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Old timer told me my nails were set too deep. Changed my whole approach.
Had a guy with 30 years in the biz watch me nail a shoe last spring. He said I was driving the nail too far into the hoof, making it a stress point. I was taught to bury the head flush, but he showed me to leave it just a hair proud. After a few months doing it his way, I've had way less callbacks for loose shoes. Anyone else get feedback that made you re-think a basic move you thought was solid?
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blair_chen812mo ago
The proud nail trick was a game changer for me too. I'd add, back your clinch up just a hair from where youre used to - it gives you that extra little wedge to lock in without crushing the hoof wall. Been way less chance of quarter cracks since I started doing it that way.
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the_holly2mo ago
Hang on - you were driving the nail flush this whole time? That's wild to me. I was taught to leave it just a tad proud from day one, maybe a millimeter or so. Always thought the point was to let the clinch take the stress, not the nail head. It's like a lightbulb moment though, having someone call out something that basic and realizing you'd been doing it wrong for years without knowing.
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paige_robinson242mo ago
Man, I had that same sinking feeling when I first heard about leaving the nail proud. I'd been hammering them flush for about three years before a old timer at the shop pointed out I was basically crushing the hoof wall every time. He showed me how the clinch should sit like a tiny bridge, not a clamp, and I felt like an idiot for missing something so simple. Have you noticed a difference in how long the shoes hold since you switched?
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jessica92112d ago
the_holly mentioned that lightbulb moment feeling, and that's exactly what I got from reading this. I'm curious about something though - when you backed off on the nail depth, did you have to change how you set your clinch tool pressure at all? Cause I found myself having to adjust my whole rhythm, not just where I left the nail head. It threw off my timing for a couple weeks before it felt natural again.
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