It all started with tendonitis. The back-breaking work of a farrier was beginning to claim its toll.
On top of that, the drought of the recent years hardened the hooves and made our job yet more difficult. And so the doctors gave me an ultimatum: find a different job or find a different approach to your current one.
And so I spent a year trying to find the right tools that could replace the traditional ones. There were dead-ends, many types of grinders were bought, some of which were and some of which were not intended to be used on hooves, but ultimately, after much expense, there was no result.
But where is a will, there is a way. Through trials and tribulations, I found Milwaukee, the only company producing a suitable rectangular grinder strong enough for farriery that is also cordless! I managed to get the company board excited, despite our trade being a bit different to what they usually focus on. As a show of support for our trade, I was given the opportunity become an agent for the company, regardless of my requirements falling well outside of what Milwaukee is used to.
Before all this happened, I spent many months putting the grinder and grinding materials through the test. From classic fibre and zircon grain discs to various modifications and levels of abrasiveness. It began to look as though there was not a material on the market that would suit farriery in terms of quality and structure. Using the grinder with these materials could not replace the traditional tools. Partly due to luck and partly due to being unable to deal with failure, I met a kindered spirit and expert in the trade. He was willing to travel and help me find solutions right on the job.
And that is how the special line of grinding wheels named HD 24 ORIG came to be. This material is intended for horn, but can just as easily grind metal to make the work as effective as possible. The unique qualities of the base cloth and the pyramid-shaped grain allow us to grind and shape both the hooves and horseshoes, while lasting significantly longer than usual grinding wheels. The slightly higher price of the grinding wheels is negligible in the light of all their advantages.
I would like to emphasize that the primary goal of this project is not the generation of profit (although it could not be done without it), but the sharing of two-year effort of a group of excited people. Given that all tradespeople take advantage of technological advances, why should farriers be any different?
I hope that the Milwaukee grinder and the HD 24 ORIG grinding wheels will easen your daily toll as much as they did mine.
On behalf of everyone behind NAKOPYTA.CZ, I wish you all the best in farriery.
Jan Štembera