Questions On Making Leather Sandals

[flyknitrilleau]

Hello guys. I am new to this forum and leatherwork. For the last few weeks or so i was browsing through this site and found very useful informations and constructive dialogues between members here. I chose to sign up as a member and now i am here starting a topic with hope that some good people here would be able to help me understand a thing or two better. I am interested in making sandals that are fully constructed using leather without stitching but cobbled using brass tacks/nails. In other words, 2 pieces of leather(a reasonably thick, pliable leather for the top layer with the bottom layer(sole) made with soling veg tanned leather) will make up the sandal. Being aware of the construction details, i am quite unsure of a thing or two. It would be great if you guys could share your thoughts with me on how this could/would be done. The questions are as follows:

(1) The sandal will have a molded sole. I do know that veg tanned leather is commonly used to get the soles done. Should i wet-mold the soles to achieve the raised foot arch? If so, how should i do this?

(2) The sandal is not stitched, but the two layers are cemented and later brass nails are tacked around the edges. I am confused as to what these nails are. Are they shoes tacks? Is there a specific type that i am supposed to look out for and if so, could someone kindly direct me to as to where i purchase them online?

(3) As for as key tools go, i am looking to get these. Please add any to this list if you deem them essential.

- quarter moon knife from J.Adams of Sheffield, England

- skiving/paring knife from Al Stohlman

- pattern/clicker knife from Blanchard

- Osborne punch

- Edge Bevelling tool

- Hammer to drive the nails into the leather

Thank you in advance. Any help would be great!

Edited May 13, 2014 by flyknitrilleau

[Dwight]

If you had a drawing, picture, or something of that nature, . . . it would help us all help you.

May God bless,

Dwight

[flyknitrilleau]

If you had a drawing, picture, or something of that nature, . . . it would help us all help you.

May God bless,

Dwight

Yes sir. Will upload some pictures.

[Andrew Chee]

I've made a few of these. For the soles, get sole bend leather. Basically the stuff they use for shoe soles. Thick, stiff, veg tan leather. After you draw out the pattern, thoroughly wet the leather and mold to the shape you want and let dry. It will hold the shape. The top leather is pretty much anything you want to use. Veg tan leather is good because it will be firm enough. I've found that about 6-7oz is a good weight for the top layer and straps but that's up to you.

The nails are brass or iron show tacks. I bought mine from Zack White leather a long time ago. Don't know if they still sell them.

As for tools, you don't need three different knives, a good clicking knife will be fine. You want something that can cut that thick sole leather. There's really no skiving to do so a skiving knife is not necessary. I would suggest getting a cobbler stand because it will help you in positioning the sandal when nailing it.

Good luck,

Andrew

[rosiart]

The Sandal making book that Tandy sells as an ebook in the library has instructions for molding the sole using sole bend leather. The patterns in it are really dated ( like me,,,,,I remember these types of sandals from the first go round lol) but the basic sandal making info is good. The only problem is locating the cobblers nails. I haven't been able to find a source for them.

[Andrew Chee]

Check Zack White:

http://www.zackwhite.com/Nails-Tacks_c_136.html

They have both iron and brass clinch and soling nails. The difference is the soling nails have a larger head. I use the clinch nails when nailing the sole together from the bottom up. I use the soling nails to hold down straps that may need to be removed and adjusted in the future.

Andrew

[flyknitrilleau]

@AndrewChee Thank you for the prompt response. Oh great. That was exactly what i was thinking but had some reservation as to whether it would be the way to go. From my limited understanding, i was with the thought that veg tanned leather, when soaked in water, would later end up hard after drying and eventually start cracking. With that in mind, i found myself looking to mold the sole on a last to achieve a similar result without affecting the leather.

When you said 'thoroughly', should i soak them for completely for period or run a wet brush along the area that is to be formed and later bend them to shape?

Would it be fine if i used pre cut leather soles from the likes of J.Rendenbach/Oak Prime etc or only sole bends are ideal for such use?

For the nails, i found them at Zack's. They still sell them. Thank you for the lead, Andrew.

Is there a top quality clicking knife i should look out for? I have seen many makers' name thrown around here. Was looking at Blanchard. I would welcome any suggestion of something equally good or better. Would an anvil serve fine or a cobbler stand is the most appropriate for this work?

@rosiart Thank you. I was looking through Tandy's stuff. Missed out on those. Will take a look at those now that you have mentioned its existence.

