A handmade goodyear welted shoe made in HK

[Fishball]

Originally Posted by luk-cha

FB 11 years ago when you first got this shoe it was still possible to get GY welted shoes. but i now, i still would think that it is not possile to get a true GY welted shoe even to Churches standard as there will be no cork or felt etc inbetween just a peice of leather as i have shoe made in HK like this

hhmmm i might cut mine up too!

I don't think the key point of the goodyear welt is the cork filling or felt or not.
The shoe I cut up don't have cork filling, instead it is some kind of foam rubber as you can see in the picture.

I believe my new Kow hoo cordovan is still goodyear welted.

 

[luk-cha]

Originally Posted by Fishball

I don't think the key point of the goodyear welt is not the cork filling or felt.
The shoe I cut up don't have cork filling, instead it is some kind of foam rubber as you can see in the picture.

I believe my new Kow hoo cordovan is still goodyear welted.

but it is is part of the process other wise why do all the northamton firms still use this method?

they dont have a goodyear welting machine in HK, as i have spent a lot of time in the workshops here, when i took both my vass and G&G RTW's they said no1 in HK could make this kind of welted shoe today.

as this one you cut up is 11 years old it could have been one of the last real GY welted shoes made in HK

 

[Fishball]

Hmm...Greentea, If you understand the construction of the shoe, you know that between the welt and the insole and ousole, it has a "gap" need to be fill. The euro shoemakers used cork filling, and mine is just foam rubber, it still perform its duty (may be not as good as cork).

Who you talk to said no one could make it today?
My shoemaker instructor in CITA do said someone are still doing that, and kowhoo is one.
Sometime when people want to get their business, they just said other can't do that.
Last week I talked to a shoemaker in TST, they just said Kowhoo shoe is not well made than theirs.
But that is not the truth as you exam their samples in the shop.

 

[Fishball]

Originally Posted by luk-cha

they dont have a goodyear welting machine in HK, as i have spent a lot of time in the workshops here, when i took both my vass and G&G RTW's they said no1 in HK could make this kind of welted shoe today.


Do you mean Kitty or John said no one in HK made goodyear welted shoe? Strange... They ensure me that they still doing goodyear welt.

Yes, they don't have goodyear machine, but they do it by hand.

 

[Fishball]

Originally Posted by kolecho

FB,

You are brutal

Hey hey, actually they were my wedding shoes.

 

[acidboy]

FB, so why are you cutting this up? planning to be a cobbler too?

 

[luk-cha]

Originally Posted by Fishball

Do you mean Kitty or John said no one in HK made goodyear welted shoe? Strange... They ensure me that they still doing goodyear welt.

Yes, they don't have goodyear machine, but they do it by hand.

not sure which this is just what they have told both in TST and kowhoo they do not make a real GY welted shoe.

noW if you are learning shoe making, fair enough, what you will learn is much more detail than any of the workshops in HK, TST or SZ will make for their customers.

what i believe it to be is a imatation GY welt which is basically blake sticthed welt and the the sole stitched like as with GY welting!

but i hope you still enjoy your shoes!

 

[Fishball]

I can take a photo inside of my new shoe, so that you will noticed that it is not blake sticthed/rapid blake.

Luk-cha, sometime they know how to do, they just don't want to do.

 

[luk-cha]

Originally Posted by Fishball

I can take a photo inside of my new shoe, so that you will noticed that it is not blake sticthed/rapid blake.

Luk-cha, sometime they know how to do, they just don't want to do.

hehe! this is damn too true - but after a 10 month wait they had better be GY welted

 

[Fishball]

Originally Posted by acidicboy

FB,
so why are you cutting this up? planning to be a cobbler too?

Since the upper is starting to crack and the lining deteriorate, and I also want to know are they Goodyear welted.

One more to notice, I didn't ask for goodyear welted when I ordered the shoes, it is their default method.

 

[Fishball]

Originally Posted by Toiletduck

what did the shoe like before cut up?

Here is the answer:

 

[SirSuturesALot]

Wow, the last picture reminds me of all the threads we've have about the lining deteriorating and whether or not the lining should be conditioned.

 

[tricket]

I am also based in HK and I own three Koo Woo pairs in my life. I am not happy with those shoes. Yes the default construction is GY welted, the cheap one meaning you can see the stitches on rim of the outsole, each of the upper and the sole is stitched to a welt instead of to each other. And yes, without cork filling. (I guess you can insist they use a cork insole because afterall cork is not expensive. ) Well the leather they use is mostly cheap, corrected grain or reverse calf (I can tell for sure they don't have true suede or shell cordovan.) Yet the major disappointment is they don't know how to do GY welted shoes with concealed outsole stitches (as those you see in John Lobb shoes). They don't know how to do raised arches. The default sole sizing is on the wide side because they can tell those not-too-demanding customers that their shoes are more comfortable than the RTW ones. The worst come when you order slip-ons from them. Their slip-ons are very loose even when new. They don't have the break-in concept. They think if their shoes fits snuggly when new the shoes will fit for life when in fact they don't. You can never be able to get a pair that resemble the shape of Santoni Fatt et Mano from KooHow. KowHow also doesnt know about polishing and antiquing becasue they use mostly corrected grain leather which doesn't allow meaningful anitiquing to be done. Just my 2cent.

 

[Fishball]

Originally Posted by tricket

GY welted shoes with concealed outsole stitches (as those you see in John Lobb shoes)..
Oh, I see. now I know what you are talking about. They can do it now, but I don't know will they asked for subcharge.

[/quote]They don't know how to do raised arches. [/quote]
Did you mean the arches support inside the shoe?
They do it for me on my shoe.

The leather is not so good, especially the old one, but the old one was just selling 1,000 something then. You got what you paid for.
That is also why I bring my own leather to them. They ask for HKD2,000 subcharge for french boxcalf. It is just too much.

To be fair, they are old fashioned shoemaker, mostly doing old english style shoes, so for the morden italian style kind of shoe, I wish you luck. Just like a man go to the Row and ask for a Italian suit.

 

[Fishball]

Originally Posted by luk-cha

but it is is part of the process other wise why do all the northamton firms still use this method?

they dont have a goodyear welting machine in HK, as i have spent a lot of time in the workshops here, when i took both my vass and G&G RTW's they said no1 in HK could make this kind of welted shoe today.

as this one you cut up is 11 years old it could have been one of the last real GY welted shoes made in HK

Luk-cha,

Interesting, I asked Zee's to do the GY welt today, Zee the younger said no first, and I asked why it can't be done. He said they don't have the "tools" anymore, then I told him I have all the tools it need, then he said the tool is the "mid-sole" leather

. Since I got some english made mid sole, I told him I can supply my own mid-sole, then he said he can do it. Let see when it is done.