American Farriers Journal
Farrier Tips
www.americanfarriers.com/articles/6696-shoes-falling-in-your-forge-grab-a-brick

Shoes Falling in Your Forge? Grab a Brick

January 23, 2015

 

 

Patrick Smith was growing increasingly annoyed with his forge.

“I was tired of my shoe falling in,” says the Traverse City, Mich., farrier.

A trip to Tractor Supply changed all that. Smith grabbed a 4 1/2-inch-by-9 1/2-inch ivory firebrick (Figure 1), which weighs 4 pounds and costs about $2.50.

“I just broke it up,” says the certified journeyman farrier, “and spread it across the bottom of the forge.” (Figure 2)

Not only does it keep Smith’s horseshoes from falling in, it also has another benefit.

“The forge,” he says, “actually gets hotter now.”

It makes sense. A firebrick is a refractory ceramic material that’s used to line furnaces, kilns, fireboxes and fireplaces. It withstands high temperatures and has a low thermal conductivity so it is more energy efficient.

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2
Jeff cota 2023

Jeff Cota

Maine native Jeff Cota joined Lessiter Media in January of 2014 and serves as the current editor of American Farriers Journal. Jeff enjoys photography, baseball, and the “opportunity to meet and learn from some great people in a fascinating trade.”

Contact: jcota@lessitermedia.com