Vent: I just read that a lot of old blacksmiths used to work barefoot

I was looking through a book on old metalworking methods at the library last week. It had a whole part about safety gear, or the lack of it. The writer said that up until the early 1900s, many smiths worked without shoes or just in thin leather ones. They did it to feel the ground better and avoid slipping on hot scale. I always thought heavy boots were a must, no question. But the book argued they felt the heat through the soles and could move faster. I wear my steel-toe Red Wings every single day and can't imagine it. It seems crazy dangerous to me, but maybe they had a point about grip. What do you all think, was this a smart old trick or just a good way to get burned?

3 comments

3 Comments

troythompson13d ago

Man, that's wild. Julia_patel's grandad was onto something with the moccasins, but I'd still take a hot piece of scale in the boot over a direct hit on my bare toes any day. Guess they just built up a crazy pain tolerance back then.

xena_brown506d agoMost Upvoted

Maybe @julia_patel's grandad had the right idea about feeling danger before it burns you.

julia_patel13d ago

Totally get it. My grandad was a welder and swore by thin leather moccasins in his shop. Said he could feel a hot chip through his boot fast enough to kick it away before it burned through. Modern safety guys would have a heart attack, but he never had a bad foot burn.