Rational Horse Shoeing and Wagon Making
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with rules, tables, recipes, etc., useful to
manufactures, blacksmiths, machinists,
well-drillers, engineers, liverymen,
horse-shoers, farmers, wagon-makers,
mechanics, amateurs and all others who have
occasion to perform the work for which this
book is primarily intended.
Points are now sold by dealers in hardware, and
every smith knows how they are shaped. There is, however, no
need of buying these; every smith has old plowshares from
which points can be cut, provided you don't use an old share
too much worn. The points sold are cut with the intention that
most of the point is to be placed on top of the plow point. This
is all right in some instances, while it is wrong in others. When
you cut a piece for a point make it the same shape at both
ends. Now, when a plow needs the most of the point on top
bend the end to be on top longer than the end to go
underneath, and vice versa, when the point wants to be
heaviest on the bottom side. I hold that in ordinary cases the
most of the point should be on the bottom side. If it is it will
wear better and keep in the ground longer, for as soon as the
point is worn off underneath it comes out of the ground.
Don't monkey with old mower sections or anything like them for
points, for, although the material is good, it is not the quality
section from the extreme point of the share, and then there is only the iron of the plow point left to wear against; and
your time spent for such a point is lost. Another thing, it takes just as much time to put on such a point as it does to
put on a good one for which you charge the regular price.
In putting on a point of thin material you must go unusually slow, or you will burn the steel before the plow point is
hot.
Smiths, as a rule, draw out a round back point. They seem to be afraid of coming down on the point with the hammer
for fear it will spring the point towards the land. This can be remedied by using a wooden block for anvil. Then you can
set the point back without battering the edge of the share. The suck of a point should be one-eighth of an inch. Don't
split the steel of the point of a share open and wedge a point in. Make one long enough to reach around the point,
say from 8 to 10 inches long and you will have a good substantial job. There is too much experimenting in putting on
points yet, but the method just' described is the only good one.
