Motorsport Fabrication Fundamentals: Boots
Boots
02.03
00:00 | - It's no surprise that motorsport fabrication involves handling heavy items and tools and when it comes to safety boots, we need to protect our feet from the chance of damage caused by dropping these heavy items. |
00:11 | The most common form of foot protection is the steel cap boot and as its name suggests, these have a steel cap covering the toes and are developed to withstand a 20 kg weight dropped from a height of 1 metre. |
00:23 | But steel isn't the only form of toe protection available these days. |
00:27 | Advancements in alloys and composites have allowed the traditional steel cap boots to be made lighter and stronger. |
00:34 | We not only need to protect our feet from falling objects but we also need to protect them from molten metal and the most effective form of protection here is an enclosed leather upper. |
00:43 | This protection can also be achieved by a metatarsal guard attached to your lace up steel toe boots. |
00:49 | The reason this is so important is that welding often results in molten balls of weld spatter being ejected from the weld area. |
00:57 | While you might think that the chances that that hot ball of metal finding the tiny gap between your ankle and the inside of your work boot are low, you'd be wrong. |
01:05 | Somehow these tiny balls of pure pain have an incredibly frustrating ability to seek out the tiniest gap, dropping down into your boot and sizzling away. |
01:15 | Another important protection built into a good pair of work boots is the sole of the boot. |
01:21 | These are designed to be heat resistant at temperatures nearing 300°C. |
01:25 | They should also include a puncture resistant steel mid sole, capable of withstanding 1100 newtons of force, and to top it off they're generally also completely waterproof, anti static and offer insulating properties capable of withstanding upwards of 18,000 volts. |
01:41 | All in all, a quality pair of safety boots provides a wide range of protection from a variety of the usual dangers we'll come across during our day to day fabrication tasks. |
01:52 | We're going to be spending a lot of time in these boots so it's worth spending the time and money to ensure you find a pair that are comfortable for you. |