Improvements in Blank Bars for use in the Manufacture of Horse Shoes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 4th June, 1892
[Communicated from abroad by CHARLES HENRY PERKINS, of Providence, in
the State of Rhode Island, United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Blank Bars for use in the Manufacture of
Horse Shoes.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
It is well known that in the manufacture of horse shoes it is very important in
many instances to unequally or variably distribute the weight of metal with respect
to the different portions of the hoof to which it is to be applied. The desirability
of providing for an excess of weight at the toes of shoes, is being widely recognized,
and toe weighted shoes have been found to possess substantial advantages for
general use, whether on fast horses or on draft animals.
In a side weighted shoe, as its name implies there is a substantial excess of
metal at the one side thereof, in some cases so great that if the shoe should be
divided into two parts on the central line at the toe, one of the sides would be from
one third to one-half heavier than the other but a somewhat less difference in
weight is usually required.
Side weighting is practically restricted to hind shoes whereas toe weighting is
employed in both hind and front shoes. Side weighted shoes may in one sense be
also considered as being both side weighted and toe weighted shoes inasmuch as
the metal thereof in front of a lateral central line, is generally of somewhat greater
weight than the metal at the rear of said line, and therefore when in use side
weighted shoes afford good results which are due to toe weighted shoes. There is,
however, a radical difference between these two classes of shoes in that while the
toe weighted shoes are uniform and interchangeable as rights" and "lefts the
side weighted shoes are specially paired, and are "rights" and "lefts."
ઃ
27
Side weighted shoes have heretofore been specially made by hand with a view to
meeting requirements in each particular case, for correcting habits of striking or
interfering, or in other words, they have been used in the sense of intended cures
for the said habits. The almost universal tendency is for horses to wear away
their bind shoes more rapidly on the outer side than at the inner side, resulting in
an uneven tread, and the habits referred to have become so general as to warrant a
belief on my part that they are mainly forced or developed by the use of horse
shoes of the usual form, and as ordinarily made and applied, and from experience I
believe that the development of said habits will be materially lessened by the use
of toe weighted shoes, and wholly obviated by the regular use. of side weighted
shoes, thereby, successfully preventing an evil by the use of the same means which
sometimes fail when used as a mere remedy for the same evil if fully developed.
Moreover the extra area of the heavy side of the shoe results in a correspondingly
greater durability as compared with ordinary shoes of the same weight as the side
weighted shoes.
I have therefore (as I believe, for the first time) devised methods, means, blanks,
and blank bars for the manufacture of side weighted shoes, and have produced such
shoes with a view to their general use as hind shoes, and as valuable substitutes in
that special connection for any or all of such other forms of merchant shoes as
have been heretofore manufactured.

page_text: In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 illustrates in bottom view a pair of side weighted shoes in their best
form, as developed from blanks or blank bars embodying my present invention, the
left hand shoe being the "right" and the other the "left."
Figures 2 and 3, illustrate in bottom view, edge view and in several sections, the
blanks embodied respectively in the "left" and "right" shoes, Figure 1.
Figure 4 illustrates a pair of plain side weighted shoes.
Figures 5 and 6, illustrate the blocks embodied in the shoes Figure 4.
Figure 7 illustrates in bottom view, edge view, and in several sectious; one of
my blank bars in its preferred form.
Figure 8 illustrates in the same manner one of my blank bars containing the
blanks of Figures 2 and 3, but in a modified arrangement thereof in the bar.
Figure 9 illustrates a blank bar somewhat similar to that of Figure 7, but
containing the plain blanks of Figures 5 and 6, and as embodied in the shoes of
Figure 4.
Figures 10 and 11 respectively illustrate the waste metal or scrap pieces from
the bars Figures 7 and 8.
Figure 12 illustrates one of my single line bars, containing both "right" and
"left" blanks.
Figure 13 illustrates a pair of my single line bars, the blanks in one being all
"rights" and in the other all "lefts."
Figure 14, illustrates my side weighted blanks having a slightly increased length
of the wide portion thereof.
The horse shoes shown in Figure 1 are of a fancy type adapted for use on
trotters and roadsters, A denoting the "right" and B the left shoe of the pair.
Each shoe is developed from a special blank, the shoe B from the blank B' of
Figure 2, and the shoe A from the blank A' of Figure 3.
