Overheard a farrier say 'hot shoeing is faster' and it clicked

I was at a swap meet last Saturday and some farrier was explaining to a kid why he works the metal hot instead of cold. Said he can fit the shoe in one heat cycle vs 10 minutes of filing cold steel. Tried it on a simple bracket project and saved like 20 minutes. Anyone else find hot work just flows better once you get the timing down?

4 comments

4 Comments

lilyp371mo ago

Hot shoeing is faster" - I mean, it's a horseshoe, not a Formula 1 pit stop. Feels like people get real dramatic about blacksmithing techniques like it's life or death advice. That bracket project probably didn't matter if it took 20 minutes or 40 minutes, unless you're trying to win a bracket-making contest (which I'm guessing isn't a thing). Hot work is fine for some people, cold work is fine for others. It's not that deep.

lee8471mo ago

@lilyp37 Exactly. I've done both hot and cold on the same project and honestly the time difference was maybe ten minutes max for a bracket. @susanb34 said it right earlier, people overthink this stuff way too much. Just pick whatever method you're comfortable with and get on with it.

susanb341mo agoProlific Poster

Absolutely with you on this, people OVERthink it way too much.

joel_clark371mo ago

Yeah but @lilyp37 I gotta disagree a little. Hot work isn't just about speed, it's about how the metal moves. You can feel it flow different, less fighting with the steel. That bracket project might not be a contest but saving 20 minutes adds up over a few projects.