144 HORSE-SHOES, ETC. 



inwards, with the thumb above and the knuckles downwards, a 

 left-sided shoe is started. Though difficult to describe, the 

 manoeuvre will be easily understood on grasping a pair of tongs 

 and imagining the results of turning the hand in eitlier of the 

 directions described. In bending- the shoe at this stage the 

 curve must be exaggerated, as the subsequent 'seating-out' 

 tends to straighten the iron once more. In making a fullered 

 shoe a good workman will, while working on the teak, diminish 

 not only the thickness, but also the breadth, of the toe, leaving 

 it slightly thinner than the quarter. The width is restored in 

 seating-out, as the seating is more pronounced at the toe than 

 elsewhere. We have italicised the words while working on the 

 teak, because, although often omitted nowadays, owing to its 

 difficulty, it is only at this stage that such thinning can properly 

 be performed. 



From the beak the shoe is returned to the flat of the anvil 

 and seated out to within 2 or ;| inch from the heel under the 

 rounded ends of the two sledge-hammers. If needful, the shoe 

 is next fullered, commencing at the toe and terminating at the 

 heel. The ' crease ' is applied yV to J- of an inch from the 

 outer margin, according to the size of the shoe. Doorman No. 

 1 then leaves to prepare the next bar, and No. 2 strikes for 

 the fireman who stamps the nail holes. These are formed so 

 as to correspond in direction with the inclination of the wall, 

 and not vertically as stated by certain writers. The fireman 

 then pritchels the nail holes, removes the bulgings (due to 

 stamping holes) from the outside of the shoe, finishes the seat- 

 ing-out, leaving the surface smooth and even, and returns the 

 shoe to the fire. The inner branch of the shoe is formed in 

 a precisely similar way, though fullering takes place in the 

 reverse direction. 



Forging a Hind Shoe. — In forging a hind shoe the iron is 

 bent as above and transferred to the beak of the anvil, on 

 which the quarter is drawn down under the two sledges, 

 assisted by the fireman's hammer. The toe and heel must, 

 however, be left of full strength, the former on account of the 

 toe being the part most exposed to wear, and the latter because, 

 to secure a sound and strong shoe, the calkin must be turned 

 over in the full thickness of the iron. Many firemen draw 

 down the heel excessively and have then to turn over a great 



