Volume 13: Issue 2

Belt Grinders andEveryday Work

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A belt grinder is one tool that I, and most of the farriers Iknow who use them, will not live without. When youconsider the tasks that you can perform with a grinder, onlyyour hammer, anvil and forge are more important. My goalis to give you ideas for what you can do with a belt grinderin your everyday work if you are unfamiliar with them; ormaybe give you a new idea you can use with your own.

I use expander wheels everyday so I will start by coveringtheir use and safety. Most of this information can be appliedwith any style belt grinder you may use. The expanderwheels come in two sizes - 10" and 6" models. The 10"wheel turns the fastest and is the most aggressive atremoving material. The 6" wheel gives a smaller radius thatis great for dressing tools or precise grinding. First,expander wheels must turn in the proper direction or thebelt will not stay on. They come with an indication arrowshowing the proper direction of rotation they must turn.Secondly, you must have the safety guard on and in theproper position (refer to photo). Having the guard in thisposition keeps the sparks from burning you and anythingelse that may be nearby, as well as making sure you are usingthe proper section of the wheel while grinding. I can’t stressenough the importance of always wearing safety glasses, andwhen grinding aluminum always wear a good safety mask.When you inhale aluminum dust, you have it for life.

Belts - There are three types of belts available for most beltgrinders: Aluminum oxide, zircon and ceramic. Aluminumoxide belts are the cheapest and the least durable, they donot hold up very long.

By Doug Workman, APF, CJF

Above:BaldorGrinderwithexpanderwheels.

Left:Suggestedguardposition.

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Zircon belts cost a bit more and are more durable and agood choice. Ceramic belts cost more than zircon but theywill last four times longer; these are the only belts I use.

There are many applications for modifying shoes with agrinder and I will cover the ones that are most common inmy business.

Boxing and Safing - Boxing refers togrinding the foot side of the shoe andsafing is grinding the ground side. Ibox and safe every shoe I nail on toprotect the shoe and the horse. Usinga belt grinder is much faster and lesswork than hot rasping.

Deep seating a shoe - Seating out a keg shoe by forgingcan be a tricky task if you need a lot of space. With a beltgrinder all you do is seat out the shoe to the desired depth,shape it up and nail it on. I deep seat shoes for flat ordropped soles or when I use a pour-in pad so I don’t haveto use mesh to keep it in place.

Clips - There is no need to put on a windswept clip or youmay want to shape up factory clips to aide in fitting. Usingyour grinder, you can shape it up any way you like.

Heel checks - It takes no time to ensure there are no rockor manure traps in the heel area. I find if the owner caneasily get their hoof pick through the heels they tend toclean them more, as well as the feet being self cleaning (allbets are off when they live in a mud hole).

Rolled toes - Rolling the toe with your hammer on a kegshoe causes the shoe to grow and the nail placement willmove. I shape the shoe and put the roll wherever I choosewith the grinder.

Pads - After applying the pad and removing the excesswith your pad cutter or nippers, the belt grinder will cleanup the edges and set the angle perfectly to the angle of thewall. Whenever you grind a pad of any kind, whetherplastic or leather, it will tend to clog up your belt.

DRESSING CLIP

FINISHING PADS

SEATING OUT

Boxing

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This makes the belt slick and it will not cut verywell, creating a dangerous situation. Using a rubberbelt cleaner after each pad you grind will removethe material from the belt, ensuring a faster cut andsafer operation. You can get a belt cleaner from mostfarrier supplies or the hardware store.

Grinding aluminum can be apain because of the dustand clogging of your belts.The clogging problem iseasy to remedy. Take a barof soap and apply it to thebelt like you would buffingcompound and you have nomore clogging. I like ivorysoap best, it sticks to the beltreally well, but any bar soapwill work. I reapply beforeeach shoe and it doesn’t takemuch. Remember, always wear a good safety mask.You can get them at any hardware store. There arealready enough things that can kill us in ourprofession.

Hopefully you find something in this informationyou can use that will make your day a little biteasier. n

HEEL CHECK AND FINISH

ROLLED TOE

GRINDING ALUMINUM

Use a safety mask

CLEANING AND COATING BELT

NEW LIBERTYNAIL SIZES5 CITY | 5 COMBO | 5 RACE

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Advances in technology greatly benefit the farrier business inthe 21st century. The assortment of tools, shoes and otherequipment currently used in our trade is astounding. Inaddition to making the actual job of shoeing a horse easier,technology can provide benefits in other areas of yourbusiness. With the advent of Smartphones, mobile paymentdevices now make accepting payment from your clients moreefficient and customer friendly. A mobile payment device isdesigned to attach to your Smartphone and allows customersto pay via their credit or debit card.

