Shoes Explained

[TorontoJK]

+1^n

 

[Cant kill da Rooster]

[ATTACHMENT=4125]Shoe Basics.doc (696k. doc file)[/ATTACHMENT]

If this works.

 

[Moody Allen]

Could somebody please explain what kind of construction is this? These shoes are made by a local Russian brand. Styling is tacky, but the leather is actually pretty good. What bothers me, is that I can't understand what kind of construction is that. It seems that this is not a Goodyear welting — because the stitching pattern on the welt and on the sole is different. I wonder, what is stitched and what is glued here.

 

[bengal-stripe]



.......not a Goodyear welting — because the stitching pattern on the welt and on the sole is different. I wonder, what is stitched and what is glued here

I would say, the shoe is blake-stitched with a bonwelt in place. Bonwelts are leather strips which have the look of conventional welts but in reality, they serve only a decorative and no practical purpose.

Scroll down to 'bonwelts' in the catalogue. They come in 'endless' length, (rolls of 50 metres or so). Several have already a row of stitching in place,

http://www.barbourcorp.com/pdf/welting_catalog.pdf

Last the boots over the insole, glue the bonwelt in place. Glue on the middle sole (which probably has the rubber outer sole already attached). Then you remove the last from the shoes and guide the shoe through the blake stitching machine. One row of stitching will go through insole, the teeth of the bonwelt, middle and outer sole.

 

[Moody Allen]

Thank you! So, being Blake-stitched, these shoe will actually have the stitching go through the sole into the chamber of the shoe, making them wet weather useless? Not a wise decision for a "hard-wearing" boot...

 

[dinowhite]

this shoe construction business is getting ever more varied. I guess this has been the case for some time, but the days where a list would always consists of the traditional, norvegese (and other triple stitches), gyear, blake-rapid, rapid , bologna , 'simply glue' are gone

tough luck for pic based internet examinations

 

[Moody Allen]

dinowhite, yes, you are right. But the brand doesn't answer, and buying and disassembling the shoe isn't that practical either, so I thought that someone experienced here would be able to tell.

By the way, my lady friend has this pair of shoes by Hudson, and the construction seems to be pretty similar, at least the bonwelt and blake stitching part.

 

[dinowhite]

dinowhite, yes, you are right. But the brand doesn't answer, and buying and disassembling the shoe isn't that practical either, so I thought that someone experienced here would be able to tell.

I understand that of course

but I do think that in many instances -especially if we are not talking about 'dress shoes', (but even then)- the actual 'construction' is not that important if the quality is right

 

[Moody Allen]

I understand that of course

but I do think that in many instances -especially if we are not talking about 'dress shoes', (but even then)- the actual 'construction' is not that important if the quality is right

Well, sure, when buying some cheap crap-kickers to get through the winter I generally could care less about their construction, but if the pair is Blake-stitched, like it looks to be the case with the pair above, it seems pretty ridiculous. Why don't they just glue them? Who knows what the collective mind of Russian designers and Chinese shoemakers thought of...

 

[glenjay]



Too bad... since I want to know the difference between all different shoe styles.

I have a blog that I started a couple of months ago that has a shoe style album of the different styles at (http://oldleathershoe.com/wordpress/?cat=11). The album is about half way down the Shoe Types and Styles post.

 

[geo88]

Darn, the pics from the first post aren't working anymore. Is there any alternative collection of such photos in one place in this forum? (No, Google isn't it).

 

[chogall]

check glenjay's very informative blog.

many of the best threads on this forum have picture missing from a great forum crash.

 

[prady]



Darn, the pics from the first post aren't working anymore. Is there any alternative collection of such photos in one place in this forum? (No, Google isn't it).

This!

 

[XFactor]

This article is meant as a quick reference to explain the design and construction of classic shoes and the terminology used to describe them. Pictures are crucial if you are to understand anything written below, so a link to a picture index is included at the end of the article.

Most classic shoe models can be traced back to bespoke shoemakers. Nearly all of them first appeared at least 75 years ago, and some have been around for more than one hundred years. They have evolved and have been refined, but most are still obviously connected to their original form. The driving force behind shoe design is really the silhouette of the clothes they are meant to be worn with – especially the trousers. Slim pants with a narrow (pegged) bottom require a slim fitting shoe unless you want your feet to appear larger than they actually are. Conversely, fuller-cut clothing requires heavier shoes. As a general rule, your trousers should cover the lacing of your shoes – approximately two thirds of the shoe’s length.

The most important factor to consider when choosing a shoe is the last. The last is the wooden form that the shoe is constructed around. It determines both the final shape of the shoe, and its’ fitting characteristics. Master lastmakers are, in a way, part scientist, doctor, architect and artist.

Also crucially important is the leather that the shoe is clicked (cut) from. The leather used to make the shoe upper is almost always chrome-salt (mineral) tanned in large rotating vats. Most fine shoe uppers are made from high-grade calfskin. Thicker cowhide is sometimes used for pebble-grained uppers and to a lesser extent, you will see fine shoes made from shell cordovan (horse leather) and even exotic leathers like alligator and crocodile. A fine shoe will have an insole and sole of thicker pit-tanned cowhide. This leather is vegetable-tanned using actual vegetable matter, not vegetable extracts. Most shoe linings are also vegetable tanned.

 

[pferrari]

WOW! What a great thread, was trolling around and found this....very informative.