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Calgary Mail-In Forging Exercise
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This year’s Calgary Mail-In Forging Exercise winner is no stranger to this valuable stay-at-home educational opportunity. In fact, Mark Lieser has taken several top placings in this event over the past 7 years.
The Weslaco, Texas, farrier forged two complete pairs of tongs and three partial pairs before being satisfied with a pair of tongs to mail to Calgary for evaluation. “The only problem I encountered was leaving enough material in the boss jaw area,” he says.
Lieser has been shoeing for 9 years and works mainly with backyard horses along with some roping, barrel, dressage and hunters.
There were a dozen entries in this year’s Mail-In Forging Exercise from nine states, Ontario and Brazil.
“The Calgary Mail-In Forging Exercise is always a good forging exercise,” says Lieser. “Being able to see where you with others around the world is why I like to do the Calgary Mail-In Forging Exercise. It has really helped me develop my forging skills.
After 10 years of forging various types of shoes ranging from the simple to the complicated, the Calgary Mail-In Forging Exercise shifted gears this year. This year’s exercise encouraged American Farriers Journal readers to sharpen their forging skills by producing a pair of bolt tongs from ¾-inch bar stock.
Co-sponsored by Calgary’s World Championship Blacksmith Competition and American Farriers Journal, this educational event is a valuable way to gain additional forging experience. Most importantly, the forging work can be done in your own shop before having your mail-in efforts critiqued by the judges during the mid-summer Calgary Stampede competition.
Taking second place honors this year was Glenn Reese of Springville, Ala. Third place honors went to Bryce Kawasaki of Gallatin Gate, Mont. The other participants included Barry Capps, Roger Freeborn, Timothey Dodd, Josh Stanley, Mike Smith, David Schaefer, Mike Van Blargan, Fabio Furquim Corres and Justin Haas
Forging Awards
Along with perfecting their tool making skills, each participant received $347.85 of products while another $9,049.48 in prizes were split between the participants.
These $13,223.68 of valuable products were donated by Castle Plastics, Cooper Tools/Diamond, Delta Mustad Hoofcare Center, Empire Farrier Supply, Equilox Int’l., Equine Innovations, G.E. Forge & Tool, Gray Mapston Horseshoeing Hammers, Hawthorne Products, Hoof Wraps, Horse Science, Life Data Labs, Meader Supply, Nature Farms, NC Tool, Plum Shade Farm, Rusty Brown Enterprises, Save Edge, SBS Equine Products, Stone Well Bodies & Equipment, Thoro'Bred Inc., Vettec, Vibram Hoof Pads, W.F. Young and American Farriers Journal.