There are many benefits of using a mobile payment device.First, it allows another way for you to accept payment. As wemove to a paperless society, checks are becoming lesscommon. The ability for you to take debit and credit cardsgives the client another easy way to pay you, and pay you ontime. This saves you from the hassle of billing after work, orhiring someone to do it for you. Also, it allows you to havethe money transferred to your bank account directly. Thissaves time and fuel; as you don’t have to drive to the bank todeposit your checks. Lastly, the mobile payment device canemail professional receipts to clients and track your earningsthrough business programs such as QuickBooks.

Companies that provide devices are: INTUIT, MOTOROLA,HEARTLAND PAYMENT SYSTEMS and SQUAREUP. Thedevice and application to use it are often offered for free or ata low cost. To use it you are charged a small swipe fee, most

often less than 3% per transaction. Thecurrent Smartphones made by APPLE,MOTOROLA, HTC and SAMSUNGare able to use this technology.

In sum the mobile payment devicesaves you time and money whencollecting payment, as well asproviding clients a hassle free paymentoption. I hope this article provides youwith another way to help make yourbusiness a greater success for you, yourclients, and most importantly the horse.

REFERENCES:www.gopayment.comwww.squareup.comwww.motorola.comnetworkworld.com/news/2011/081111-heartland-mobile-payment.html

Another Way to Pay:MOBILE PAYMENT DEVICES OFFER FARRIERSAN EFFICIENT WAY TO COLLECT PAYMENTBy Andrew Morales, AFA CF

KerckhaertStandard RimSeries Nowwith V-Crease

WhenChangeis Good.

The Standard Rim is versatile - it can be easilyshaped to fit front or hind - but doesn’t have thepointed toe shape of other brands that makesfitting difficult. Bevels offer good breakover andgrip in arena surfaces, trails and cross-countryterrain. The full crease from heel to heel offersmaximum traction and, the addition of V-Creaseensures better nail fit.

Also try the enhancedStandard Extra• Wide web pattern for protection

and support in rough terrain• Bevel on ground side• Sole relief• V-Crease

1st Lt. Andrew M. MoralesFarrier from Texas - currently deployed inAfghanistan.

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THE NATURAL ANGLE is publishedto provide you with new and useful informa-tion about the industry. It is publishedthrough a cooperative effort of VectorHorseshoe Nails, Bloom Forge, FPD,Kerckhaert Shoes, Vettec, Bellota, Mercuryand your supplier.

Articles in this publication are theproperty of The Natural Angle and cannot bereprinted without express permission. Forinformation concerning reprints, pleasecontact Dan Burke, FPD, P.O. Box 1328,Shelbyville, KY 40066 or Email:fpd@farrierproducts.com.

If you have questions, comments orideas concerning the articles published inthe Natural Angle, please contact yourdistributor. We welcome your input. TheNatural Angle is designed and edited byGraphic Response. �

The Natural Angle

Kerckhaert Syntra Race Plate• A hybrid design of the

Tradition/Synergy• Excellent choice when horses

are racing and training onsynthetic and dirt surfaces

• 5.5 mm insert• Hind - Toe Clipped • Available in sizes: 4, 5• Toe design features aluminum

coming to the top of the insert in front of the grab;helping with landing and breakover

• Punched for 3-1/2 Race, 4-1/2 Race and 4-1/2 Slim

Liberty Horseshoe Nails5 Race • High quality nail designed by

Kerckhaert Horseshoe Company• Excellent points• Good choice for users in the SX-7,

Standard Lite and Swedge Program• 250 nails per box, 12 boxes per case• Length - 47 mm

Liberty Horseshoe Nails5 Combo • High quality nail designed by

Kerckhaert Horseshoe Company• Excellent points• Nail head is slightly larger than the

5 City• Shank is sized between a City and

Slim blade• 250 nails per box, 12 boxes per case• Length - 49.5 mm

FootPro™Rounding Hammer• Fully polished • 2 lb. and 1-3/4 lb. • Forged by highly skilled

craftsmen• Made in the U.S.A.• Replacement handles available

Allen's Blue Powder• Medicated thrush preventative• Developed by farrier Todd Allen• Active ingredient is copper sulfate• Use as preventative measure and/or

treatment of thrush• 9 oz. bottles

New Products

The Natural Angle

Farrier Craftsmanship

Filet knife made from highcarbon steel by Mike Carson,from Illinois

We're happy to feature superior farrier craftsmanship inthe Natural Angle and on The HoofWall™ blog. If youhave a photo that you'd like to share, please email it tofpd@farrierproducts.com.

New video clipsThere are three new videoclips on farrierproducts.comand YouTube, all related tothe Baldor grinder.

Visit either site to view Usingthe Baldor Grinder for ShoeFinish, Using the BaldorGrinder for Clip Fix andUsing the Baldor Grinder for Shoe Seating.

Visit the HoofWall™ blog, where you can enjoyconversations that explore the world of theprofessional farrier. Join in at FPD's website -www.farrierproducts.com/blog.