Modern blacksmithing 91 



too much worn to be used, then repair as follows: 

 Take a piece of ^-inch thick flat iron the width of the 

 landside about ten inches long. Cut one end off diag- 

 onally, this end to be flattened down. Why should this 

 end be cut diagonally? This piece of iron is to be 

 placed on the inner side of the landside and as far back 

 as to cover the hole that holds the plate. Now, if this 

 iron is cut square off, and left a little too thick on that 

 end, it will cut into the landside and weaken it ; but if 

 cut diagonally and drawn out thin it will not weaken, 

 nor can it break when cut in this manner. To be sure 

 of a good strong weld, upset over the weld. I hold 

 that this is the most important thing in making a new 

 lay. "No hoof, no horse" — no landside, no plow. 

 There are only a few blacksmiths recognizing this fact. 

 Most of the smiths will simply take a piece of iron 

 about half an inch square and weld it on top of the 

 point. This is the quickest way, but it is also the 

 poorest way, but they cannot very well do it in any 

 other way, for if you have no shin upsetter to dress 

 and shape the shoulder for the plate, then it is quite a 

 job to repair any other way. There are three reasons 

 why a landside cannot be repaired with a patch on top 

 of the point: i, The shin or shoulder in an old landside 

 is worn down sometimes to almost nothing, and the 

 only way to get stock enough to make a good shoulder 

 is to put a good-sized piece of iron on the inside, back 

 and behind this shoulder. If a new plate is to be put 

 on and this is not done, you will have to draw down 

 the plate to the thickness of the old shoulder, and in 

 such a case the plate will add no strength to the share. 



