Horseshoe Bull Rider
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This summer I made a bull rider welded out of horseshoes and tools for a 4-H project.
Supplies
To make this I used 5 and a half horseshoes, a vice grip, wrench, spade drill bit, washer, mig wire, and a cut up handkerchief.
And I used a MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welder, oxy-acetylene torch, metal bandsaw, bench grinder, vice, and vice grips to make the project.
Front Legs
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I cut off two ends of a horseshoe with the metal bandsaw, ground them to fit well against the vice grip, and welded them to the base as feet and to the vice grip for the body.
Back Legs and Tail
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I then cut a horseshoe in half, taking out part of it in the middle and then welding it back together to make it smaller. I attached the legs at an angle at the back of the bull. For the tail I ground down the end of a spade drill bit and slid it in the hole at the end of the vise grip.
The Horns
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For the horns I took a wrench and cut off the end. I bent a hump in it with the oxy-acetylene torch and welded it on the head
Making and Mounting the Rider
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For the rider I cut the torso and arms and bent those and the legs with the oxy-acetylene torch. I twisted MIG welding wire with a drill for the rope around the bull. I then welded that all together onto the bull. I finished it off with welding on a washer I bent for the hat. I completed the project with a piece of handkerchief for the cowboy’s scarf.
Blackening the Project
The entire project was heated with the oxy-acetylene torch and submerged in a bucket of oil to blacken it. for this step I took off the scarf.