Toe metal protectors

[Wes Bourne]

Understood. However, can you say that the method shown on the french site, although different than yours, is wrong?

 

[Imakeyourshoes]

no of course its not wrong, thats how you would do it if it was a sole unit, but the original concern was about a welted shoe, so i explained how they do it for them, nobody would faff about with a knife when you can go to a scourer and do it in 10 seconds if possible

 

[A Y]

Originally Posted by Roger

These nails won't produce anything like the protective effect of a metal toe plate. They're little more than purely decorative.

According to G&G, they do protect the toe, but not as well as a toe plate.

--Andre

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by Imakeyourshoes

no of course its not wrong, thats how you would do it if it was a sole unit, but the original concern was about a welted shoe, so i explained how they do it for them, nobody would faff about with a knife when you can go to a scourer and do it in 10 seconds if possible

That's because your colleagues and you in Northampton know what you are doing.

Sadly, when it comes to shoes, cobbling talent is getting scarce on this side of the Atlantic.


- B

 

[fritzl]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

That's because your colleagues and you in Northampton know what you are doing.

Not to forget the rest of European's shoe making elite.

My cobbler uses a knife.

Anecdote: I asked a well known shoemaker to install flushed plates on a wood-pegged sole and I wanted to watch the procedure, so he invited me into his workshop. After he did one, I asked him to do it myself. I nearly sanded down the sole, but we could save the shoe. Conclusion: Take the knife and it is a safe call.

 

[Will]

Originally Posted by Pengranger

I'm looking at getting an MTO G&G in the near future. Does anyone know if G&G will put these on as part of the order?

They will.

 

[Wes Bourne]

Imakeyourshoes, as far as your firm is concerned, are we to understand that you install flush mounted plates on welted shoes the same way, whether as part of a MTO job, full bespoke or retrofitting?

What I mean by that is when a customer specifies flush mounted plates, do you finish the sole any differently to allow/prepare for that? I always assumed that even if it's specified by a customer right from the start, it is no different than a retrofitting: the `plate guy` (for lack of better/proper term) is handed a pair of shoes with fully finished soles to work on. Is that the case?

 

[soleman]

Great link!! I get the protective soles on all my shoes and it really helps!! The flush metal plates are interesting but I know I could not use them in my office building--too loud and slippery on the marble floors

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by Imakeyourshoes

I think he meant the stitching around the toe instead of the welt, when the guy at work fits the sunken taps on our shoes he cuts into the channel and slices it off with a knife across the toe, as opposed to that french site showing it being scoured, which would take the stitches out for sure on welted, but when he does it at our place you can still see the stitches keeping it all together before he attaches the taps with a cordless drill, they fit flush this way and its still lockstitched together also, its simple if you know how to use a knife
Just a small point here. It seems as though this would work fine as long as the channel is close to 2 mm. deep, but what if it isn't? Suppose the stitches sit at a 1 mm. depth from the sole surface, for example. Or, more generally, what if the stitches in the channel are at a depth that is less than the thickness of the toe plate? Does the cobbler then grind down the toe plate to make it sit flush?

 

[Wes Bourne]

Originally Posted by Roger

Just a small point here. It seems as though this would work fine as long as the channel is close to 2 mm. deep, but what if it isn't? Suppose the stitches sit at a 1 mm. depth from the sole surface, for example. Or, more generally, what if the stitches in the channel are at a depth that is less than the thickness of the toe plate? Does the cobbler then grind down the toe plate to make it sit flush?

Maybe they carefully cut around the stiches, slowly removing all the leather necessary (down to 2mm) without even slicing into the stitching. That area of stitching, although still attached, would be `loose`, having 2mm less leather under it. Tightening the plate down over those stitches would prevent them from coming undone. Just a thought...

 

[Imakeyourshoes]

Originally Posted by Wes Bourne

Imakeyourshoes, as far as your firm is concerned, are we to understand that you install flush mounted plates on welted shoes the same way, whether as part of a MTO job, full bespoke or retrofitting?

What I mean by that is when a customer specifies flush mounted plates, do you finish the sole any differently to allow/prepare for that? I always assumed that even if it's specified by a customer right from the start, it is no different than a retrofitting: the `plate guy` (for lack of better/proper term) is handed a pair of shoes with fully finished soles to work on. Is that the case?

taps are fitted on finished shoes, there is no way to incorporate it into making, you dont know where the edge of the toe is until after its rounded and it then has to be stitched and trimmed, try stitching or trimming through a steel toe tap lol, even if you did it after stitching, the sole still must be scoured, after scouring, its no different fitting it before or after inking the sole and polishing it

Originally Posted by Roger

Just a small point here. It seems as though this would work fine as long as the channel is close to 2 mm. deep, but what if it isn't? Suppose the stitches sit at a 1 mm. depth from the sole surface, for example. Or, more generally, what if the stitches in the channel are at a depth that is less than the thickness of the toe plate? Does the cobbler then grind down the toe plate to make it sit flush?

channel depth is determined by the channel knife on the rounder, its the same on every shoe, probably around 1.5mm at a guess, then the stitches do pull tight into the leather somewhat due to the nature of sopping wet leather, and this is only around the very outer edge of the sole, and is only a problem at the 2 points on either side where tap meets bottom of sole, you can take more out of the middle of the toe than the edge, also remember this is after trimming where the edge is taken down to right beside the stitches, the screws then pull it in tight too, but the difference in height is fractions of a mm, its flush always


please dont worry about stitches being cut, it doesnt happen, if it ever did, there would still be nothing to worry about, the problem with shoes that wear out at the toe opening up is because once the stitches are gone, theres nothing to stop the leather seperating in extreme cases of glue failure, but the tap is there to stop it flexing apart, steel wont peel back like leather would

 

[Wes Bourne]

^ Awesome, thanks!

 

[GBer]

Originally Posted by HelloMrFancyPants

Just an FYI: Empire Shoe Repair at 991 Lexington in NYC will do flush mount metal taps. I had them do two pair of G&G bench-mades and a pair of EGs. $25/per the quality of workmanship was very good.

What type of turnaround time are you looking at here?

 

[alliswell]

1-2 days. They charged me $30 the last time I was in. bnelson shoes does them too.

 

[dr.no]

Originally Posted by alliswell

1-2 days. They charged me $30 the last time I was in. bnelson shoes does them too.

Can anyone who's had these done a B.Nelson please comment on quality of workmanship?