When the Farrier Comes
Aug 9, 2019 01:42:27 #
californiaskyy wrote:
Wow. Beautiful & Interesting
Thanks for your interest in this post californiasky. I'm glad you enjoyed these.
Aug 9, 2019 01:43:18 #
Derryg wrote:
That would make aluminum shoes expensive for a farrier to stock.
You are correct. Most farriers don't carry them (or not many) unless they're shoeing horses at the track.
Aug 9, 2019 01:43:49 #
charlienow wrote:
Very nice Vicky. Great story...
Thanks Charlie. I'm glad you enjoyed these and appreciate the time you've taken for this series.
Aug 9, 2019 05:26:46 #
vicksart wrote:
Why don't you take some as you've described and post them so we can see exactly what you have in mind. 
My horse's name is Corey, short for Course of Action.
My horse's name is Corey, short for Course of Action.
I love a challenge. I plan on riding soon, perhaps in about three week ends from now. I will keep you posted.
By the way, Corey is a perfect name for a gelding.
Aug 9, 2019 07:42:32 #
Aug 9, 2019 10:17:53 #
Rathyatra wrote:
Absolutely beautiful set Vicki.
Many thanks Bill. I’m so pleased you enjoyed these shots.
Aug 11, 2019 03:28:08 #
vicksart wrote:
Aluminum is typically used on race horses because it is light. It also burns up in the forge quickly and is a little tricky to work with. Shoes can be purchased ("keg" shoes) in different sizes to accommodate most horses and then shaped to fit, or they can be made from steel strips - cut, shaped and punched. Heating and quenching harden the metal. It's interesting to note that the nails are now often coated with copper to keep them from rusting.
It's no good heating 7075-T6 at all Ma'am. Temperatures must be kept
below 121 Celsius (249.8 Farenheit) to maintain "T6".
The 7075 designates the alloying elements and how
much of each element and the degree of accuracy of the amount of each element.
The T6 designates how that alloy is tempered... applying heat will destroy the wonderful strength
of the alloy. So the only way for a farrier to shape 7075-Ts is with hand saws (hack saw) and
files... (And if a farrier starts into some T6 with a hacksaw he gunna realize that this stuff is far
tougher than the steel he uses for horse shoes) :-)
The farrier could use a milling machine to shape T6
if he's familiar with operating milling machines; and a milling machine is not something that can
be readily transported. A farrier could use a grinder to shape 7075-T6 but he would have to
make sure to control temperature from the friction from the grinder.
Aug 11, 2019 21:33:35 #
Abo wrote:
It's no good heating 7075-T6 at all Ma'am. Temper... (show quote)
I don't know about the T6, an aircraft grade aluminum, but I recall my farrier 35 years ago talking about the challenge of working with aluminum shoes, and that they melt if they're not carefully monitored.
Your comments made me curious as well as doubting my memory of the discussion, so I went on line and found a very informative YouTube video titled "Heating and Reshaping Aluminum Horseshoes" that clearly demonstrates the process and challenges. Basically, the aluminum this fellow was using melts at 1218 degrees F. Maximum time in the forge was about 30 seconds. Once the shoe is hot, it stays hot for a much longer time than iron, and if it needs further heating, 10 seconds is usually adequate.
Check it out. It's interesting.
BTW: There are roughly 6,000 different types of aluminum horseshoes available for purchase now.
Aug 11, 2019 21:57:03 #
When we were running horses, we used aluminum plates. They were soft enough that they didn't have to be heated to be shaped nicely. Plus, they aren't very durable, so they aren't worn very long. We would typically get a horse reshod before his next race.
Aug 11, 2019 22:10:29 #
AzPicLady wrote:
When we were running horses, we used aluminum plates. They were soft enough that they didn't have to be heated to be shaped nicely. Plus, they aren't very durable, so they aren't worn very long. We would typically get a horse reshod before his next race.
That's a typical pattern for race horses. When I've gotten horses off the track, they've often come with a set of aluminum shoes. A couple of weeks later, the shoes were either replaced with iron or the horse was trimmed to go barefoot.
When you do some research on the merits of each type of metal, it's interesting to note how shoe weight affects movement and fatigue. There are pros and cons to each type of shoe as well as to whether shoes are used at all. As to shaping, aluminum shoes used for corrective shoeing such as tendon or ligament injuries, sometimes require heating to change surface area or weight of the shoe from one side to the other, and aluminum keeps added weight to a minimum.
Aug 11, 2019 23:34:48 #
I just want to say I have really enjoyed this post even though I will never have to worry about to shoe or not to shoe. The information is amazing and I certainly did not know about all the options. Thank you all!
Aug 12, 2019 00:28:38 #
Linda2 wrote:
I just want to say I have really enjoyed this post even though I will never have to worry about to shoe or not to shoe. The information is amazing and I certainly did not know about all the options. Thank you all!
Thanks for letting me know you found this topic interesting.
Aug 12, 2019 01:55:45 #
vicksart wrote:
I don't know about the T6, an aircraft grade alumi... (show quote)
Absolutely, the variations in the tempers of aluminium vary greatly form alloy to alloy.
Tempering aluminium is a much more complicated process as it needs to be aged and work
hardened as well as heat treated.
Aug 13, 2019 16:14:07 #
Aug 13, 2019 16:57:11 #
topcat wrote:
Very interesting and good documentation.
Thanks for taking time for this post topcat. I'm glad you enjoyed the dialog.
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