half inches for an outside heel. Cut the bar in 

 the middle and you have two "molds" and you 

 may be sure that they are mates. Shoes made 

 in single patterns are liable to get on your 

 nerves when you discover that you have care- 

 lessly made both shoes for the same foot. The 

 inside sweged-shoe is used with good results 

 on knee hitters, both trotters and pacers, and 

 is especially good when used on a horse that 

 toes out very badly in front if fitted close and 

 short at the outside heel, leaving the inside full 

 length and, if occasion requires, putting a block 

 heel or a set calk on it. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

 Swedges or Dies. 



I have often been asked ''where can I secure 

 swedges for making track shoes?" Every horse- 

 shoer is supposed to be his own swedge-maker, 

 and I guess every horseshoer has his own in- 

 dividual ideas on how they should be made and 

 what they should look like when finished. If 

 you are in touch with a good hardware store, 

 you can get the "blanks" for making your 

 swedges and by doing so you save yourself a 

 lot of hard work. In ordering blanks (blocks 

 of steel with shanks on to fit in the square of 

 the anvil) be sure and state the exact size of 

 the square hole in your anvil. If you are un- 

 able to get blanks, make the block out of any 

 piece of steel you have convenient. I have 

 made them out of old wagon axles that were 

 good enough to last for years. When you are 

 ready to make the creases or form the swedge 



72 



