Softanvil

Had a look at your tools page, and I now believe the last tool is a pricking wheel with an edge guide. (although the pins on the wheel look like they are spaced very narrowly together, for a very short tack length?) Still no idea about the chisel though.

Sorry, I still don't understand how you use it. Maybe it will become obvious once I try it on some leather. But you use it to cut the welt "gem" strip? The last tool just has a straight wooden handle with no further wheels. I tried googling for a "shoemaking carriage" but got nothing.

And by the way, what type of tool is this? It looks like some type of serrated tracing wheel with an adjustable distance keeping guide like on a sewing machine presser foot? Or do you heat it to impress a pattern onto the leather, like a fudge wheel? Or to make a guide for stitching? Or attach it to the heel of your cowboy boots to annoy horses?

Thanks! Which one is the scraper? And how do you use a circular welt knife? Is the welt supposed to fit into the slit somehow?

I hope you are not looking to save money by making your own shoes It will be very expensive unless you are comparing them to $4000 bespoke shoes... I have been trawling the internets for shoemaking information for some time now, and two books that are often mentioned are the ones by Tim Skyrme and George Koleff. Both can be found at Tim Skyrme's site: http://www.shoemakingbook.com/index.htm Another book that is always mentioned is the Goldings "Boots and Shoes" which can be downloaded for free at http://www.thehcc.org/library.htm. It is an old book from the early 20th century and is a bit confusing in my opinion. For instance, it does not really tell you anything about making lasts other than to carve it from a wooden block and to try to make it about the same shape as the foot, but it does so in an incredibly convoluted way so that you have to read it a couple of times to realize this. Anyway, it seems to be the standard reference on most anything except lastmaking. I also want to second the Andrew Wrigley videos, they are fantastic. You'll have a much easier time understanding the textbooks once you have studied his videos. There are some interesting Koleff videos on youtube as well. I should probably mention that I have yet to make a single pair of leather shoes, I'm still in the research phase, so take my opinion for what it's worth. I have also not bought the Skyrme or Koleff books yet, though I'm planning on getting the Skyrme book.

Turns out my great-grandfather was an amateur cordwainer! Someone had kept his shoemaking tools in a wooden box and recently gave them to me. A complete and very happy surprise! I believe the tools come from a mail-order kit in the early 1900s. Most of the stuff I know from shoemaking youtubes. However, I have no idea what some of these tools are or what they are used for. I'd be very grateful if somebody could help me name them. I numbered the tools I couldn't figure out. #1 could possibly be a wood-working tool and not for shoes? Some kind of spoon-shaped knife? Tool #2 doesn't turn, it seems to be some kind of knife edge in the slit. #3 is a some kind of fudging wheel, but what type? #4 and #5 are for treating the sides of soles right? #6 no idea, some kind of punch? #7 is some kind of planer, but what's its use for leather? #8 no idea. For hitting the cobblers apprentice on the head? #9 slits of different dimensions and some holes at the end. Again, no idea. #10 is a quick drill of course, but does it have any use in shoemaking?

I got stuck with a defective pair of casting socks, and that put me off for a while. I did try making a mold out of plaster, by coating it with PVA glue, then another coat of laquer, and then I applied vaseline to that before filling it with plaster for the cast. It worked pretty well, but I only made half inch high casts of my footsoles. These were very useful for making hotglue barefoot shoes. My intention was to continue making another two pieces of mold for a 3-piece mold that would separate nicely, but eventually discarded the idea, as I began looking into getting my feet 3D scanned instead, and ordering a regular shoe last. After all, a cheap way of making a last can quickly become pretty expensive when you need to work out the process from scratch... The main problem was that it has become very hard to find the materials where I live. In the past, there were a lot of hobby shops and hardware stores catering to small companies selling small quantities of stuff. Nowadays I would basicly have to order industrial quantities directly from the manufacturer (in China...). I couldn't even find stuff like quick setting hotmud in less than 50 lbs bags, and I don't know any carpenters. Same thing with polyester and epoxy; hardware store only carries stuff made for applying sheets of fibreglass to boat hulls, and it specifically says you can't pour it for casting (it won't harden). And alginate for foot molds would have costed upwards of $150 because it seems only food grade in pound bags is sold here, probably due to regulations. So for making a one-off, it doesn't seem to be economically viable. Eventually I think I will just order a CNC wooden last.

By the way, I'm considering following another bloggers idea and making a "resin last", by sticking modelling clay onto a plaster casting of my foot, shaping it into a last, and then making a new negative mold from this. Then I'll fill this negative last mold with resin and extract a last. Do you have any recommendations on what type of resin to use here? I'll probably stick a "wooden sole" onto it for putting nails into when using it as a last.

Thanks! That is a great tip!

Ok, I'll try using some weight on the foot then. I don't think you can use pantyhose in the same manner as the casting socks in the link in the first post? These STS Casting Socks are made from 5-minute PU. Alginate would be a much cheaper if making multiple moldings, but for a one-off, the STS seemed much less hassle and less cost. I got mine for £20 / 1 pair.

And I do understand that it will be difficult and I'll be lucky if I make a decent last on my fifth iteration. There is no rational reason that I don't just buy a ready made last or indeed a ready made shoe; this is all for the hobby value only.

Yes, that was my point with "I'm going to modify the casting to make it into a last and not just a foot replica" But I don't understand your answer. If measuring is done with some weight on the foot, but your othotics were cast with no weight bearing, what does this mean? The reason I'm asking it that those casting socks are kind of expensive, so I'd like to get it right the first time. Should I start my last making from a cast made from a neutral, free-hanging foot, or while standing on the foot?

I suppose you already found this? http://www.addoway.com/viewad/FUDGE-WHEEL-N-14-HAND-CUT-Barnsley-Sheffield-England-1863851 Very expensive though... Many 3D printing shops allows you to print things in copper, brass, titanium or stainless steel. If you find nothing else, or if you want some fancy custom pattern, you could try designing your own wheel for use with a trace wheel? Of course I have no idea if this would work And it would probably be cheaper to call the local mechanical workshop. http://i.materialise.com/materials/titanium , http://www.shapeways.com/materials/steel

I have no answer for you, but I saw you had asked this before, so I'll just add that it is often called by other names (if you're hunting on ebay), such as fudge-wheel, boot rand wheel, wheel jigger, bunking wheel, janking wheel, stitched prick, seat wheel, and other terms. http://www.allensboots.com/buy-boots/boot-glossary/ Perhaps you can ask one of the big manufacturers to either sell one to you or tell you where they buy theirs? I also noticed in the past that many companies who've had their web site set up by an external contractor have blocked email addresses like hotmail and gmail (this was common practice in the late 90s due to spam). Try a different account, or mailing to any of their other email addresses you find on their site (sales@company.com instead of support@company.com, etc). Small companies often have a great lack of knowledge about their own IT systems. Good luck.

Hi! I'm sort of following up on this idea: http://greencouple.com/2009/03/08/shoemaking-102-making-lasts/ However, I'm going to modify the casting to make it into a last and not just a foot replica. I might have the casting 3D scanned and then modify it in 3D studio and then remake it with a CNC mill, or I have some similar ideas. But first I need a cast of my foot. Now, my question is, when making the cast, should I put my weight on this foot so that it is pressed against the floor like when I'm standing up? That will make it slightly wider and flatter. Or should I suspend the foot above the floor and then make an impression of a "neutral" foot?