Each shoe and blank has a wide side or end a and a narrow side on end b, and
the toe portions c in both of the shoes and their blanks are the same in area and
weight, and substantially the same in form, but they so far differ as to their
interior contour, as is incident to the merging of the lines of the inner edges of the
wide and the narrow sides.
These shoes and blanks are variably bevelled at their inner edges, said bevel at
the toe portion, as at e¹, being quite flat and wide, but gradually lessened or
narrowed at one heel on the narrow side, but substantially uniform on the wide
side.
Both shoes have nail scores d and d¹, respectively on the wide and narrow sides
and these scores are provided with nail head prints d² of which there are preferably
four on the wide or heavy side, and three on the narrow or light side. The said
nail scores and head prints are best developed in and while forming the blanks
although blanks without nail scores may be profitably produced, leaving the scores
to be located and developed by each farrier in accordance with bis own views as to
length and location, or said scores may extend from end to end of the blank,
leaving each farrier free to determine as to the number of nail head prints desired,
as well as to their particular location.
Inasmuch as the prime object of my invention is to secure blanks in which there
is a substantial excess of metal at the one side of the central or toe line, it is
obvious that the edge lines of the blank may be considerably varied with respect
of each other, without substantial departure from my invention so long as their
variation results in forming a wide heavy side and a narrow light side. In some
grades of my side weighted shoes, the tapering of the narrow side, is commenced at
or about the front nail hole on that side thus securing for the entire toe of the
shoe a uniform width, but satisfactory results will accrue if from the central toe
line, to one end of the blank, it is wide and substantially of uniform width,
and tapered or narrowed to the opposite end, because this form assures an
appropriate and specially desirable distribution of metal, and a symmetrical shoe,
but should the blank be tapered with uniformity from the wide end to the narrow

page_text: end, a serviceable shoe could be formed therefrom, although the weight of metal at
the toc, would be undesirably lessened, and the excess of weight at the heavy side
would be located unduly near the heel, but nevertheless such tapered horse shoe
blanks would be novel in the art and trade, and would embody a substantial
portion of the gist of my invention.
It will be obvious that the blanks illustrated can be developed in rolled blank
bars after the manner of producing some forms of blank bars containing toe
weighted blanks; and also that the said bars may contain the blanks arranged in
one, two, or more lines, or rows involving, however, substantial differences, as
compared with toe weighted blank bars. In a double line toe weighted blank bar,
the blanks may be either offset with relation to each other, as in the best form, or
arranged end to end and evenly side by side, as in a less desirable form of double
blank bar involving of necessity intervening waste scrap metal; and in a single
line toe weighted blank bar, the blanks are arranged end to end, both ends of each
blank being alike. In a double side weighted blank bar, however, the blanks are
not offset with relation to each other, and they should be side by side, and this of
necessity involves intervening scrap metal between the narrow sides (or portions)
of each pair of blanks, and for securing the right and left forms of blank in a
double bar, the narrow ends of each pair are preferably abutted against the wide
ends of the next pair in the bar, but the narrow ends of any pair of blanks may abut
against the narrow ends. of an adjacent pair, and then of necessity at their wide ends
they will abut against the wide ends of another adjacent pair of blanks. In a blank
bar containing a single line of side weighted blanks, all of the blanks may be of
one form i.e. either all "rights" or all lefts" if the narrow ends of the blanks
abut against the wide ends of adjacent blanks, but if in a single line bar, the blanks
are to be half of them "rights" and half "lefts" each narrow end must abut
against the narrow end of one of the next blanks in line, and the wide end against
the wide ends of the other adjacent blank.
It is now to be understood that the side weighted blank described, constitutes
the main feature of my present invention, regardless of the particular form of the
bar in which it may have been developed.
In Figure 7 the blank bar C is of the double line form the blanks A' and B' being
It will be
so shown in Figures 2 and 3, and as embodied in the shoes, Figure 1.
seen that the wide portions a, a of each pair of blanks are separated by a
substantially straight groove e, and that the narrow sides b b are separated by
tapering portions of metal, which I will term scrap pieces f. These scrap pieces
as shown detached in Figure 10 may be so tapered and so bevelled at their sides
by the die rolls as to contain comparatively little metal. At the heel parting lines
as at g as well as along the inner edge lines of the blanks, the metal is so nearly
parted that separation may be more or less readily accomplished.
