redbate Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Hey guys this might be a weird question but I wanted to know if anyone has tried this. I work on concrete all day and today when I woke up I realised I could barely stand due to the heel of my foot being in extreme pain so I had to drag myself around and put ice on it. I heard this was a side effect of standing and walking on concrete for long time and since I used to work on dirt and gravel all the time I never had this happen before so got to wondering. Could I build like a small wooden box that I could stand in filled with gravel or sand just to be in front of the forge and the anvil so after a long hammering session this won't happen again? Someone please tell me this is a utterly crazy idea before I go head first into this soon as the pain goes away, or tell me it's good because I'm kind of warming up to the idea haha. Also on the other side of the garage there are some flammable I would not like any scales or sparks to reach, does anyone have any experience with say a moveable dividing wall for these situations? Thank you in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuEulear Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 The logic would seem to follow a few inches of sand should make a good cusion there are also anti fatigue rubber mats availible but hot metal means burning rubber. In my old shop i made a curtian out of a high tempature welding blanket to keep forge welding sparks from flying accross the shop into the ajacent wood shop . Cheaper than a live wall system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Are you crazy? Well, you are here, so welcome to the metal madness. If you were building a new personal forging/hot work shop, using wooden blocks on end, or a packed dirt/sand/crushed limestone/fine gravel floor for the anvil area would be preferable. But you said garage, so I will assume a residential area where you don't want to destroy the resale value. I suppose that you could bolt down a wooden frame and fill one area with a few inches of fill. Laying down thin plywood over a foam base would protect your floor and your feet at the same time. Horse stall mat will hold up longer than the normal interlocking work mats. Lots of folks have a 'dirty' area and a 'clean' area in their shops. Welding curtains or commercial strip curtains will work for barriers. They can both be hung from the rafters, or put on a portable frame. Or if you are really cheap like me frugal and inventive, recycling old pallets and chipboard into several small panels might be an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbate Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 18 minutes ago, John McPherson said: Lots of folks have a 'dirty' area and a 'clean' area in their shops. Welding curtains or commercial strip curtains will work for barriers. They can both be hung from the rafters, or put on a portable frame. Or if you are really cheap like me frugal and inventive, recycling old pallets and chipboard into several small panels might be an option. I already have a grinding room (read: my wood shed that has my grinder and few other things that generate lots of dust in it) just want to protect some stuff tucked away in the corner. I guess I will make a welding curtain holder of a sorts then, how tall do you recon it should be? I already use horse stall matting (weight mat? I think it's the same thing, it's the mat they drop weights onto). I guess I will buy a few more to put under my feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
careful_eugene Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 On 1/12/2018 at 3:15 AM, redbate said: Hey guys this might be a weird question but I wanted to know if anyone has tried this. I work on concrete all day and today when I woke up I realized I could barely stand due to the heel of my foot being in extreme pain Could this be a posture issue? I've heard of similar problems being solved by using support insoles. It might be worth investigating before buying and laying down sand or gravel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daninghram Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Almost sounds like plantar fasciitis , you may want to google it. I tended to ware the same shoes everyday for a really long time, when I notice foot, hip or back pain I need to get new shoes. good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammerMonkey Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 x2 on the foot issue possibility. I have had the plantar faci-whatever, and I have pretty severe gout. Both contributed to very similar symptoms I was having. I had surgery for the gout (+ take medication & watch what I eat), and now wear orthopedic inserts (for the gout and P/F symptoms). The inserts work very well to keep me pain free. (My shop has a concrete floor too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genesaika Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 I have worked on hard surfaces, cement and steel barges, for countless hours. These surfaces are not good on your body, they are very rough and will fatigue you more than a softer material like dirt. These issues can usually be fixed with posture, inserts, ankle support, and frequent breaks. A good boot with an orthopedic insert, not a generic cheap one, and proper posture will help. Keep in mind though that you will still be fatigued and feel pain after so long. The simple fact is we are not designed to function on those hard surfaces for such extended periods of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 You may want to buy or make a metal cabinet for the flamables if possible. At least you want to isolate them away from any possible spark. I've heard of some people keeping flamables like gas or diesel in an outside shed. It's all in what you can do. I have the larger thick rubber mats from TS. One in front of my grinder/ wire wheel and one on top of a sheet of plywood at the forge and anvil. Sure it stinks to drop hot metal but it seems better on my feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 ++ plantar fasciitis. Mine was cured by getting very firm arch supports, (They are hard plastic; I've thought of duplicating them in wood!) My wife buys new shoes with good support built in after I nag her about it when she starts grumbling about foot pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 The Plantar Fascia is a ligament running under the arch of your foot. Itis simply refers to swelling. It’s not uncommon for folks to strain it when they spend a lot of time on hard serfaces with out proper support of their arches. Heal pain is a bit difrent as is pain in the ball of your feet. Wherein riding heals I suffer pain there. A good work shoe or boot will help a lot, as will a good insole (ex-infantry/wildland fire fighter) their is a reason why combat boots have heals, because we naturally rest most of our weight on the balls of our feet when we go bare footed (or wear moccasins and bag shoes). Best working boots I have are a set of white’s packers ( retired my smoke jumpers years ago) they have a solid leather arch and shank that molds to your sweaty feet. The arch is so high they feel like you have a roll of pennies in your boot for a bout a week till it molds down. They acualy recommend wearing then 4 hours a day for two weeks to break them in, me 16 hours shoeing first day, lol. moral of the story, a good boot and insole will help, as will the thick stall mats, but it’s worth seeing a podiatrist especially if it’s unilateral (one heal) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbate Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 On 1/12/2018 at 10:30 AM, Daswulf said: You may want to buy or make a metal cabinet for the flamables if possible. At least you want to isolate them away from any possible spark. I've heard of some people keeping flamables like gas or diesel in an outside shed. It's all in what you can do. Only gas bottle I have is propane and argon but flammables I do have are books and fabric. Guess it would be nice to keep them cozy in a metal cabinet... Also thanks for all the inputs every one I will head off to buy a nice shoe when payday comes! On 1/12/2018 at 1:02 PM, Charles R. Stevens said: The Plantar Fascia is a ligament running under the arch of your foot. Itis simply refers to swelling. It’s not uncommon for folks to strain it when they spend a lot of time on hard surfaces with out proper support of their arches. Heal pain is a bit different as is pain in the ball of your feet. Wherein riding heals I suffer pain there. Yeah it's unilateral I think I unconsciously lean to one side when standing still because I had some surgery done in the other leg before. I will seek some professional help thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 I have concrete a floor with rubber convener belts from rock crusher's all around welding table & forge area they can take white hot metal drop on them real good just smoke a bit & is better than standing on the concrete that hot a horse mat will melt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 You must buy cheep stall mats, the ones I buy (now that my power plant coal conveyer supply has dried up) art heavy recycled tire/ belting. They do smoke a bit but that’s an advantage when trying to find that errant cut off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seldom (dick renker) Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 I used stall mats from TSC and hard insoles in my shoes. makes a world of difference. haven't had mat catchon fire yet but it does stink pretty good. helps to find that lost piece as Charles said. when I was teaching on a concrete floor with no matting I could hardly walk after 3 or 4 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Good boots! Charles said the magic word. "White's" are custom made to your feet, I have logger smoke jumpers though I haven't worn them in some time, I don't spend all day in the shop or working in the woods. The accident ended the woods or long hours in the shop. Anyway, they're like wearing high heals that fit with no movement without being more than snug. Once broken in White's fit like a loving hug. Forget all this gel or memory foam soft soles hype you aren't evolved to walk on moosh. It's like saddles my old hard as nails slick Tex Tanner would let me ride all day without rubbing sores on me. The then new padded saddles tended to stick to your pants so they slid on your hide instead of the saddle and rub you raw in no time. If there is ANY movement of your foot in your shoes / boots you want your socks to do the sliding not your foot. If your foot slides in your socks you get blisters or worse. I have lots of socks and only one pair of foot skin. White's also make you stand straight, 2" heals make you stand straight it's uncomfortable to slouch in White's. I about crippled myself by not following the instructions about breaking them in, they fit so comfortably the first time I tried them I just wore them to work. BAD idea, bad, Bad, B-A-D! I ended up with a ganglion cyst I needed to have removed. The very next time I wore them it was wet out, they got soaked and I wore them till they dried. It broke them to my foot marvelously though it turned my foot a malevolent yellow and it took serious washing and time to get them their natural halibut belly white again. I broke my second pair in by putting them in a bucket of warm water till they were floppy and wore them till they dried out. I'd wrapped my feet in Saran Wrap this time and they stayed the right color though my socks looked oak tanned. Good boots, good posture, proper tool heights, learn to address the equipment correctly. It all adds up. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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