RIV CHICA WARRIOR-WEST ? and a horseshoe story

A few years ago Liesl Chatman of Mpls rode her Riv and chased down a bike thief and apprehended his sorry whatever, thus earning the moniker RIV CHICA WARRIOR.

Now, last Friday the 18th and while riding her 2tt 59cm A. Homer Hilsen on her way back from the post office, packer-shipper Jenny has another sort of similar story, and tells it:

I’m certain  any of us here would’ve done the  same thing— I just happened to be the one who saw it all happen.  All in a day’s work, I suppose, but I’m just glad everything worked out the way it did.

Shortly after that we snapped this picture of Jenny against a white backdrop:

—————-

Tough work if you can get it. But…fairly manly.

Hillborne rider Earl Craig of Montana makes horseshoes and I THINK is also a farrier, but of that I’m not sure. No doubt he can shoe a horse in a pinch, at least. He was here recently, and since we have horseshoes hanging around here (literally) and as heel-lo-k-tors for our PBH measuring station, Craig felt compelled to talk about horseshoes, and … I really like horseshoes and talking about them, and so it went. Then a few weeks later (yesterday), we received in the mail a photo-book of the horseshoe-making process, shown below, with captions his:

The straight-bar shoe is a therapeutic shoe. Its purpose is to protect a damaged hoof. This shoe also dissipates load over a greater bearing surface, which can be beneficial.

The classic scenarios, though, are bad hoof cracks or cracked coffin bones.

This shoe will be made out of 15 1/2-inches of 5/16 x 7/8 inch flat stock. Forge welded (no modern welding equipment used).

The smithy (looking, for some reason, somewhat skeptical) selects some bar stock

With the Sam Hillborne sitting somewhere off in the corner,

THE TOE BEND IS MADE

Now one of the “hockey sticks” is forged. This will form half of the bar. Molecules are getting packed. In blacksmithing, this is called “upsetting.”

Back in the forge. (This is a coke fire—-coke is coal with most of the impurities removed.

Second hockey stick is now forged.

Now a branch bend is initiated over the horn.

Half the shoe is there.

Some scarfing of edges is done to prepare for the weld, and the edges are overlapped. A bit of flux will be applied and then it’s into the forge for a white-hot welding heat.

The weld is done with a hammer. (This can be done, by the way, in a gas forge as well, but it’s better in coal or coke.

Some more work done on weld over the tip of the horn.

At this point the fullering (grooves) and nail holes have been done —- my photographer disappeared for a while {damn guy!—G} 

Nail holes are stamped to depth, then pritchelled through.

Time for a quick break. (Tea time without the tea.)

The finished shoe after some rasp work and wire brushing. (Also treated with beeswax.)

THE END.

Closeup

Now it’s above the door. Nobody take it, please.