140 MODERN BLACKSMITHING 



toe. Before the toe calk is driven onto the shoe bend 

 it a little so as to give it the same curve the shoe has, 

 and the comers of the calk will not stick out over the 

 edge of the shoe. Now place the shoe in the fire, calk 

 up. Heat to a good low welding heat, and use sand 

 for welding compound. Don't take the shoe out of the 

 fire to dip it in the sand, as most shoers do, for you 

 will then cool it off by digging in the cold sand, of 

 which you will get too much on the inner side of the 

 calk. The same will, if allowed to stay, make the calk 

 look rough. You will also have to make a new place 

 for the shoe in the fire, which will take up a good deal 

 of time, as the new place is not at once so hot as the 

 place from which the shoe was taken; besides this, 

 you might tear the calk off and lose it. When hot 

 give a couple of good blows on the calk and then draw 

 it out. Don't hold the heels of the shoe too close to 

 the anvil when you draw out the calk, for if you do the 

 calk will stand under, and it should be at a right angle 

 with the shoe. Do not draw it out too long, as is 

 mostly done. Punch the hole from the upper side 

 first. Many first-class horse-shoers punch only from 

 that side, while most shoers punch from both sides. 



There is no need of heating the shoe for punching 

 the holes. Punch the holes next to the heel first, for 

 if you punch the holes next to the toe when the shoe is 

 hot, the punch will be hot, upset and bent. If it is a 

 large shoe, punch only two holes on each side for the 

 toe calk heat. These holes to be the holes next to the 

 toe when the shoe is hot, and then punch the other two 

 when you draw out the heel calks, and the shoe is hot 