Thank you once again. Greatly appreciate your imput on this.

[Andrew Chee]

Pre-cut leather soles will work fine as long as they are large enough for what you're doing. They are a good way to go if you plan on doing a few sandals. But if you plan on doing a lot, then buying sole bends and then cutting them yourself may be more economical.

As for knives, I don't think it really matters honestly. Soling leather is super tough and you're going to have a tough time cutting them with any knife. I use a combination of a manual sole cutting machine, jig saw, and belt sander. I use the sole cutting machine to get a rough shape. I use the jig saw to get a closer shape. Then I use the belt sander to get the final shape. Sole leather is a pain in the butt to cut. As for cutting the top leather, any decent clicking knife will work.

An anvil may work fine as long as you can slip the straps over it and be able to hammer the bottom of the sole.

Andrew

[flyknitrilleau]

Andrew, thank you very much for clarifying the above further. I will go with the pre-cut soles for the first pair i am making. Will definitely consider the use of sole bends for subsequent pairs.

As for the cutting tools, i will go for a clicking knife then. I will be using a rasp to shape further them before sanding. Will finish them off with a fine grit sandpaper accordingly.

I will get a small anvil or if i can find a cobbler stand, that will be a bonus.

Just wondering how i should size the nails/tacks. Must these be slightly longer than the thickness of the sandals or slightly shorter to prevent protrusion after being nailed down? I was reading somewhere that the nail was suppposed to get in contact with ghe anvil surface and 'curl back'. Any idea?

Thank you once again!

[Andrew Chee]

The nail should be slightly longer than the thickness it's going through. The point of the nail is very thin and it is designed to curl back on itself and lock into the leather. Hence the term clinch nail. If you're going to use brass clinch nails (as opposed to iron) I would suggest predrilling tiny holes almost all the way through the leather. What I found is that brass is relatively soft and when you try to hammer it into the hard sole leather it tends to bend and clinch before getting all the way through the layers. The tiny holes (1/32" or so) give a pathway for the nails to follow and remain straight.

I've found that something like a band or jig saw and a belt sander to be very helpful tools. Sole leather is like working with wood. Pretty hard.

Andrew

[flyknitrilleau]

Andrew, got that. I will be using brass nails. Any top quality clicking knife that i should look at? Will be using them later when making other small leather goods. I always hear Blanchard. Any similar or better that i should consider?

Edited May 26, 2014 by flyknitrilleau

[Andrew Chee]

That's a very personal decision. I have a whole bunch for different applications. The ones with curved replaceable blades are nice. The Blanchard ones are good (I think they're called "l'indispensable" or something like that). Head knives are good if you to push instead of pull your cuts. It's up to you. Just get one with good steel and keep it well sharpened.

To be honest, go get yourself a belt sander that you can invert and mount on your bench along with a decent shop vac. I use that a lot more when making sandals than I do any clicking knife.

Here are some that I've made.

Andrew

Edited May 27, 2014 by Andrew Chee

[studawg03]

Great advice guys! Anyone know of a good supplier of J Rendenbach or Baker precut soles preferably in the US to help with shipping costs?

[Danielcordell]

Awesome thread! I'm glad someone else is taking inspiration from this type of sandal. I've been researching and prototyping sandals from this company

http://www.kikany.com/sandals

Who learned from Barbara Shaum in New York

Both are great resources for sandal design.

I will also be glueing several layers of leather together and I hope to use brass tacks in the same manner so this information was very helpful. So far I've made a pair of flip-flops that turned out pretty well and look forward to making more! I hope this thread stays active and I'll try to post some pictures of my work soon

Cheers!

[thunter9]

On ‎5‎/‎26‎/‎2014 at 7:02 PM, Andrew Chee said:

That's a very personal decision. I have a whole bunch for different applications. The ones with curved replaceable blades are nice. The Blanchard ones are good (I think they're called "l'indispensable" or something like that). Head knives are good if you to push instead of pull your cuts. It's up to you. Just get one with good steel and keep it well sharpened.

To be honest, go get yourself a belt sander that you can invert and mount on your bench along with a decent shop vac. I use that a lot more when making sandals than I do any clicking knife.

Here are some that I've made.

Andrew

if one were wanting to try their hand at trying this what would he or she need to get started other than hand tools. always wanted to try my hand at this. just not sure how to construct the uppers. so they fit the way they should . any pointers to help an old man on how it is done.