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My old boss said to never use a rasp on a hot shoe, and after burning my thumb last week, I get it.
He insisted the heat ruins the file's teeth and makes the work sloppy. I ignored him for years until I tried it on a draft horse shoe and left a jagged edge that took twice as long to fix. Anyone have a better method for smoothing a hot shoe in a pinch?
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dylan6197mo ago
Ugh, that's a brutal lesson to learn the hard way. I keep a cheap, old bastard file dedicated just for hot touch-ups. Let it cool for a solid minute, then a couple quick strokes usually cleans it up without wrecking the file.
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noah_smith7mo ago
My old shop teacher would cringe, but your hot file trick actually works great.
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terrywilson7mo ago
Your boss was right about the heat ruining the file, but letting it cool for a full minute is still too hot. The steel stays workable for a long time. I wait until I can spit on it and the spit just sizzles, not boils off. That's the right temp for a clean file stroke. A dedicated old file is smart, but the timing is what really saves your tools.
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