heel construction:covered wood VS full leather

[dibenetto]

many shoe experts on this forum,here a quick question:

the debate between blake and goodyear construction have been debated for a while, but another story my shoemaker gives me:

his shoes to be lighter are made with a covered heel. the heel is a piece of wood covered with pieces of leather (glued).
he tells me a full leather heel will add a full pound per shoe (or is it per pair?im not sure)
the shoes i wear are definitely light, much lighter than other shoes i've used in the past. on the other hand he doesnt mind making it full leather its the same price.....

for my part the blake construction is fine with me and cost the same as the goodyear,its just that goodyear is too chunky after you put the protective rubber.

i dunno the glueing scares me a little for MTM shoes....

 

[Tarmac]

never heard of a wooden heel for mens shoes. is that true?

 

[Teacher]

I can't see that at all. Go find something small and made of leather, something that equals about a quarter-cup of volume (sorry, don't know metric too well). It would be waay under a half-pound, meaning that even if the wood had no weight at all, this is just not true. Aside from this, I too have not heard of this. And who has legs so weak they can't lift up a touch extra weight anyway?

 

[dibenetto]

for the weight it depends. answer this simple question: is the upper or the sole heavier? obviously the sole.
now take a flat leather sole cut it in 3,and pile them up. you get a leather heel more or less. how much do you think a leather sole weigh? the thickness of a wallet is not comparable with a leather sole,the leather used for the later is more dense.......and 225Grams is not that much after all.....

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by dibenetto

..,its just that goodyear is too chunky after you put the protective rubber.

Why do you put it on then?

 

[dibenetto]

well i simply opted for blake construction with an extra rubber sole; much lighter, thinner looking, sharper ......and i dont plan on keeping shoes 10 years like so many like to say about their goodyear........2~5 years and i move on.....

 

[MarcellHUN]

I am a shoemaker, so I guess I count to be an expert. I would never make a heel from wood. It is a cheap solution, instead of expensive leather (at least thatswhy it has been developed). Not just because it is not so durable (one wrong step, and you have to bring back the shoe to repair, because the leather strip will separate), but doesn't give the same feeling. You will realise it at the first step - the leather heel gives some "suspension", the wood doesn't give any. Here you can see, how the leather heel is made: I am afraid I will never show the wood version..

Anyway the leg is the strongest limb - a few more load doesn't matter, believe me.

 

[Tarmac]

OMG these videos are stunning. I'm saying this after watching 30 seconds of it

 

[MarcellHUN]

Thank you! I hope you will enjoy the rest of it also

 

[16520Man]

MarcellHUN, thank you. YouTube most of the time wastes my time. Those videos, however, are an education!

 

[a-rock]

that video is fascinating and awesome. has this been posted elsewhere before? if not, someone definitely needs to start a thread of just these videos because most people will probably miss it here.

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by a-rock

that video is fascinating and awesome. has this been posted elsewhere before? if not, someone definitely needs to start a thread of just these videos because most people will probably miss it here.

There's a whole thread of them, with the subject line "Hungarian shoemaker" I believe.

 

[a-rock]

Originally Posted by grimslade

There's a whole thread of them, with the subject line "Hungarian shoemaker" I believe.

i'm a stupidhead. thanks

 

[paper clip]

Originally Posted by MarcellHUN

I am a shoemaker, so I guess I count to be an expert.

Here you can see, how the leather heel is made:



Awesome videos. I just watched 'em all. NOW I fully understand the goodyear process. Amazing! Thanks for sharing your gift.

 

[Teacher]

I'll agree with the others...outstanding clips! Thank you very, very much!