Hi, I'm helping a friend modify some horseshoes. She has clydes and needs an extra nail hole in a standard shoe. These holes are sorta square shaped and tapered.
I need to make a punch. What kind of steel should I use?
I guess I will be hot punching it. We are building a propane forge with the reil burner.
What would be the tempering routine when punching. Both the routine for the shoe and the tool.
Al
Make your tools out of whatever's handy. Any kind of tool steel will do, but you'll need three different tools to stamp and punch holes in the
1/2" iron commonly used on drafters: A head stamp, a stem punch and a pritchel.You will, most assuredly, be hot punching holes. (g)
Horseshoes are made from mild steel, aka "bar stock". If you're modifying draft keg shoes without a swedge or out of the swedge, heat the shoe to a bright red or light yellow, use the head stamp to form the topmost portion of your nail hole (this correspond to the head of the horseshoe nail), bottom out your stem punch (corresponds to the thicker, uppermost portion of the shank of the nail), then pritchel the hole (corresponds to the main portion of the shank of the nail) through the web at a dull red. If you're punching an extra nail hole in the swedge (crease) of a swedged keg shoe, omit the head stamp unless you're planning on using E-type nails.
There's no hardening or tempering involved, it's mild steel.
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