Volume 11: Issue 1

Forge welding is a combination of heat, timing andsurface preparation. The heat sources we will discussin this article are gas (propane or natural gas) andcoal/coke. Welding is a little more difficult in gas firesbecause of temperature limitations and the fact that gasfires tend to be oxidizing(excess oxygen).

When welding in a gasfire I preheat the materialto a bright red heat andbrush. Flux is thenapplied (if flux does notmelt then heat is insuffi-cient) and the piece isreturned to the fire. Iallow the piece to remainin the fire until a fullwelding heat withlemon/yellow color isreached. The piece isremoved and immediatelywelded on the anvil withquick light blows. Asthe material cools forceof the blows is increased.A second finishing heatmay be necessary toblend weld seams andreduce material todesired dimensions.

Welding in a coal forge is similar, although easier becauseof the high, fast heat and the fact that a reducing fire (nooxygen) is obtainable and sustainable. The timing aspect

of forge welding is to forge while you have a weldingheat, that is, strike while the iron is hot. I may seem tobe stating the obvious but insufficient heat, a cold anviland disorganization of the smith are the leading causesfor missed welds. To be sure you can recognize a

welding heat take twolong pieces of steel,‘apply flux’ and hold oneend of each piece in thefire. When the twopieces will stick togetherfirmly, they are at awelding heat.

Our anvils are a heatsink. They will effectivelypull the heat from themateriel being welded.The size of the anvil andthe ambient temperatureboth affect the length oftime an anvil must bepreheated in order toachieve consistent forgewelds.

Disorganization of thesmith is the hardestobstacle to overcome.This will take time and

practice. While your material is in the fire, locate yourhammer and organize your thoughts on what you wishto accomplish in this heat. A moment’s hesitationbetween forge and anvil can be enough to rob you ofyour welding heat.

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FORGE WELDINGBy Russell Colvin, CJF

By using proper techniques you can be assured of a high quality forge weld almost every time

Above: Chain link scarfBelow: Step scarf

Surface preparation consists of scarf-ing, cleaning and fluxing. The scarfis the preparation of forging thematerial so that it fits tightly togetherand allows for stock reduction whileforge welding. There are a numberof different scarfs and variations ofeach. The chain link scarf has theends of the material forged to fittogether with overlapping tapers.The step scarf has a set down slightlyless than half the thickness of thematerial. These steps are fit tightly

together so that the joint beforewelding is one and a half timesthicker than the parent material.Regardless of the type of scarf usedthe ends of the material should fittogether tightly enough that scaledoes not form in the joint.

The final surface preparation is toapply flux. The job of the flux is tokeep the material clean while itreaches a welding heat. Applyenough flux to cover the entire joint.

Flux is like snuff; a pinch is all ittakes and drips are a waste.

Forge welding has long beenthought to be a mysterious and fickletechnique with a high rate of failure.Forge welding however is simply acombination of heat, timing andsurface preparation. When all threeof these elements are present youcan be assured of a high qualityforge weld almost every time. n

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Continued from cover

1. Prepare scarf of your choice.2. Sprinkle enough compound on scarf to seal joint.3. With light hammer blows, finish the weld.4. Use a second heat and weld if you want to dress up the weld.

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A book could be written about thehistory of horseshoe nails, but theintent here is to clarify some aspectsand characteristics about today’shorseshoe nails and the way they areproduced.

Short BackgroundIron nails for holding horseshoes arefound as early as 500 B.C. by theCelts in Britain. In the 1700’s horse-shoe nails were hand-made byJourneyman Nailers. From the mid1700’s to early 1800’s nails wereproduced in a variety of machinery.Typically all these machines usedheated iron or steel in their produc-tion process. The development ofbetter steel wire in the late 1800’s eventu-ally allowed the development of coldforging processes where the horseshoe nailcould be produced without having to heatthe base material before forming the nail.

