The Tabs Are Coming Loose from the Base Plate – What Can I Do?

If the bond between the tab and the base plate comes loose, this is a clear sign of insufficient welding. The good news: with the right technique, suitable tools, and a bit of practice, this problem can usually be resolved well.

Why do the tabs come loose?

If tabs come loose, this is almost always because:

• too little heat was used,
• the base plate was not sufficiently preheated,
• welding was done too quickly or unevenly,
• the materials were not fully fused, but only "placed on."

In these cases, the bond initially appears to hold, but quickly comes loose again during use.

Practice makes perfect – use practice material

Welding itself is not particularly difficult, but does take some routine.

To practice without risk, the following options are available to you:

• We offer affordable practice material in our shop.
• First-time customers automatically receive practice material (a practice base plate and practice tab) free of charge when purchasing a glue-on horseshoe starter set, to practice the welding process before working on the hoof.

Use these practice parts to calmly test the temperature, distance, and movement of the hot air gun until you feel confident.

Check the right tool & temperature

A suitable hot air gun with sufficient power is crucial for reliable welding:

• Use a hot air gun with at least 600 °C heat.
  👉 Here's an example from our range.
  
  
• Use a 9 mm reducer nozzle to focus the hot air precisely on the weld area.

If there is not enough temperature, or if the airflow is too wide/uncontrolled, the material won't become plastic deeply enough and the tab can come loose again later.

Correct procedure for welding

You can find out how to correctly weld and reliably attach the tabs to the base plate in our help article "Correctly welding the tabs" including a video guide.

Helpful tool for safe working

For your first attempts (or if you're unsure), we recommend using our tab welding tool.

With it you can:

• position the tabs precisely,
• press them on evenly,
• focus better on heat and weld technique.

Conclusion: If tabs come loose – here's what to do

If your tabs come loose from the base plate:

1. Check the cause: Usually too little heat or too short/uneven welding.
2. Check the tool: Use a hot air gun with at least 600 °C and a 9 mm reducer nozzle.
3. Improve the technique: Preheat the base plate, heat the material until it shines, move slowly, press on firmly, watch for a weld bead.
4. Practice with practice material: Do several rounds with practice parts before working on the hoof.

This minimizes the risk of tabs coming loose during use and gives you a permanently stable bond.