142 HOESE-SHOES, ETC. 



or, nowadays, is more frequently carried on an iron anvil-block 

 of specially strong construction. The face of the anvil should 

 be about 27 inches from the ground and slightly tilted away 

 from the side at which the fireman works. The anvil itself 

 consists of a body and beak. The body has two holes 

 pierced at the end furthest from the beak, one square, the other 

 round. The square hole takes the concave tools, large-sized 

 heel cutters, and the heel crease, etc. ; the fireman works over 

 it when pritchelling the nail holes of large shoes. The 

 round hole is for small heel cutters and for workino- over when 

 punching holes for cogs, screws, etc. The body of the 

 anvil is of iron, the working surface being formed of a thick 

 plate of well-tempered steel, welded on. The edges should not 

 be too sharp, especially at the points where clips are usually 

 drawn, as the clip may be cut off. 



The vice holds the shoe when being hot-rasped or ' filed up.' 

 In some instances, as when it is necessary to thicken up the 

 heels, work can be done in the vice which could scarcely be 

 effected on the anvil. The vice also comes into play for holding 

 the shoe when holes are being tapped to receive frost screws. 



For a description of other tools used in shoe-making, see 

 p. 203, where the doorman's tools are described together. 



Though superfluous to the working farrier, a few words on 

 managing the fire may not be altogether out of place. On 

 commencing work the fire is lit with a few shavings or a bundle 

 of straw. Immediately a good body of red embers is produced, 

 the doorman inserts a piece of -J-inch round iron (or the farrier's 

 poker) in the nozzle of the tue-iron, and, whilst keeping the 

 bellows gently acting, begins ramming damp coals around this 

 and over the surface of the back plate with a sledge, fire-tongs, 

 or other heavy object until a firm coherent mass about 9 inclies 

 in thickness and 5 in height is produced (the ' back ').* He 

 then builds up the fire, which extends beyond the back, with 

 dry coal, and inserts the bars of iron, which have been cut mean- 

 while by the fireman and second doorman, in pairs in the fire. 

 As a rule, a sjood workman will be content with six bars in the 

 fire at one time, each pair being laid horizontally, alongside, 

 and as close as possible to the preceding pair. The bars 

 inserted are at once covered with dry coal, the bellows worked 



* Note. — If tlie ' back ' he. made up overnight it will last much longer. 



