GB2391158A

GB2391158A - Farrier's stamp

Info

Publication number: GB2391158A
Application number: GB0217479A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon Edward Dale
Original assignee: PEGASUS HORSESHOES Ltd
Current assignee: PEGASUS HORSESHOES Ltd
Priority date: 2002-07-29
Filing date: 2002-07-29
Publication date: 2004-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 2022-07-29
Also published as: GB2391158B; GB0217479D0

Abstract

The stamp comprises a head (1) with a handle (2) attached thereto. The head (1) is made of a hot work tool steel and has a recess (8) formed therein to receive a replaceable insert (3) having a pointed end (4) formed therein. The insert is made from a high speed steel, preferably 18% tungsten steel.

Description

( -1- 2391158

Farrier's Nail Stamp This invention relates to a Farrier's nail stamp or hand tool used to form a countersunk hole in a horseshoe prior to the through-hole being s formed to receive the horseshoe nail.

A conventional horseshoe nail stamp comprises a steel head to which a handle is attached. The head has a pointed end which is shaped to form a countersunk hole in a horseshoe. The stamp is used to make a deep lo countersunk impression in red hot steel when forming horseshoes by hand. This impression is made prior to punching the nail hole out from the horseshoe using a tool called a pritchel which is a long thin punch of a size approximating to that of the nail shank. The tapered impression made by the stamp is a vital part of the nail hole because it ensures a Is bond between the tapered nail head and the horseshoe.

The stamp needs to be able to withstand high temperatures if it is to retain its size and shape and this is a major problem when driving such a small point into red hot steel directly onto the anvil face even if the tool 20 iS quenched after each hole is stamped. Typically, the pointed stamp head may need to be reground back to its original shape after only two sets of shoes have been made. After a time, there is no material left on the head to regrind so the whole tool has to be thrown away and replaced. Typically, this could be done every 2-3 months.

25 Most modern day stamps are made from hot work tool steel which gives a reasonable degree of hardness that will withstand a limited amount of use before the need to regrind it back to its original dimensions.

Because the whole stamp is made from the same material, it is difficult

- 2 to produce a tool that will withstand hammer blows and be sufficiently hard to withstand the heat. As a result, a compromise has to be accepted when making a stamp in the conventional manner.

5 In theory, the stamp head could be made from a much harder material but such materials are very brittle when repeatedly subjected to high impact forces and thus the head would shatter where it is attached to the handle by the retaining pin which passes through a hole in the stamp head as this is a point of weakness. A further problem with making the lo head out of a much harder material is that the cost increases substantially. In the prior art, a different stamp size is used for each different nail size

so typically, a fattier would need to buy four hand tools to cover the Is most common range of nail sizes required when making horseshoes. As these stamps wear out very quickly, it is expensive for the tarrier to maintain his tool collection at the required level to enable him to make the various different sized horseshoes needed for him to carry out his job on a regular basis.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a farrier's stamp which overcomes or substantially reduces the above discussed disadvantages.

According to the invention, there is provided a farrier's stamp 25 comprising a head with a handle attached thereto, the head being made from a high shock resistant cold work tool steel and having a replaceable insert mounted therein with a pointed end shaped to form a countersunk hole in a horseshoe, the insert being made from a high speed steel.

- 3 Preferably the high shock resistant tool steel is BS 4659 (BO1). In the preferred embodiment, the insert is made from a high speed 18% tungsten steel material (TI).

s In the preferred embodiment, the insert comprises a tapered point at one end thereof and a tapered body at its other end.

Preferably the head has a tapered recess formed therein to receive the lo tapered body of the insert.

In the preferred embodiment, an ejector hole is formed in the head which communicates with the bottom region of the tapered recess.

Preferably the ejector hole is positioned on the head so that only a part Is of the end of the tapered body of the insert is visible through the ejector hole when the insert is in position in the recess in the head, there being a space visible beyond the end of the insert.

