Quote:
Originally Posted by
Orgetorix 
My last post was tongue-in-cheek, obviously. But it's interesting--this is the second instance I've seen of an interesting phenomenon. That is, an expert like yourself comes on the forum and posts interesting information that seems reasonable but has never been brought up by any of the other very knowledgeable people who post here. Previously it was jefferyd's warnings about using steam on suits, lest the seams lose their shaping. Now it's the danger of gemmed construction falling apart on even the most expensive RTW footwear. In both cases, it's really hard to discount the experience and expertise of you and jefferyd--you've both been experts in your respective trades for decades, and presumably you know what you're talking about. But on the other hand, both of these issues are things that seem like they ought to have been brought up before either of you started posting. There are other tailors who post here and at AAAC, yet I don't remember them ever warning against the use of steam so stridently. Likewise, there's at least one other cobbler and many other very knowledgeable shoe folks who post here, and I've never heard any of them decry gemmed construction as stridently as you do. I just don't know what--or whom--to believe: the expert opinion of one or the less-expert-but-knowledgeable silence of a lot more people?
There's another interesting phenomenon going on here. I don't blatantly push my business. I offer most of what I post in the same manner and for the same reasons that I administer a forum for bespoke shoe and bootmakers. There, I post detailed explanations of techniques, and essays that explore aesthetic considerations, philosophies, motivations, etc.. Parenthetically, I teach bootmaking and have several books that I have written that do the same. I sell them. I derive a significant portion of my income from them. Sometimes I post excerpts...and not just teasers..wholesale from the books. No charge. I post these kinds of things because I am dedicated, and have been for several decades, to the preservation of the Shoemaking Trade. And yes, understand that if bespoke making is better understood and respected, I will benefit even if only by some trickle-down effect. But the main goal is to "
preserve and protect" (the motto of my Guild) and to see to it that the knowledge is passed onto another generation without too much being lost on my/our watch. I don't want to be seen as an "expert." I don't think of myself that way. But that said, and although it still smacks of self promotion to too great a degree for my complete comfort, I do think of myself as an educator. And as someone who feels like he is doing more than just using oxygen. In the end you can take the information I have provided and do what you want with it. It's free...no advertisements. Take it for what it is worth. As for no one else decrying gemming as stridently as I have...well there are two aspects of that, as I see it.... First, most people don't even know what gemming is, or how it affects the integrity of the shoe and how or when to attribute a shoe problem to gemming. How would they even begin to assess the reasons why a shoe that has just been resoled is too tight? And the other aspect is that, as a long time cordwainer I could tell you that I have never had a misfit. Many, many (maybe most) of my colleagues and contemporaries make exactly that claim. Do you believe them? I cannot dispute their claims...nor do I really have any interest in doing so. But I have always said that any shoemaker who claims to never to have had a misfit is either lying or needs to revise his standards of fit. Think about that...it's appropriate.
