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A farrier in Cody asked why I was quenching my tongs in the slack tub every 30 seconds
Was at a horse ranch outside Cody last August helping a buddy shoe, and this old farrier watched me work for maybe ten minutes. He finally said, "You're cooling those jaws down so much you're fighting yourself, they bite right at black heat." I'd been doing it out of habit. Started letting the reins run hotter and my hammer blows actually landed where I meant them. Any of you keep a second pair so you can work one while the other cools, or just get better at judging color in the fire?
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amy_murphy157d ago
Fighting yourself" is the perfect way to put it. I had the same habit for years, dunking the tongs every few seconds like it was a nervous tic. Once I let the reins stay hot longer, the jaws grabbed better and I stopped chasing my own work. I never bothered with a second pair, just got better at reading the color in the fire, orange fading toward red is where things actually work. Now I only quench when the jaws start to lose their grip, not out of reflex.
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