In the blank bar C' of Figure 8, the blanks A¹ and B₁ are arranged with the
ends of the blanks abutting against the corresponding ends of other blanks, and
this affords a double (i.e. both lateral and longitudinal) pairing of blanks in
"rights" and "lefts" and the waste scrap pieces are of twice the length of the
pieces before described. In this form of my blank bar there are other small
thin scrap portions, as at 2, between the abutting wide ends of the blanks, the
substantially corresponding portions of waste in the blank bar Figure 7, being
integral with the pieces f
The heavy or plain shoes D and E of Figure 4, and the plain blanks D¹ and E¹
of Figures 5 and 6, differ from those of Figures 1, 2 and 3 only in that they are
only bevelled at their inner edges so far as will be conducive to the convenient
working of the metal by the die rolls, and in the blank bar C of Figure 9, the
blauks are arranged as in Figure 7. The waste or scrap portions f³ in this bar are
or need be no heavier than the pieces f, and hence as these blanks are heavier
than those in the bars C and C, the percentage of waste is correspondingly
lessened.

page_text: With those manufacturers of horse shoes who roll their own metal, it is obvious
that the scrap incident to the rolling of my double side weighted blank bars, can
be utilized to the best advantage, but any maker of horse shoes who relies upon
the use of merchant rolled blank bars, will naturally seek in the market such bars
as contain no waste metal or, in other words, a preference will be given to my
single line blank bars from which even the stub or end waste can and would be
eliminated.
In Figure 12, 1 show one of my single line blank bars C³ in which the blanks A'
are "rights" and the alternating blanks B are "lefts" such bars being of any
desired length but they will preferably contain an even number of blanks for
affording them in pairs, as when for sale, for instance by the single bar to
farriers.
In Figure 13 I show a pair of my single
separately formed by appropriate die rolls.
because in the blank har C the blanks D₁
blanks E' are all "rights."
line blank bars C and C', these being
Such blank bars are essentially paired,
are all "lefts" and in the bar C, the
In Figure 14, I show a blank bar C, in which the blanks F are tapered from
the front nail hole at the narrow side, thus slightly increasing the length of the
straight portion and affording a uniform width at and across the toe portion of the
blank and of a shoe made therefrom.
Each of the several blank bars shown and described embodies my novel side
weighted horse shoe blanks, and in all of said bars, there are lines of blanks
connected end to end and also with due reference to affording blanks in pairs,
suitable for "right" and "left" side weighted shoes. When my blank bars are
initially of the single line variety, they may contain blanks which are all "lefts"
or all rights" or consecutive "rights" and "lefts" the same as when initially
formed in the double line bars.
"
The main or characteristic features of my side weight blanks and blank bars are
not dependent upon the location of the nail scores adjacent to and parallel with the
straight side of the blank inasmuch as said straight edge need not always be the
outer edge of the blank, it being obvious that either of the blanks D' or E¹ could
be oppositely bent in forming a shoe, as indicated for instance in dotted lines in
Figure 9, but when so used the nail scores are located, one near the short parallel
edge, and the other near the inclined edge, or, in other words, the two scores are
inclined to each other, and this variation of the arrangement and location of the
nail scores would constitute the difference between a plain "right" blank and a
"left" blank; according to the direction it was to be bent in forming a shoe.
If however the blanks are to be used as now indicated, a corresponding slight
variation should be made in the contour of the end of the wide heel, as indicated in
dotted lines in Figure 9 at the wide heel of the blank.
It will be understood that my side weighted blanks will be of various sizes and
weights, according to the various sizes and grades of shoes, and therefore special
die rolls are used for forming each size of blank.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A side weighted horse shoe blank, which has parallel edges for a portion of
its length and is tapered throughout the remainder of its length, for affording in a
shoe, made therefrom, a wide central or toe portion, one wide and heavy side, and a
narrow tapered and light side, substantially as described.
2. In a horse shoe blank bar, a series of blanks connected end to end, each blank
having one straight edge, and one edge partially straight and parallel with the
straight edge, and partially angular or inclined thereto for the remainder of its
length, substantially as described.
3. A blank bar containing side weighted horse shoe blanks, arranged in right

page_text: and left pairs side by side, separated by a substantially straight groove for a
portion of their length and by a tapering waste piece or scrap for the remainder of
their length, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of March 1992.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.