Dating a horseshoe

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This is the horseshoe i found about 3 weeks` ago and have been slowly cleaning it since then .

I am not a horse person and always assumed the horseshoes were made of steel ,but this one is made of lead with 4 square steel nails still in it on each side.

Some questions come to mind about this.

First of all , do the nails normally get taken out of the shoes when removed from the horse or do they simply pull the shoe away from the hoof with the nails still intact or was this possibly from the hoof of a dead horse ?

Secondly , does the fact it is made from lead indicate a particular time in history that this was the material they were made from ?

Thirdly , are the square nails used for any significant reason ?

Forth , did they use lead shoes for any particular purpose like a horse working on a puddler or possibly one who carts heavy material from a site or maybe a coach horse ?

Lastly , being 2 1/2 match boxes long , is this a big hoof ?

Thanks for any advice .

FOZ

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hey Foz that's a very unique find. I haven't seen a lead horse shoe, & don't have a real answer as to its origin, but am guessing it may have come from a time when steel horse shoes were in short supply. Need to have a chat to an old blacksmith.
I would also assume its a lead alloy, to harden it as pure lead wouldn't last 5 seconds, similar to battery lead that has up to 10% Antimony to make it more durable.
That's around normal size for an average horse. Bigger horses = bigger shoes
The nails are rectangular in cross section in all horse shoes, & have a longer tapered face on 1 side. This taper goes on the inside when putting the shoe on & this forces the point to curve outwards as it goes thru the hoof. Putting it the wrong way round will turn it into the inner tissue, & then you have a lame horse (the hoof is keratin like our finger nails, but much thicker). Once the nail comes out it is clipped off with a few short millimetres left, bent down & then given a swipe with the rasp to smooth the outer edge & ensure its hard against the hoof to lock it in.
When removing a shoe this end bit of the nail (usually) is filed off a bit more to make it thinner & weaker, then pincers are used to pull the shoe off with the nails by working around the shoe to pull it loose. If the shoe is discarded it often still has nails in it. A horse can twist a shoe off too when doing a fast turn.
The hoof grows fast & if the shoe is not worn out it can often be used a 2nd time, but I doubt a lead shoe would be re-useable.

Also, are you absolutely certain its lead?

DED
 
it aint real attractive :8 ..........

but beauty is in the eye of the beholder one supposes :(

coupla bevies might help :heart: .....dunno :playful:
 
ctxkid said:
it aint real attractive :8 ..........

but beauty is in the eye of the beholder one supposes :(

coupla bevies might help :heart: .....dunno :playful:
Click to expand...

I`ve dated worse !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Ded Driver said:
hey Foz that's a very unique find. I haven't seen a lead horse shoe, & don't have a real answer as to its origin, but am guessing it may have come from a time when steel horse shoes were in short supply. Need to have a chat to an old blacksmith.
I would also assume its a lead alloy, to harden it as pure lead wouldn't last 5 seconds, similar to battery lead that has up to 10% Antimony to make it more durable.
That's around normal size for an average horse. Bigger horses = bigger shoes
The nails are rectangular in cross section in all horse shoes, & have a longer tapered face on 1 side. This taper goes on the inside when putting the shoe on & this forces the point to curve outwards as it goes thru the hoof. Putting it the wrong way round will turn it into the inner tissue, & then you have a lame horse (the hoof is keratin like our finger nails, but much thicker). Once the nail comes out it is clipped off with a few short millimetres left, bent down & then given a swipe with the rasp to smooth the outer edge & ensure its hard against the hoof to lock it in.
When removing a shoe this end bit of the nail (usually) is filed off a bit more to make it thinner & weaker, then pincers are used to pull the shoe off with the nails by working around the shoe to pull it loose. If the shoe is discarded it often still has nails in it. A horse can twist a shoe off too when doing a fast turn.
The hoof grows fast & if the shoe is not worn out it can often be used a 2nd time, but I doubt a lead shoe would be re-useable.

Also, are you absolutely certain its lead?

DED
Click to expand...

Thanks , Ded Driver. I tried to melt it down on the stove ,but nothing happened. It might need more extreme heat from the gas axe ,but the oxy would melt anything ,anyway.

Could be a mixture of lead and alloy. The colour in it is not your usual cast iron or metal colour. There was some surface rust on it under all the dirt.
The way the scratches are etched into it might mean it is a softer metal of some kind. I only cleaned it with a wire brush several times after soaking it in salt and double strength vinegar ,so the scratches were not made by me.

Do horseshoes have this lead type colour from brand new ?
 
To me the shoe looks like it is steel, lead will melt fairly easy at about 330 C and tin, zinc or pewter not much higher.

Looks like you have removed the rust and gotten to the layers of folded steel.

Is it magnetic at all, simple test, use a magnet.

:)
 
Greenhornet_au said:
To me the shoe looks like it is steel, lead will melt fairly easy at about 330 C and tin, zinc or pewter not much higher.

Looks like you have removed the rust and gotten to the layers of folded steel.

Is it magnetic at all, simple test, use a magnet.

:)
Click to expand...

Yep. Sticks to a magnet. Is folding steel one of the processes in making them ,is it ? I have had old horseshoes in the past and never seen the metal looking like that.
 
yes Foz they look like horseshoe nails
if it is magnetic then would have to be steel. I would think a lead shoe would more likely be a paper weight, door stop or ornament.
The unusual lamination type of corrosion is most likely due to it being made by hand in a blacksmiths shop & hammered & folded many times.
never seen one that old & corroded like that!
Given its age Im not asking for a date :lol:
.
ps, race horse shoes are usually a hard aluminium alloy.
 

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