Thread: How to stop metal cuttings going down your boots

Check out welding snoods.

eg Weld Guard Proban Welder'S Snood Fire Retardant | eBay

Originally Posted by Master Splinter

Yup.

Pic related.

Attachment 303385

Frank Zappa did his own car repairs???? In the too-near-to-nude? With black socks in his jocks?

Originally Posted by BobL

Check out welding snoods.

eg Weld Guard Proban Welder'S Snood Fire Retardant | eBay

It would be just my luck that it would Rick O'Shea off my welding mask and roll into the snood, still burning me. Just making it hurt more!!!!!!
I could have used one today like that, for repairing Neil's trailer.
Kryn

My first reaction was don't wear boots.

We run a farm and my Father always wears those sock protectors. I can't stand them. I feel like my feet are gonna fall off, much like a bull calf with a ring on his testicles!! I would rather wear a cheap pair of jeans than sock protectors. My wife came home with a few $4.00 pairs of jeans for me. Any thinner and you could see through them. Any cheaper and you wouldn't bother washing them! The advantage of being thin is they are pretty cool. They still offer enough protection for welding and machining. Otherwise outside I just pick the prickles out me socks!

I tried one of those fly nets once. I think it's probably still behind the ute seat still, with that posties hat my mother bought me. The nets felt to hot and restrictive. I just use the Aussie salute for flies!!

I feel for you on the neck burn. To often when machining with carbide tips there is that burning smell, oh no, it smells like burning hair! Always just when you need to turn the power feed off! I still have a couple chest scars from when I worked in the Toolroom.

I often seem to burn the piece of my arm between the top of my welding glove and end of my short sleeve shirt when using the Mig or Tig.

Originally Posted by BigStick

My first reaction was don't wear boots.

I've heard of a guy who works barefoot, calls himself "Barefoot Engineering" or something similar... I was told about him by a guy I've been working with recently, he is a part time opal miner up at Lightning Ridge..

He has feet like leather boots apparently... Welding splatter must be painful... not to mention swarf... outch,

Ray

Snood? Sounds like some sort of bad STD.....

Putee's? I have never heard them called that. I have always known them as sock savers. Its the chips like Bryan got hit by that worry me-i had one drop down the back of my shirt and stick to my skin whilst on the lathe a few weeks back. Not much you can do until the cut is finished...

As for eyes i gave up on glasses and uses a full face shield. It stops the chips hitting the face (on the lips is the worst!) and i find it fogs up less than glasses.

Ew

Saw this the other day...Then I saw this thread! lol

I haven’t encountered any hot slag in my workshop (perhaps because I wasn’t wearing a thong) but grinding sparks and weld spatter were constantly burning through work clothes. I ended up buying a split-leg leather apron Tillman 5300A 24" X 54" Split LEG Leather Apron | eBay

It’s been one of the best PPE items I’ve bought. In hot weather I can still wear shorts and as the apron legs are long enough to cover my boots, I no longer do the welding dance with hot slag. One useful hint I garnered from other forums re leather aprons was to ensure they had shoulder straps, not neck straps. Check out some of the PPE at Weldfabulous: Weldfabulous items - Get great deals on items on eBay Stores!

They seem to have useful gear that we never see in Australia and even with the lower exchange rate & delivery charges, it’s generally cheaper than what we can buy locally (despite the fact that it’s all made in China anyway). Hope this helps. Peter

Or, if you are prepared to pay a bit more for a genuine Aussie made product, try these MAKA tool belts and leather accessoriesmaka tool belts, full grain leather and Australian made and owned

I have two of his aprons (one for WW and the other I mainly use for welding and forge work) and several of his tool tools and there is no doubt that they are quality products.

His standard apron models do have a neck strap but also have another strap that links the neck strap to the waist belt which takes pressure off the back of the neck.

Maka will custom make anything you want for minimal cost so he will make shoulder straps, legs slits, extra pockets etc

The first apron I bought was for WW and as I have a long torso I found the waist strap was a bit too high up.
When I ordered the second apron I asked him to make it a bit longer, and to lower the position of the waist straps and lengthen the neck to waist strap, which he did at no extra charge.

[QUOTE=oohsam;1745667]Saw this the other day...Then I saw this thread! lol

Have to admit it - those are my legs

I started the thread, and then put up the video when I found that most people outside of Oz have never seen this type of sock protector.

Hard to believe, but true, that yanks are still looking for something to stop lawn cuttings going in their boots.

Funny old world.

Rob

Originally Posted by Ueee

Snood? Sounds like some sort of bad STD.....

Putee's? I have never heard them called that. I have always known them as sock savers. Its the chips like Bryan got hit by that worry me-i had one drop down the back of my shirt and stick to my skin whilst on the lathe a few weeks back. Not much you can do until the cut is finished...

As for eyes i gave up on glasses and uses a full face shield. It stops the chips hitting the face (on the lips is the worst!) and i find it fogs up less than glasses.

Ew

Puttees I think is how it is spelt. It is an old British Army thing. Think the Indian Regiments, etc.

The curious thing about them is that they seem to be an Aussie invention (in this form).

When you Google on gaiter, sock protectors, puttees you never see any one in the USA or UK selling this type of thing.

You see heavier hiking gaiters but nothing in slip ons.

I guess they are a thing of the past.

Otherwise outside I just pick the prickles out me socks!

Depends. When the grass here has dried off in early summer there is a period when walking in the paddocks means throwing away a pair of socks. Just not possible to pick all the tiny seeds of one particular plant out. They are small enough to be invisible in explorer socks and resist removing enough to break up when pulled the wrong way. I still find them months later when wearing a pair of socks and have often tried 3 or 4 times to find the little sucker scratching my foot. We do use sock protectors at times. We were given a heap when buying dog food some time ago, but they were way too short to be any good. They were also nylon. The good ones have elastic that goes under the instep of your boots.

I wear lace up, zipped boots supplied by work. They are high enough to easily fit inside your pants. I do not wear shorts. I left school a long time ago. I do not believe they make you any cooler. Shaded legs are cooler than unshaded. Then, there is the aesthetic consideration. I also do not wear short sleeves. I stopped when I realised just how much the human race has destroyed the atmosphere and caused massive increases in UV light. Of course we are not really damaging the environment.

Dean

I've always called these sock protector things "Clydesdales".
I have two pair made by my MIL nearly thirty years ago from sleeves of King Gee overalls. The elastic has been replaced a couple of times, and are still going strong. Mainly used for whipper snippering and lawn mowing these days, but originally required on a building site to keep out sand and small rocks kicked up by earthmoving equipment.

(They are not much use when wearing thongs - the footwear type)

Alan...

Originally Posted by Ueee

As for eyes i gave up on glasses and uses a full face shield. It stops the chips hitting the face (on the lips is the worst!) and i find it fogs up less than glasses.

Ew

I decide I'm going to make that move the other day, after bouncing a number of hot blue spirals off my face at the lathe. Seared cheek and lip flesh isn't the nicest feeling. You also learn pretty early on to keep your mouth shut...