Hot feet

[Sam Thompson]

My 25 year old boots can't be re-soled and will have to be replaced. I don't like the smell of burning rubber and I'm thinking of getting a pair of clogs. Does anyone have any experience of them?

[Bentiron1946]

I hate to show my ignorance but what is a "clog" besides a dance? :blink:

[Sam Thompson]

Wooden-soled shoes, usually shod with iron-work.

http://www.clogs.co.uk/index.html

[cavala]

When I lived in Denmark all the guys in the shop wore em. They're comfy and you can get steel toed ones which aren't as clunky as boots. I personally prefer taller boots for hot scale falling on my feet and the occasional pant leg catching on fire.

[tzonoqua]

You've had a pair of boots for 25 years??? :)

[beth]

i swear by clogs but not in the workshop - very good for your back etc if you get good wooden soled pair. only downer i can think of is theyre a bit noisey but that hardly matters in a forge does it:) actually i have seen some wooden soled boot clogs.... that would solve the burning legs thing....

[thecelticforge]

Wooden clogs for a forge sounds stranger than 25 year old boots and that is powerful odd. If you want comfort and burn protection, get a pair of mocs.

[Jymm Hoffman]

I can't find the posts I have previously made about me wearing wooden shoes in my shop. I have for years and highly recommend them. Last spring I was told about welder's spats, they look and work better than old boot tops. I have been wearing wooden shoes in my shop since the early 1980's. They have built in arch support and are comfortable enough for me that when I know I will be standing all day, I want to be in my wooden shoes instead of my expensive work shoes or work boot. I find them warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

[Glenn Gilmore]

In 1985 I was in Aachen Germany at the International Center for Metal Design studying under Manfred Bredohl. I went to Liege Belgium a number of times to the museums. One was on firearms and had an excellent display on the making of Damascus Gun Barrels. The last production shop forge welding Damascus barrels was in 1925. I have photos of the smiths at a coal forge with bellows and their leather shoes are set aside and they are working in wooden clogs.

[monstermetal]

Boy I have a hard time believing they are comfy. I buy a $100 pair of leather shoes every 6 months to keep my feet in good shape... over 25 years that would be $5000.. If they would last 25 years I could spend $1000 on a pair of shoes and be saving me $4000!

[welder19]

The only thing your gonna get out of a pair of 25 year old boots is feet, leg, knee and back trouble.

When I was younger one of my friends was so cheap that he would wear his shoes and boots till literally the duct tape would no longer hold them together, and we all used to tell him that was only gonna come back to haunt him later in life and sure enough by the time he was 25-26 or so he started having major back and feet trouble, his spine was crooked and bent in places it shouldn't be.
Those few $$'s he saved on boots he spent 1000 times over in Dr. and Chiropractor bills, he's better now then what he was but he'll never be 100% right.
Ask any Chiropractor, foot Dr. therapist, etc. and they will tell you that the shoes you wear every day should be replaced every six months, and that's if thier good quality shoes, cheap ones need replaced even sooner.

Jeff

[Dave Budd]

I can't find it now, but I did see a youtube film of a foundry back in the 30's (i think) and most of the workers there were wearing clogs. The caption said that they could stand to walk on any molten metal for longer than if they wore leather shoes as they walked around the foundry floor.

I've often thought about trying them, but not got around to it yet.

[Mainely,Bob]

Having spent some time in the Infantry I will tell you that anyone who tells you to replace your shoes every 6 months is out of touch with reality.
The key to footwear is to buy quality boots that are rebuildable(Redwing,Chippewa,Matterhorn,Bailey`s,etc).You then line the boots with quality insoles and replace THOSE periodically.
Most people I have seen who have foot trouble got it from cheap(or fashionable) shoes.

If anyone has trouble making boots last I have a few tricks I can share.Let me know.

BTW-Wood soled shoes are the ticket as long as they are correctly made by knowledgeable people.Remember,the sole does NOT bend and they will take some getting used to as they involve an entirely different way of walking.A good pair will seem to propel you forward and your calves will feel it till you adjust.Nothing wrong with the shoes,it`s just your body settling in,stay with it and it`ll pass.

[Alec.S]

just a thought but would it be any use if one tried to make their own clogs??? if so what wood would work well???


just thoughts...

alec :)

[Jymm Hoffman]

Yes, you do have to walk differently in wooden shoes. I don't buy these for walking shoes, but work shoes, cause I stand in them all day. I can normally get 2 -3 years out of a pair, normally depends on doing something that breaks them. You will notice the iron on the bottoms from the previous post, absolutely necessary in my shop or the wear out in 8 months. I buy mine from Smoke & Fire: http://www.smoke-fire.com/shoes-boots-1.asp I also prefer to buy them at an event where I can try them on. I learned to buy them a little over size, so I try them on at the end of the day, after standing all day when my feet are at their largest. I do not pad them, got used to them, but do wear 1 pair of thin socks (normally cotton, sometimes merino wool,) and 1 pair of heavy rag wool socks, all year round. I don't want any other work shoe, even my Redwings with orthautic inserts, my back an legs are more tired at the end of the day than in my inexpensive wood clogs. All of the "real" shoe experts and orthautic people put some kind of hard insert into shoes for insteps, well made clogs already have them. It is a real bummer, they are up to $38.00, were $20.00 when I started buying them.