Current Processes & Nail BrandsToday, horseshoe nails sold in the NorthAmerican market are produced by threedistinct methods:

Rolling Process: Capewell, Cooper,Vector, Izumi, Delta (yellow box),Save-Edge

Forging Process: Mustad, Equiclavo,Naula, Mondial, Delta (gray box) March& Max (same manufacturer)

Stamping Process: Australian Nails

Rolling Process:Rolling machines were first developed inthe late 1800’s. The process to form thenails consists of a wire of a specific crosssection being fed to a machine that has

eight consecutive sets of roller dies thatform the shank of the nail from that blankpiece of wire. The process is very gradualin forming the shank of the nail.Subsequent steps in the same machine willform the bevel and the point of the nail.The head of the nail is the last step beforeexiting the machine.

Forging Process:In the forging process the nail blank isformed in a machine called a swedgingmachine. In this machine, wire of a specificcross section is fed through one set ofswedging hammers that work simultaneouslyon all four sides of the wire while the wireis advanced through the striking point.Three or two distinct simultaneous dieblows, depending on the machine design,form the shank of the nail. The process inthis machine to form the shank and alsothe displacement of the material is muchfaster than rolling. The blanks out of thismachine are then fed into a differentmachine to finish the heads and to makepoints of the nail.

Stamping Process:In the stamping process the nailsare made from sheet metal inlarge stamping presses with aprogressive stamping die. In thisprocess a strip of sheet metaladvances in timed steps through acomplex die that gradually formsthe entire nail. In the ending stepthe nail is cut out of the sheet ofmetal. This process also requiresthe finished product to be heattreated so that the end producthas the necessary metallurgicalproperties to perform correctly andto homogenize the material andrelease the inherent stress of thisprocess. One can notice the shear

marks left on the sides of these nails bythe cutting dies.

Conclusions:The final product produced by these threedifferent methods produce a product thatis very similar in appearance, but fieldresults and lab results show that theproducts are very distinct in their physicalproperties.

From the metallurgical point of view therolling process produces the strongest nailof these three processes. The reason forthis is the shank of the nail is graduallydrawn resulting in a much more uniformgranular microstructure. This gradualdrawing of the shank increases the tensilestrength of the final product. This canalso be attested by the practical fact thatrolled nails can be produced in very narrowshank sections and the resulting nail is stillcapable of holding the shoe to the horse’sfeet. n

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general productionprocesses for

horseshoe nails

The Natural Angle

By Bill Kleist

Kerckhaert has introduced asteel version of their popularTriumph series. This shoe continues Kerckhaert's qualityand innovation in shoe designand production.

Introducing Triumph Steel

www.farrierproducts.com

Attention to DetailMakes the Difference

The Bloom knives, tongs and variousforging and shoeing tools are designed forfunctionality and durability - from themoment you put them to work.

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ROLLED FORGED STAMPED

Capewell & Cooper Vector Izumi Delta (yellow box) Save-Edge

MustadMarch, Max (same mfg) Delta (gray box) EquiclavoNaulaMondial

Australian Nails

Good mechanical properties.

Allows the production of very slim naildesign, with the highest tensile strength.

Very good dimensional properties,product has typically no slivers orflash.

Tools are relatively inexpensive.

Machinery is less expensive.

Productivity is higher. Production costsare the lowest of the three processes.

Very good dimensional characteristics andnails are very consistent if tools are wellmaintained.

Product has similar mechanical properties asa good forged nail.

Good Productivity of equipment .

No slivers.

Flash and slivers are more common.

Dimensional variance can be higher.

Expensive tooling and machinery.

Low machine productivity.

Production requires very well trainedoperator.

Process control is intense in order toproduce quality product.

Thinner nails do not have the samestrength as rolled nails.

Process requires more productionspace and more machinery.

Productivity depends on good management.

Very expensive tooling and equipment.

Process requires good heat treatment toproduce good nails.

Raw material is more expensive.

Production of scrap is high.

Nail Comparison by ProcessBRANDS

PROS

CONS

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To contact us for samples or for the name of a farrierproducts™ dealer near you, call FPD, Inc. at800-468-2879 or 502-633-5767 • qa@farrierproducts.com • www.farrierproducts.com

This exciting new rolled nail product is now being shipped to farrierproducts™

dealers around the country.

• Rolled process produces nails with high tensile strength.• The nails are packaged in attractive, durable plastic containers.• All boxes contain 250 nails. The individual boxes are packed in a sturdy

case that holds 12 boxes.• Other sizes and styles will be available in 2007.

