12 MANUAL FOR ARMY HORSESHOERS. 



any sizzling, plunge the whole hardy under water and remove it 

 at once; rub the blade on the floor to remove loose flakes of metal 

 and to give it a slight polish; now carefully observe the change 

 in color as the remaining heat in the body extens badck to the 

 edge; the color will be first straw, then copper, and finally blue; 

 as "soon as the blue color has reached the cutting edge, place the 

 whole hardy under water and leave it there until thoroughly cooled. 



The creaser (fig. 14) is used to crease the shoes and to repair 

 damaged creases. 



The countersink (fig. 17) is used in hand-made shoes to punch 

 holes of sufficient size to receive the heads of the nails; these holes 

 are completed by the use of the pritchel (fig. 16). 



Horseshoe nails retain the shoe on the foot. These nails (fur- 

 nished in several sizes) are machine-made and pointed; they are 

 slightly concave on one side and flat on the other; there is a short 

 bevel at the point on the concave side. In driving the nail into 

 the hoof the flat side is held faced outward. 



2. The anvil. — The working parts of the anvil (PL II, fig. 1) are 

 the horn, the face, and the heel. 



The face, or the upper plane surface, is of steel, and is welded 

 to the iron body. The anvil is firmly fastened to a wooden block, 

 whi h is sunk into the ground to a depth that will bring the surface 

 of the face at a convenient working height above the ground — from 

 30 1 3 38 inches. 



The horn is used to open and to shape shoes; the face to level 

 the wab and for welding; and the heel to straighten heels of shoes and 

 to turn calks. Clips are ordinarily drawn on the edge of the face, but 

 in the anvil shown there is an attacliment near the base of the horn 

 whi jh is used for this purpose. The square hole in the face (hardj. 

 hole) is a socket for hardies; the round hole (pritchel hole) permits 

 the passage of the pritchel through the nail hole of the shoe. 



The flat surface at the base of the horn is relatively soft iron and is 

 used to rest hot metals on when cutting them with a chisel. 



The anvil weighs from 125 to 150 pounds. 



Figure 2 shows the tool box issued by the Quartermaster Corps. 

 Its use is readily understood, and the only instruction required is 

 that all tools should be placed in the box, handles out. An objec- 

 tion to this box is that it is easily tipped over. On this account 

 many shoers prefer the pattern shown in figure 3, although the tools 

 are not as near to the hand. 



3. Plate III shows a section of a portable forge. In every forge 

 air is forced through the fire by a bellows or a fan (F); the latter is 



