mikey

Hi, For the sole I use Alumilite's Flex 80 casting resine, a urethane rubber with a shore hardness of 80A: http://www.alumilite...ns&Name=Flex 80 For cushioning in the liner / sole I use Smoth-On FlexFoam-iT V or X : http://www.smooth-on...p?cPath=10_1121 As a mold material I use Alumilite's QuickSet: http://www.alumilite...r&Name=QuickSet When I make a mold, I first form what I want to make from good quality playdough that does not take water to make it soft (it's oily and can be softened by warming it up). Then I pour the QuickSet over it and let it cure. Works like a charm! I like the Flex80 for the sole material. It is extremely flexible and durable and easy to work with. Smooth-On's foam can be poured into a silicone mold and will expand uniformely. Both materials work well with glues, such as Barge or Weldwood cement, but if you lay leather with roughened surface in the mold before pouring either the FlexFoam-iT or the Flex80, they will adhere to the leather PERMANENTLY as they cure. I have not had any luck with silicones as actual shoe material (only for molds), as they don't glue well at all, in my experience. Mike

Thank you for all the encouraging comments. @lightningad: I suppose a strap would not be too difficult to add. I would have to play around with it a bit though, to be sure.

Hi, Thank you for the kind words. Now that I have figured out what NOT to do, they are very comfortable ... I have not made them for anyone other than myself and family, since I have had zero confidence in my abilities to custom fit for someone who isn't right here with me to measure the foot and try them before I really stitch. Having said this, I am getting to the point where I would be more comfortable with this and would like to try and make them for other people. So, if you or anyone else is willing to be the "guinea pig" , I'd be happy to make a pair and send them to you. Then you can tell me what (if anything) they would be worth in your opinion, as a for sale item. However, I would need a farily extensive set of measurements for each foot ... Thanks, Mike

Hi, I have not had any training in shoe making, but I have been making these (and the like) for about 3 years now and, by trial and error, they have been getting progressively better (from outright disastrous to fairly decent). It's a combination of leather, expanding foam from Smooth-on for the foot bed, and castin resin from Alumilite for the sole. I am still unhappy with my skill in forming the upper over the foot (so that it won't throw those tiny wrinkles). Any comments / tips / questions are appreciated. Thanks for looking, Mike

Hello Dwight, Thank you for the tips. I was thinking about soaking the leather, but I was afraid that it would make it too stiff / brittle. Mike

Hello, I was wondering how one gets leather to stretch across and conform to curved surfaces (such as a show last) without throwing wrinkles. I never had any training in shoe making. So I have just been going through the motions by trial and error. The attached picture is something I made, but it's not the best example of the effect I am talking about, since these did not turn out as diastrous as others. However, I would eventually like to move on to something more sophisticated (like a full shoe). Any tips would be apreciated. Thanks Mike (new here)