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hackaday

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  1. Have you got around to making any sandals with your printed lasts? Curious how they turned out. Did you purchase both the mens and womens packs? From my limited understanding, there are some subtle differences between mens and womens feet/lasts besides length and width. I do wonder if it's significant enough to matter for sandals.
  2. If you have access to a 3d printer, this seller has packs of last models for both men and women for reasonable prices. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1089173236/digital-3d-model-ergonomic-barefoot-men?click_key=c0228f5f5562253a04c0091ce2744baf073741a1%3A1089173236&click_sum=0eb0d3dc&ref=shop_home_recs_3&crt=1&sts=1 I just had her make me a custom set based on tracing/measurements since my feet are so narrow. They came out way too big and I'm not sure if I botched the tracing that bad or what. I haven't had time to reach out to her to see what she says yet.
  3. First of all, very nice work there! I can't comment on the stitching wearing through. I use rubber soles with attached with contact cement so my stitching is purely cosmetic. I don't think you will have any problem with the suede. I used an almost identical method for my pair. They've gone through a couple summers and the thongs are not showing any signs of giving up.
  4. Not necessarily footbeds, but this is about the best source I have found for soling material http://store.acor.com/
  5. That's certainly cheap enough to not worry about wasting a pair or two. I originally tried the 1/4" Soltech diamond pattern crepe. With just it and the leather, it was too hard for my taste. I then switched to the Acor mini check at 2.4mm with the 1/8" 30/35 durometer puff as a cushiony midsole. I can get 5 pairs out of the 18x36" sheet if I'm careful; more for smaller feet. That works out to less than $5 a pair, which isn't horrible... until you add in shipping. I wonder if a guy could figure out a way to thin that belting down from 1/4". I don't like the completed soles to end up too thick and heavy. When you talk about the rubber transferring black residue, is that just one side? Does the completed project have that problem, onto carpets for example?
  6. I think I tend to go with the second method. I keep telling myself if I can at least manage a second pair I'm happy with, I'll cut my cost in half. I wouldn't include the cost of all the tools I used since I already have a bunch of non leatherwork tools. I will decline to comment on whether I have convinced myself to purchase additional tools because "I could use it anyway." The cost of a couple double shoulders, various rubber sheets, misc junk leathers I bought before I had a clue what I was doing, etc etc is scary enough. I've tried to come up with cheap materials that one could use for making prototypes. Haven't found anything that really behaves like the real thing though. Cork works for the midsole. Haven't found anything hard, yet flexible enough for outsole. Same with uppers and straps.
  7. Unfortunately trial and error seems to be unavoidable regardless. The "how" in regards to putting it together is easy enough for me. I am still working on the aesthetics and proper strap placement to make it stay where I want it. Granted, maybe I'm just pickier than most. Out of four and a half pair (not counting my early attempts that I won't even claim), the only pair I am happy enough with to wear are the flip flops I think I posted here. I finally found a sole shape that I was happy with on those flip flops, then on my next two I attempted to tweak it some more. Should have left it alone. I have also been battling the straps pulling the foot to one side or another. For something as "simple" as a sandal, there sure are a lot of nuances that effect the function. That's why I like seeing other's attempts and designs. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a lot of people doing it. At least not that are sharing. I don't mind trial and error, but it starts to get expensive.
  8. Any progress on the new tutorial? I'm always looking for new inspiration.
  9. Thank you guys for the kind words! I appreciate it. I was pretty happy with how they turned out for being my first real stitching job. Next time I think I will not stitch through the suede. It's not bad, but the thread does rub a little. Maybe I just need to toughen up.
  10. Thanks a lot! I was going to try an arch "disc" like you see on Rainbow's and such, but decided that would give me too much room to mess up. For me, making them myself is just a matter of none of the ones in the store fitting. I have narrow feet, so they are usually way too wide (finding boots that fit is a chore in itself). The straps are almost always too big too, so they don't feel secure whatsoever. The prices they want for those things is crazy too. $40 for some rubber and a couple pieces of fake leather. I tend to place the straps further back. My thinking is that on a bigger foot, this will help keep them in place. Whether I'm right or not, who knows. Strap placement, for me, is one of the worst parts. Trying to get them tight enough to be secure, but loose enough to be comfortable. Then getting the pair to fit the same. Drives me bonkers. The other thing was finding a sole shape that fit my foot, without looking goofy. I can't even count how many I went through. I'm pretty happy with this one, but still have a small tweek I want to make. I'm just scared to mess it up more than I fix it haha. I really wish I could find a suitable material for doing test runs. This is my third pair of sandals (2nd flops) and this is the first pair I'm actually happy enough with to wear. That doesn't count what I've wasted on mess ups.
  11. Finished up my latest pair. These have a layer of 30-35 durometer foam midsole (2 layers under the back to give a little bit of rise to the arch) with an 80 or 90 durometer outsole. The soft foam was much softer than I thought it would be and I was concerned it would compress too much, but hopefully it will just conform to the foot nicely.
  12. Finished up another pair. The original strap design/width didn't really feel very secure with how big the sandals are. They were pretty hard and uncomfortable too with the 50-55 durometer crepe sole. The new ones have a layer of 30-35 durometer foam midsole (2 layers under the back to give a little bit of rise to the arch) with an 80 or 90 durometer outsole. The soft foam was much softer than I thought it would be and I was concerned it would compress too much, but hopefully it will just conform to the foot nicely.
  13. http://www.acor.com/ http://www.acor.com/ I had previously got some from SoleTech also, but it's hard to find a distributor for them besides Ebay. Acor has a much better selection also. I just about have my latest pair finished. Just need to edge and burnish them.
  14. I don't know the exact thickness of the straps. I ordered a double shoulder in 8/9oz and split it down to what looked about right, maybe a little over an 1/8". I have a piece of 5/6oz left over from another project that seems just a little light, so 6/7 would probably be about right. For the sole I used 1/4" Soletech diamond crepe. http://www.ebay.com/itm/SoleTech-Diamond-50-55-Durometer-Crepe-Soling-Sheet-1-4-12-iron-6mm-/221258577334?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item338409f5b6 I found them to be rather hard and uncomfortable, although I guess it should actually be softer than a leather sole. I have ordred a couple sheets of 1/8" 30/35 durometer puff eva from here to try as a middle layer along with some of the mini check sheet for outsole to try. The 30/35 durometer is actually a lot softer than I was expecting, and I have some concerns about how it's going to hold up to compression. Perhaps it will actually work out well and conform to the foot.
  15. @ Monica - Those look awesome! I've thought about making some for the wife as a surprise, but as difficult as it is for me to get the fit just right on my own I don't know how I'd ever get them right without being able to fit them. To those of you who have done this, do you find the leather soles too hard? I've made a couple pairs of sandals. The first I was not happy with at all. The second was a simple pair of flip flops that, while they look good, the strap design I used along with the weight makes them feel insecure while walking (big feet don't help). I used 8/9oz leather as the footbed on top of a 1/4" 50 durometer crepe sole. I thought the crepe would be more comfortable, but I still find them too hard when walking on tile/concrete. My thoughts now are to use a thinner hard outsole and some softer 30/35 durometer midsole. I hate to keep buying material without knowing exactly how hard it is though as it gets expensive when it doesn't work out.( My other thought is to incorporate a bit of arch support.
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