"Sweet Iron" mouthpieces

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Ray O rno2m@virginia.edu
  The line between iron and steel is a wavy one;don't worry about it.I've been fooling with the stuff since I was a kid,and I still can't keep it straight.I believe most iron/steel/sweet iron/etc  bits are simply mild steel of the ordinary kind,with any variations within this group being of no significance to you or the horse.I think it is the best choice of material,unless you want an extreme amount of slobber,as I think maybe some dressage folks do(?).A further advantage to mild steel is that you can fool around with it without harming it.Heat it,weld it,bend it,with no problems.I opened the tongue relief 1/4" on my Reinsman brand gag without bothering to heat it, by smacking it with a hammer,just the other day.I think the Reinsman company bits are beautifully welded/made.Also dirt cheap!If you leave it laying around,it will of course rust,which you scrub off with a wire brush.That's the only advantage to stainless.I think also that the horse would prefer the non-stainless,but I'm not 100% sure.