PURPOSE: To improve the resistance of a guide shoe to seizure and to improve the durability and productivity thereof by providing a recess of a specific depth on the guiding surface of the guide shoe and spraying thermally and depositing a ceramic sprayed layer having specific porosity to the recess.
CONSTITUTION: A recess 2 is undercut at 1W30mm depth on the guiding surface 1 including the contact region of a guide shoe which holds the outside circumference of a blank material for a steel pipe in contact therewith during forming of a seamless steel pipe. A ceramic sprayed layer 3 is thermally sprayed and deposited to the recess 2 to attain the thickness equiv. to the original surface level. The layer 3 is porous with 10W60% porosity. The resistance of the surface 1 of the guide shoe to wear and seizure is thus improved and the durability and productivity thereof are improved.
HIRAI MASAO