remark that he knew I was old and needed my rest. Not naming names, but you know who you are. So I decided to drag my lazy arse to .the shop to try something I had been thinking about.

I don't know if this one is going on a foot or in the scrap pile. I'll decide when I get to to horse. I know it's the right size, but I'll have to square the toe some and bring in the heels. If it doesn't work out, I'll get out the welder. It's for a horse with a bad knee that drags her toe off back to the white line or more. The proud square toe I put on a month age isn't protecting the hoof above the shoe.

Oh sorry Dave he h e

Shoe board from last year, need to start another one.