Restoring horse shoe

[KJ94]

I have my horses first pair of shoes I’m looking to try and clean up and hang on the wall, I’m not sure on the best way to clean them up/make shiny/what to put on them to stop rusting so I can hang them on the wall is

I’ve seen company’s that do it but is quite expensive so going to try myself.

They’re not in bad condition as fresh but do have a little rust and black bits on them.

Not sure if sanding is best or if there’s something I soak them in I have no idea has anyone successfully done this before?

 

[Meredith]

For my daughter’s wedding we used old horseshoes to fasten to balloons which were part of the table decoration.
We cleaned them carefully with a wire brush on an electric drill, washed them , then dried them in an oven.
Then we sprayed them straight away with silver car paint.
I have some upstairs and nearly 20 years later they haven’t rusted.
I can’t help if you want to show the original metal of the shoe though.

adding… Guests at the wedding who had horses themselves spent a lot of time deciding which shoes had been worn by which of my horses. Some of the shoes were from horses long gone.

 

[vhf]

Do you have access to a friendly farrier? I've seen a lot of rusty looking shoes (usually been retrieved from the mud) go into the furnace and come out looking much more presentable! Then the polish and preserve part would be far easier...?

 

[Mrs G]

Ive got my TB's last pair of front shoes (before he went barefoot - nothing sad!) outside on the brick wall either side of my front door. I wanted them to look used (as they had been!) but not rusty so cleaned the mud off, soaked them in white vinegar and gave them a scrub with wire wool. Then painted them with clear varnish, left them to dry and had them screwed to the wall. They haven't rusted yet (they've been out there about 5 years).

 

[Cowpony]

Give them to your farrier to burn anything off in the furnace, a quick go with a wire brush and then spray with Hammerite

 

[Traks]

My husband does it to ours all the time! He has an electric sander, he chops off the clips too so its flat against the wall. He also covers them in a layer of lacquer to stop the rust. They come out pretty well!!

 

[Bellaboo18]

My dad does this for me with a wire brush and clear vanish.
He'd be more than happy to help but I'm sure it's not worth the cost of sending them

 

[KJ94]

Thank you everyone I’ve got a drill and a variation of wire brush attachments from my dad… will see how I do if all fails the farrier will be here in a few weeks