Found a trick to keep my rasps from clogging up so fast

I used to spend forever cleaning packed-in hoof material off my rasps mid-job, especially on wet hooves. Then an older farrier at a clinic in Oregon told me to spray them with a little WD-40 before starting. Tried it last week on a tough draft horse and my rasp stayed clear through all 4 feet. Has anyone else tried a lubricant like that or got another method that works?

3 comments

3 Comments

samjohnson22d ago

Fiona_young's got a point that you'd think it'd make things slippery but it actually works opposite to what you'd expect... the WD-40 doesn't really stay wet long enough to cause slipping. @fiona_young I've heard some guys use a bar of soap or candle wax too, just rubbing it on the rasp teeth before starting. That method works similar to the spray but it's messier in my experience. The lube just keeps the metal from grabbing the moisture as bad, so hoof material falls off instead of packing in.

fiona_young23d ago

You'd think lube would just make the rasp slip more and pack stuff in worse.

-1

elizabethhayes22d ago

Oh you aren't kidding, I had the exact same thought the first time I tried it. Grabbed some cooking spray once out of desperation and thought I'd made a big mess until I started actually using the rasp and it worked better than dry. Still not as good as the proper stuff but it didn't slip or slide around like I figured it would.