Life phases

[kandrathe]

Today was pretty frustrating. The long story short is that all the great stores I went to today that had the things I needed are not there anymore. I'm not sure if it was the "urban renewal" in that area that drove the rent up and the stores out, or if it is the pressure from internet sales that make store fronts obsolete for some types of products. Anyway, I was looking for a good art supply store, leather boots good enough for welding and casting metal, and any type of venue where the type of thing I will be making might be sold. I struck out on everything. That last one is a good news and bad news result at least. There is no good venue, but also there is no competition.

The biggest disappointment was the missing leather shoe store. It will be hard to find good work boots without a rubber/plastic sole, and no laces. From what I've read, in the presence of molten metal which may be up to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit (1650 C), many materials will spontaneously combust due to the intense radiant heat. Or, an accidental spill of hot metal on cloth or plastic laces would result in a pretty bad accident.

P.S. I found some. Definitely not a fashion statement.
Herman Survivors - Men's Workhorse Steel-Toe Work Boot
Tatra Safety Boots & Shoes, Inc. Yup, the Canadians still work hard...
Forge Shield Boots: Met Guard Steel Toe Made In USA Boots 26866 -- I believe these also have a +3 to saving throws against magic spells.

P.S.S. It's extremely funny to me that most of my searches (e.g. "Forge leggings" ) result in FRPG results (such as "Forge-crafted Elven Leggings"). However, "Foundry Spats" gets closer to what I need.