In the preferred embodiment, the tapered body of the insert and the 20 tapered recess in the head are formed as a Morse Taper.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: as Figure 1 is a side view of a farrier's stamp in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is an end view of the insert shown in Figure 1 taken along the lines II-II, and

- 4 Figure 3 is a perspective view of a horseshoe nail.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a farriet's stamp which comprises a metal head 1 having a handle 2 attached thereto by s means of pin 2A which passes through a hole formed in the head 1 and handle 2.

An insert 3 having a tapered point 4 and a tapered body 6 is removably insertable in a tapered recess 8 formed in one end of the head 1. The lo insert 3 has a flat end 7 formed on the body 6 and a flat end 5 formed on the tapered point 4. The tapered surface of the section 6 of the insert 3 and the recess 8 of the head 1 are formed as a Morse Taper so that when the insert 3 is fitted in the tapered recess 8, it makes a tight fit therein.

To remove the insert 3 Mom the head 1, a special tool (not shown) needs Is to be inserted into hole 9 formed therein and into the space at the bottom of the recess 8 beyond the flat end 7 of the insert 3. As the special tool is driven into the hole 9, it exerts a lateral force on the insert 3 to break the grip exerted by the Morse Taper and ejects it from the recess 8.

The farrier's stamp shown in Figures 1 and 2 is used in the following way. The fattier will first form the horseshoe without any holes in it to receive horseshoe nails 10. The farrier will then use the stamp to form a series of countersunk holes in the horseshoe dimensioned to receive is tapered head 11 of horseshoe nail 10 (see Figure 3). Having formed these countersunk holes, the farrier then uses a known pitcher (a long thin punch of a size corresponding to that of nail shank 10) to punch out a hole in the horseshoe to receive nail 10.

- 5 With the present invention, because the insert 3 is made from high speed steel (18% tungsten steel is preferred) it can withstand extreme temperatures and more importantly it will retain its shape and hardness s even when dull red itself. By using a replaceable insert 3 in the body 1 which is made of a high shock resistant steel, this greatly reduces the risk of the tool shattering under constant hammer blows.

It will be appreciated that they can readily be changed to form different lo sizes of countersunk holes very easily.

An advantage of the present invention is that the body 1 of the stamp will far outlast the inserts 3 and it is cheap and easy to replace the inserts. In the prior art stamps, the whole tool has to be discarded when

Is it had worn out, the vulnerability of the point on the tool determining the life of the stamp.

With the present invention, having initially purchased the stamp and a set of pointed inserts, the replacement cost of the inserts is very low in to comparison to that of a standard stamp. Furthermore, the stamp of the present invention has far greater resistance to deformation than known stamps.

Claims

1. A farrier's stamp comprising a head with a handle attached thereto, the head being made from a high shock resistant cold work tool 5 steel and having a replacable insert mountable therein with a pointed end shaped to form a countersunk hole in a horseshoe, the insert being made from a high speed steel.

2. A stamp as claimed in claim 1 wherein the high shock resistant lo tool steel is British Standard 4659 1989 (B01).

3. A stamp as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the insert is made of high speed 18% tungsten steel (TI).

Is

4. A stamp as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the insert comprises a tapered body with a tapered point at its other end.

5. A stamp as claimed in claim 4 wherein the head has a tapered recess formed therein to receive the tapered body of the insert.

6. A stamp as claimed in claim 5 wherein an ejector hole is formed in the head which communicates with the bottom of the tapered recess in the head.

25

7. A stamp as claimed in claim 6 wherein the ejector hole is positioned on the head so that only a part of the end of the tapered body of the insert is visible through the ejector hole when the insert is in

- 7 position in the recess in the head, there being a space visible through the hole beyond the end of the insert to receive an ejector tool.

8. A stamp as claimed in any of claims 5-7 wherein the tapered body of the insert and the tapered recess in the head are formed as a Morse taper.