Satisfaction guaranteed.

To buy Vector Nails, please call your nearest farrierproducts™ dealer.

The NEW Direction in Quality

INTRODUCINGINTRODUCING

5 RACE

5 CITY

5 SLIM

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“The Super Clinic”The inaugural event of the World Championship Blacksmiths will be heldJanuary 11-13, 2007 near Houston, Texas. Clinicians will be a who’swho of the competition and shoeing world. Shayne Carter, CJF, AustinEdens, CJF, Craig Trnka, CJF, and Mark Milster, CJF and a number ofother former AFA team members will combine their efforts to presentone of the most intense practical clinics ever.

For info, call 402-944-2242 or visit www.worldchampionshipblacksmiths.com.

“The Symposium”The 18th Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium continues the activity inJanuary. The dates for the 2007 Symposium are January 25-28 and itwill be held in Louisville, Kentucky’s Galt House.

The program always goes way beyond the Laminitis name and this yearis no exception. The speakers will explore topics like Venograms,Crushed Heels, White Line Disease, and Foal Deformities as well asLaminitis. Speakers include Ric Redden, DVM, farrier Alan Bailey,AWCF, and Richard Mansmann, VMD, PHD along with a number ofother presenters. In addition to the program, there will be a trade showof leading vendors to the industry.

Contact information for the Symposium: 877-462-6742 or 502-839-6766or visit the www.nanric.com website for all the details of the program.

“The Summit”The 4th Annual International Hoof-Care Summit follows closely on theheels of the Symposium. Held in Cincinnati, Ohio’s Duke EnergyCenter, the dates for the 2007 show are January 30 to February 1.

This program is organized by The American Farriers Journal and bringsfarriers and veterinarians together in a unique program format. Offeringa wide variety of topics, often simultaneously, the program has provenitself to be a significant educational opportunity. Speakers at this year’ssummit include Bob Pethick, CJF, Lee & Portor Green, Tracy Turner,DVM, Mitch Taylor, CJF, and Doyle Blagg. These presentations leanheavily to the practical side and offer a lot of opportunities to engagethe speakers and other attendees. The show also has a large trade showwith many of the industries manufacturers and suppliers in attendance.

For information contact the AFJ at 262-782-4480 or visit their websiteat www.lesspub.com.

“The Convention”The granddaddy of them all, the AFA’s 36th Annual Convention will beheld in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 28 to March 3, 2007.The AFA’s focus on education has long been considered the stimulusfor many improvements in the farrier industry.

The Albuquerque program will have the many facets that have made it afavorite for many years. A diverse speaker program, live forging andshoeing and the largest trade show in the industry all combine to attractfarriers from all over the world. Farrier speakers this year includeMichael Savoldi, Jim Quick, CJF, John Voight, CJF and Steve Teichman,CJF. Bob Racich, DVM will present as well, offering a perspective froma vet who is also a farrier.

Call the AFA at 859-233-7411 or visit their website at www.americanfarriers.org to get all the information.

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THE NATURAL ANGLE is published toprovide you with new and useful informationabout the industry. It is published through acooperative effort of Australian Nails, BloomForge, FPD, Kerckhaert Shoes, Vettec and yoursupplier.

Articles in this publication are the propertyof The Natural Angle and cannot be reprintedwithout express permission. For informationconcerning reprints, please contact Dan Burke,FPD, P.O. Box 1328, Shelbyville, KY 40066 orEmail: qa@naturalangle.com.

If you have questions, comments or ideasconcerning the articles published in the NaturalAngle, please contact your distributor. Wewelcome your input. The Natural Angle is designedand edited by Graphic Response. m

The Australian nails haveproven themselves to be wor-thy of your confidence. Noearly exits here, these nailsdrive where you want them -

shoe after shoe.

Hit the MarkFIRST TIME, EVERY TIME

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UPCOMING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITES

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The farrierproducts™ group includesthe finest products available in thefarrier market. Each product hasbeen chosen because of the manufac-turer's attention to quality and detail.Dealers for all of these outstandingproducts can be found throughoutNorth America.

800-468-2879fax 502-633-5863fpd@farrierproducts.comwww.farrierproducts.com

Quality Products.It's that simple.

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