Shoes Explained

Anyone else not like these square-toed looks?

I never liked more than the slightest hint of squareness. I love round toes, and I say this with two considerably wide feet.

Very interesting post, I know it's an old one but thanks for all the pictures and details, you obviously spent quite some time on it, it was a fun read. I tried joining the mailing list, but the link takes me to a japanese website with no apparent link to a mailing list, although I don't read Japanese so..there could be one there.

great read. got several qs. pls correct when wrong

1. to form the 'feather' the insole is skived, meaning that the insole is carved then the inside is scooped out?
2. So say the insole is a quarter inch, after skiving, the crevice becomes 1/8"?
3. from my understanding, gemming is the linen tape vulcanized onto the insole and this creates a sort of borde or crevice. is feathering an alternative to gemming? in a way, a natural version of gemming?

Originally Posted by daruma

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1. to form the 'feather' the insole is skived, meaning that the insole is carved then the inside is scooped out?
2. So say the insole is a quarter inch, after skiving, the crevice becomes 1/8"?
3. from my understanding, gemming is the linen tape vulcanized onto the insole and this creates a sort of borde or crevice. is feathering an alternative to gemming? in a way, a natural version of gemming?

The ‘feather’ is the ditch, the ‘holdfast’ is the dam.

A steel feather ‘plough' is now used to cut away the inside and outside feathers by a pushing action and leaves the insole as shown in figure 128b.
Approximately one third of the substance is taken away in this operation leaving the ‘holdfast’ standing above the general level as shown.

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‘Gemming’ is an alternative, industrial method to the hand-cut version.

‘Skiving’ is used for upper leathers where the edges get thinned-out to overlap cleanly.

They're both Sutors, right? I have the monks on the left -- bottom for some reason in the quote below -- and do not like them as much as I thought I would. A lot of that is down to the greenish brown colour, which I may fiddle with eventually. However the overall shape does not seem to work. Bought from STP basically sight unseen. However I have another pair of Sutors with the same sole and probably the same last, somewhat similar to the shoe on the right/top, which I really like. They have a chunkier presence than my usual English shoes, which works in a lot of situations (for instance they more easily make the leap from a suit shoe to a jeans shoe). These:

Originally Posted by Reevolving

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Anyone else not like these square-toed looks?

Originally Posted by Loudly

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They're both Sutors, right?

I have the monks on the left -- bottom for some reason in the quote below -- and do not like them as much as I thought I would. A lot of that is down to the greenish brown colour, which I may fiddle with eventually. However the overall shape does not seem to work. Bought from STP basically sight unseen.

However I have another pair of Sutors with the same sole and probably the same last, somewhat similar to the shoe on the right/top, which I really like. They have a chunkier presence than my usual English shoes, which works in a lot of situations (for instance they more easily make the leap from a suit shoe to a jeans shoe). These:

I believe this welt is a norgevese welt, not a reverse welt. Am I wrong?

I would have called it that. It's the same welt as the monk. A Harris calls it reverse, and I don't know enough to quibble. It would be interesting to find out.

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

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I believe this welt is a norgevese welt, not a reverse welt. Am I wrong?

Originally Posted by daruma

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great read. got several qs. pls correct when wrong 1. to form the 'feather' the insole is skived, meaning that the insole is carved then the inside is scooped out? 2. So say the insole is a quarter inch, after skiving, the crevice becomes 1/8"? 3. from my understanding, gemming is the linen tape vulcanized onto the insole and this creates a sort of borde or crevice. is feathering an alternative to gemming? in a way, a natural version of gemming?
Bengal-Stripe's explanation is spot on. I would point out however that "vulcanization" is a process to treat natural, crude rubber to make it more durable and elastic. It has nothing to do with gemming. Gemming is the linen or canvas strip that is glued to the bottom of a thin, often synthetic...fiberboard or leatherboard...insole as the basic for goodyear welting. It is a common technique that is used in most commercially made shoes. It is inherently weaker than the traditional leather to leather connection as it relies on the glue, as well as the tensile strength and integrity of the canvas, to hold the shoe together....neither of which are in the same league as leather if strength, resilience, and longevity are the objectives.

^ So just to be clear, you do not favor gemming?

Originally Posted by DWFII

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Bengal-Stripe's explanation is spot on. I would point out however that "vulcanization" is a process to treat natural, crude rubber to make it more durable and elastic. It has nothing to do with gemming.

Gemming is the linen or canvas strip that is glued to the bottom of a thin, often synthetic...fiberboard or leatherboard...insole as the basic for goodyear welting.

It is a common technique that is used in most commercially made shoes.

It is inherently weaker than the traditional leather to leather connection as it relies on the glue, as well as the tensile strength and integrity of the canvas, to hold the shoe together....neither of which are in the same league as leather if strength, resilience, and longevity are the objectives.

So do Blake/Rapid constructed shoes not have gemming, therefore better constructed for RTW?

Originally Posted by Loudly

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I would have called it that. It's the same welt as the monk. A Harris calls it reverse, and I don't know enough to quibble. It would be interesting to find out.

This is a reverse, or "Storm" welt...

Originally Posted by bengal-stripe

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The "˜feather' is the ditch, the "˜holdfast' is the dam.



"˜Gemming' is an alternative, industrial method to the hand-cut version.

"˜Skiving' is used for upper leathers where the edges get thinned-out to overlap cleanly.

Great! Thanks for the info. May I ask where u got that drawing?

Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH

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So do Blake/Rapid constructed shoes not have gemming, therefore better constructed for RTW?
Blake/Rapid--sometimes, and perhaps more correctly called "Fairstitched"--is, like most shoe construction techniques, only as good as the materials used. If a substantial leather insole is used...not a thin "sock" over a fiberboard insole...Blake/Rapid is a very good way to make shoes. Perhaps not as easy to re-sole as handwelted but solid, flexible and capable of being worn daily for years and years and years. In my opinion...as a shoemaker...of all the ways to put together a shoe, handwelted is at the top and gemmed goodyear somewhere in the lower half...with cement sole and unit sole construction at the bottom. But, again, understand that materials are critical. A cement sole construction using quality leather insole, etc., might be considered as good as gemmed construction if the GY shoe is using a fiberboard insole. It's at least a toss-up.

Interesting. That makes sense.