Horseshoe knife...

shappa

shappa

Joined
Oct 15, 1998
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What kind of knife would a horseshoe make? I've seen a few on ebay...they look cool in an odd sort of way.
Will they hold an edge or are they like r.r. spike knives, lacking in enough carbon to make a decent knife?

Thanks
 
I couldn't tell you exactly what kind of steel they are made of but they are soft. The shoes are replaced in 3 to 4 months time (maybe longer) as the horses hoofs grow like our fingernails. So it isn’t necessary to use a high quality steel.
 
Maybe our buddy Reg Ellery will chime in here, he's made a few. My take on it is that they're not ideally suited for working knives because as said above they're too soft. But I'd like to hear what folks using them have to say. I've wondered about this myself.
 
Riley White said:
I couldn't tell you exactly what kind of steel they are made of but they are soft. The shoes are replaced in 3 to 4 months time (maybe longer) as the horses hoofs grow like our fingernails. So it isn’t necessary to use a high quality steel.
Click to expand...

soft steel for shoes, grips better, cheaper, easyer to (forge)use ,
won't work harden and brake, forms to the hoof better,
did I say Cheaper? :D
 
try a san mai constuction for your horse shoe knife. I got a box of used shoes if you need any. :D :D :D
 
A few years ago Sgt. Francisco Ferrari, a knifemaker from the state of Mato grosso, here in Brazil, made a few knives, from horseshoes welding a piece of 5160 for the edge.
Here is a pic of one of these, wich he used to call "horse razors".
 

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shappa
horseshoes are low carbon most guys cold fit the shoes now so they like them soft and dans right cheap :eek: they make good leter openers ;)
 
Shappa I have made a few of them. It does depend on the shoe many are totally soft. However some do harden to some extent. I have never worked one hard.

Cut your shoe in half or what ever length you want and with the off cut or the tip of one end heat it up to red hardening temperature and quench it then belt it with a hammer over the edge of the anvil or held in a vice. If the steel has any carbon in it it should snap of like a glass. If it is soft it will bend or flattern out.

It will not tell you how much carbon, but an indication of how hard. Just gives you an idea if it is any good for an edge. Compare the snap and grain with a piece of spring steel or other high carbom.

I sell all of them as letter openers and my letter that goes with them states they are not going to hold an edge even if they are the hard ones. I would rather they buy it and get a bonus hardness that have them complain it is not hard enough. I sell them to the ART gallery near home and don't expect they will see a hard life. I only charge $25 they sell for around $40. The coloured glass and paint sell for $1000 + I am in the wrong game . Mind you I sell moore often and garanteed to sell.

Back to the origin of horse shoes and forging. Make the shoe first from high carbon steel. Then make it into a knife.

When all else fails try finding a supplyer of new shows he may be able to track down some spec's for the steel.

Edit. Some of the very old shoes i have colected in the country areas are wrought iron and etch to reveal nice patterns. Soft but decorative as a letter opener.

If you would like to send your email adress I can send you a couple of images. I don't think I have wrought iron images just other knives/letter openers.

reg_ellery@optusnet.com.au

one day when I am not so lazy I will have to sort out web hosting.
 
A real neat hoof knife is a simple mountain man style folder made with a horseshoe bent in half to form the sides. The curved hoof blade fits right in the curvature of the half-shoe. For those not familiar with a hoof knife, it is slightly curved ( bent) to one side - sort of a spoon shape. Google "Hoof Knife" and you will see what I am saying. There are many shapes of hoof knives, so don't feel that your knife is "wrong".

A basic tutorial is:
Forge a pony shoe, bending it in half. Slip a piece of 1.25-1.5"X1/8" steel in between the halves, and forge the shoe out to have the sides even. Forge the shoe out to get the knife profile you want,curving it to one side. The down curved end is the pivot end, and the U shaped straight end gets the sideways curve. The piece of steel that has kept the halves apart up to now will be ground into the blade ( and will fit since it was forged along with the sides). You can use spacers and rivets through the nail holes, make a spine, or just use one stop pin. Drill the pivot hole. Shape the hoof blade to your desired shape.There should be a "tongue" sticking out ( like a straight razor) that is shaped to nestle into the frame when the knife is fully opened. Peen the pivot, or use a pivot bolt.

Nothing fancy, but sort of neat. The blade doesn't really need to be all that sharp since it is used mostly for scraping out the frog and sole, and trimming the hooves for shoeing.

You can get fancier and add a tempered spine and make a friction folder if you wish, but this simple style is a classic.

When I can get out into the forge, I'll try and forge one of these to show what it looks like. I won't be out there for at least two weeks, as I am in the beginning of building out a new store location.
 
They make okay throwing knives, but don't really hold an edge.
You'd be better off making a knife that looks like it was made from a horse shoe.
 
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