64 MANUAL FOR ARMY HORSESHOERS. 



Return the shoe to the fire, calk up, and tilt or rock the shoe 

 forward and back to insure equal heating of both shoe and calk. 

 WTien the proper heat — fluxing — (see Heats) has been obtained, 

 place the shoe on the face of the anvil as before and strike a few light 

 blows on the calk. 



Reheat to the welding heat and place the calk on tl 3 face of the 

 anvil. Strike a few heavier blows on the upper surface of the shoe 

 directly over the calk. 



Fitting. — The calked shoe is fitted in the same manner as the 

 service shoe, with the exception that the heels are made a little 

 longer and* are slightly turned out from the end of the buttress in 

 order to give a wider support to the foot and to thus prevent as far 

 as possible the rocking of the shoe. For use on ice the calks are 

 sharpened, but a horse so shod must never be turned loose with other 

 horses. 



The use of the calk shoe is prohibited except at times when local 

 conditions make its use absolutely necessary to prevent slipping. 



KAIL DRIVING. 



55. The nails issued in the mounted service are machine-made, 

 and the sizes in general use are Nos. 4, 5, 6, and 7. No. 4 nail is 

 used for plate shoes; No. 5 nail for a No. 1 and 2 shoe; No. 6 nail for a 

 No. 3 and 4 shoe; No. 7 nail for the large feet of some artillery horses. 



One side of the shank of the nail is flat; the other side is concave 

 and also has a bevel near the point. This bevel, as it enters into the 

 horn, forces the point of the nail in the direction of the other side 

 (flat side). Therefore always hold the nail with the flat side toivard 

 the outside edge of the shoe. 



By driAdng nails into the wall of the foot some of the horn tubes 

 are destroyed, and the higher the nails are driven the greater the 

 injury to the wall. Nails should, therefore, come out at a height 

 just sufficient to hold the shoe — not exceeding one inch — and in 

 order to damage the wall as little as possible, both the size and the 

 number of the nails should be as small as will accomplish this object. 



The outside of the white line is the correct place to start the nails, 

 and shoes should be fitted with this end in view. Nails thus started 

 come out evenly on the wall, are low, and at a strong angle. 



To the experienced shoer the feel and the sound of the nail and 

 the amount of force required in driving are important guides. 



The nail is held between the thumb and fingers to steady it in 

 starting, and, if going properly, it imparts to the fingers a character- 



