cold weather work boots???

[the_sandy_creek_forge]

Pretty much everything Jr. (irnsrgn) said except that I usually go with two pair of socks, a thinner cotton jersey type inside of a wool type. Just personal preference that the cotton jersey type feels better on my feet. I've always wanted to try a pair of those battery operated thermal socks.... but somehow I have a feeling I'd end up getting shocked.
-Aaron @ the SCF

[Paragon]

I was working cleaning out the garage at the old house and my hands were freezing with a single pair of brown jersey gloves. I put a pait of white cotton ones over them and the hands stayed warm!

I like the idea of the felt in inside the boot. Also read about standing on wood on another thread. Never throught of that. The winter boots I have are horrible for cold weather (got them for college so I was never outside that much)

The hand warmers.. picked up a pair at Home Depot yesterday to see how they are. Also picked up a pack of foot warmers. They are wider to fit the toe area of the boot better. Both at Home Depot in the seasonal section. Feet ones were around .90 and the hand ones were a tad over a buck I think.

One thing that might be good is I have seen at places 2'x2' sections of a ply/particle board with plastic bottom that holds the wood off the concrete. They are supposed to snap together. A tad pricey @ $6 or so for a section. Probably be better off getting a sheet of high density foam (the pink stuff for insulating the outside of basement walls) and laying a sheet of particle board over it

[fat pete]

Smart Wool are the best socks I have ever owned....they dont let your feet swet they keep em nice and cosy they dont ride down in your boots they stay up they are the ticket! best socks i have ever had....Smart Wool is the brand name...any other that looks like em are not as good ....my feet cause me alot of discomfort and I am really particular about footwear....

[agsolder]

SmartWool socks are worth every penny, no question.

[welder19]

Wolverine Durashocks, the only boot I buy, light weight, warm, comfortable and dry, feels more like wearing athletic shoes than work boots. They have ones with thicker thinsulate for colder weather. Wear one good pair of heavy socks and DO NOT wear boots that are too tight, if there is no air space then your feet WILL be cold.

welder19

[Dodge]

A trick I learned in Boy Scouts is to wear thin nylon socks inside thick cotton socks. The chief reason your feet get cold is sweat. The nylon sock don't absorb sweat like cotton will but if you just wear cotton socks there is no where for the sweat to go. The cotton over nylon wicks the moisture away from your feet. Doesn't seem like there's room inside your boots for all this physics to take place but that is why, as Jr said, you don't want boots that are too tight, which is another reason you feet get cold. No blood circulation = cold feet.

[Paragon]

One thing to check into would be cycling socks or similar. They are designed to breath and wick the moisture away while being comfortable. Some also have a little padding on the bottom. These are very nice for cycling. They can be pricey at around $10 a pair but should last a long time. For those of you doing forging every day (I wishi I was) it might get expensive just for some socks

[tbrforge]

Boots matter less to me than proper socks. I use hunting socks I buy from Cabella, that special wicking fabric. I always were military issue dessert boots. Although Georgia dosn't get too cold, I hale from Illinois and my feet still remember living there!

[cats pa]

I was going through Red Wings every year and a half working construction when they stopped making the kind I liked. I switched to Vibergs, a custom boot made in Victoria BC, that cost twice as much but fit, well, custom. That was in 1994, and I wore those boots today. In a couple years, I'll have to have them resoled.

Parker

[habu68]

I use a topical analgesic called Capzasin-HP the active ingredient is the acid that makes hot peppers hot. It increases blood flow and blocks muscle pain. A little on the hands and feet will keep them warm about 12hrs. I use it in construction, cross country skiing, and snow cave camping. I would warn that after you apply it be careful where you scratch. As Arlo Guthrie said in Alice's restaurant "and they was inspecting, injecting every single part of me, and they was leaving no part untouched."