I have some Swedish made clogs for kitchen work at home, helps reduce the back pain from standing over the sink. I have not tried the Welsh clogs yet, they are around $150. http://www.clogs.co.uk/index.html

[Mainely,Bob]

Jymm said,
"You will notice the iron on the bottoms from the previous post, absolutely necessary in my shop or the wear out in 8 months. I buy mine from Smoke & Fire: http://www.smoke-fire.com/shoes-boots-1.asp I also prefer to buy them at an event where I can try them on. I learned to buy them a little over size, so I try them on at the end of the day, after standing all day when my feet are at their largest. I do not pad them, got used to them, but do wear 1 pair of thin socks (normally cotton, sometimes merino wool,) and 1 pair of heavy rag wool socks, all year round. I don't want any other work shoe, even my Redwings with orthautic inserts, my back an legs are more tired at the end of the day than in my inexpensive wood clogs. All of the "real" shoe experts and orthautic people put some kind of hard insert into shoes for insteps, well made clogs already have them. It is a real bummer, they are up to $38.00, were $20.00 when I started buying them."

One quick caution.If your work requires you to walk on metal plate at all then the iron reinforcement is going to be a slipping hazard for you.You will want to go to a reputable shoe repair shop and ask about other alternatives.
Jymm brings up another good point.Once your body adjusts to the wood shoes then it will not like you trying to go back to regular boots and will resist.Most folks I know who try these end up going to more than one pair and wear them for all but the most formal occasions.Yet another slippery slope,especially if your mate has the "Immelda Marcos" gene. :o

[ThomasPowers]

They are very much like getting used to hard inserts in regular shoes. Once your foot has adjusted they are an insert that doesn't wear out until you wear out the clog! My problem is getting clogs with high enough arches.

Traditionally they are made from alder or european popular---not tulip popular. Making them yourself would be a bit of a stretch unless you had a well made one to duplicate. OTOH you could then design your own orthotics into them.

[Sam Thompson]

The 25 yr old boots had been repaired and re-soled and heeled (with leather) so many times that there was nothing left to stitch to; in fact there may not have been much of the original boots left.
This is what I'm considering:

http://www.clogs.co.uk/cat_safety_clog.htm

[myloh67]

Sam, When I was studenting at Hereford I was in Ludlow one day and taking place in the castle grounds was a fair with people dressed up in medievil costume, blacksmith was there pole lathe you know and a guy making clogs, leather wooden soles. I was checking out a pair of green ones and he asked me to try them on. I asked the cost he said try them on, i did and them i asked again, he said do they fit, yes they do. I got them for 20 when they should have been 65, they were a commission and the customer didnt like shade of green. That was 11 yrs ago, i wore them 2 times and i would have needed blinkers if id have made it three. This post has inspired me to pick up the courage and try them out in the forge,,,,, ahh but they are currently in the mother in laws in denmark...as sure not to worry tsk..tsk..ahhemm! ;)

[beth]

myloh - TRY EM! theyre great they feel so good! much more practical than people think...

[firefarm39]

If I have the story right, during the industrial revolution French workers wore wooden shoes known as sabots (pronounced sa-bow). When they got ticked at management they took off their sabot and threw them into the machinery, ruining it. Which is where we got the word "sabotage"!! So there may be some historical precident for wearing wooden shoes in a shop setting. B)

[ironstein]

I couldn't agree more about wearing quality footwear to work in. I have worn red wings for fifteen years religiously, with custom insoles for my high arches. My back is really messed up from years of carrying rebar on my shoulder, but my boots with insoles help ALOT! I have a few pairs of redwings that have lasted two years, that is saying alot doing the kind of work i do. Walking on rebar all day really tears up boots. I see alot of guys who are too cheap to buy decent boots, and they pay the price.
I have always thought clogs looked comfy, but have never tried a pair. I bet they are great for working on cold concrete in the winter.

[Jymm Hoffman]

This is what I'm considering:

http://www.clogs.co.uk/cat_safety_clog.htm

[ThomasPowers]

Wow those sound great and at a very reasonable price too---for good workboots! Now if they just came in a 13....

[Sam Thompson]

I'll be investing in a pair in a couple of weeks and will report back.
Thomas, On another part of the site, they invite those with unusual feet to send in a template for custom made footwear. Walkley's are situated in Yorkshire where the people have a tradition of unstinting helpfulness and are known for their sunny dispositions and willingness to go the extra mile, particularly for those from the south, whom they pity. :P