My adventures in (DIY) shoemaking -- part 14

[shoefan]

Here, hot off the lasts, are my latest pair of shoes. These are a pair of black half brogues; unlike my other postings, these uppers were 'closed' -- i.e. sewn -- by a London closer whom I observed, rather than by me. The uppers were originally made for a different pair of lasts than what I actually used, so the fit was not absolutely perfect for the last - it was a bit difficult to line the toe medallion up with the center of the toe, and one toe cap is a bit longer than the other, due to differing lengths of the lasts.

The shoes were made on my 'narrow round toe' last which I made myself, and they have a beveled waist but no fiddleback in the sole. The outsoles were hand stitched at 12 stitches per inch.

 

[PorterInjax]

I love seeing these posts Quite impressive and thank you for sharing

 

[Oyaji]

Once more, impressive!
Are you getting faster ?(excluding the fact that you outsourced upper stitching this time)
How long did it take you?

 

[GBear]

I love your threads...

 

[pvrhye]

Every time I hear about a shoemaker I always hear about some kinda lengthy apprenticeship under a master. What you've managed to hammer out yourself is nothing short of shocking.

 

[acecow]

 

[Aldehyde]

Damn man, that is some quality stuff.

I'd love to see in-process pictures. Thanks!

 

[boston_bred]

those look pretty amazing. I would also love to see process pics.

 

[Concordia]

Originally Posted by shoefan

The uppers were originally made for a different pair of lasts than what I actually used, so the fit was not absolutely perfect for the last - it was a bit difficult to line the toe medallion up with the center of the toe, and one toe cap is a bit longer than the other, due to differing lengths of the lasts.


For shoes that suck, these look awfully good. Nice work.

 

[bigbucky]

as always, amazing.

I second request for action shots

 

[MyOtherLife]

Originally Posted by acecow

+1 Beautiful work!

 

[ianGP]

+1 for action shots! Are you selling these?

I'm always up for something new and different (as long as it's a 6.5-7D)

 

[shoefan]

Originally Posted by Oyaji

Once more, impressive!
Are you getting faster ?(excluding the fact that you outsourced upper stitching this time)
How long did it take you?

Thanks for the compliment.

I am getting faster, though all things are relative. These took me about 45 hours -- I thought I was going to come in well below that, but a couple of things took longer than they usually do, and the process of building the heels and doing the edge and bottom finishing seemed to take forever. For a point of reference, the 'maker' I observed in London takes perhaps 20 hours, and a really fast maker can do it in as few as 15 hours. Of course, they also achieve a higher standard of finished product.

 

[kirbya]

Shoefan -

Wow. Incredible. How much time is it taking you to make a single pair of shoes?

I have a friend that was a cobbler in Cuba. He's looking to get back into the hobby of making shoes, but has had a lot of trouble finding lasts. Where did you get yours? I'd like to get him a pair as a gift.

Cheers,
Kirby

 

[shoefan]

Originally Posted by boston_bred

those look pretty amazing. I would also love to see process pics.

Thanks. I will post a few in process pics in the next couple of days, and then I will put together a photobucket album to hold more pics.

Originally Posted by kirbya

Shoefan -

Wow. Incredible. How much time is it taking you to make a single pair of shoes?

I have a friend that was a cobbler in Cuba. He's looking to get back into the hobby of making shoes, but has had a lot of trouble finding lasts. Where did you get yours? I'd like to get him a pair as a gift.

Cheers,
Kirby

About 45 hours. I made these lasts myself, from some blanks (oversized forms) that I received from a lastmaking friend. I will send you a PM later today to discuss some options.


Here is an in-process pic of my next pair; these have been lasted but not sewn to the welt or anything else. You can see the lasting nails around the toe. This pair of uppers I made -- pattern, clicking, brogueing, sewing, etc. They have a faux toe cap, which I did in order to keep the toe very much in keeping with the last shape -- adding a real cap requires either a second layer of leather or skiving of the overlap, which I find difficult to execute with sufficient skill to make the overlap disappear completely.