sepulverture

Paul, That's what I was afraid of. I have sewn in the tongue, but as you said without quite the amount of finesse that could have been achieved without the bellows tongue. Oh well, it will work and I am not being paid to make these boots so they will serve as a lesson in how to handle future boots. Thanks for taking a look and kind regards, Nick

I decided to add links to some photos to make it easier for you to understand what I'm talking about. I'm afraid my explanation might not have been terribly clear. The style of boot I'm making again is a galosh style vamp, with the quarters placed inside the vamp, rather than outside as shown in these photos. Once I get photos of the actual boots I'm making taken I will post those to be more specific. http://img.nobodybuy.com/2010/12/22/hurricanedragonshoes/0x0_p1303973/handsewn-leather-boots.jpg http://www.venice-italy-veneto.com/images/mens-dress-shoe-crockettJoneswestminster79.jpg This being said I haven't seen many examples of boots where the quarter is stitched inside the vamp that have full bellows tongues, but maybe that's because I don't know the name for this style of boot (quarter inside vamp) and haven't been able to make exact searches. Is it because it's very difficult to make a full bellows tongue for this sort of boot?

No worries Paul. I have sort of jury rigged a set of full bellows tongues to these boots, and they seem to be work although I'm slightly worried about small gaps at the bottom of the tongues where they are attached to the inside of the vamp. Once it is lasted and used for a while I suppose I will be able to see if there's some way to improve upon the design. I am making two pairs of boots that call for this same tongue, so I am trying two different ways unless someone can offer any advice on how to do it well. Regards, Nick

Hello all! I am making a pair of galosh style boots with the quarter stitched under the vamp, and I am having trouble making a full bellows tongue for this style of boot. I have made full bellows tongue for galosh style boots where the quarters were stitched on top of the vamp, but I have never done so for quarters stitched UNDER the vamp. Please assist. Thank you and kind regards, Nicholas

Mr. White thank you for the comment! I have two pairs of boots, a pair of shoes, and a pair of fur slippers in the pipeline now, so you can see photos of those when they're all done.

It seems that I have forgotten how to measure/calculate the SLL so I can make a mean forme. I have done so a few times, but the last time I did so was last year and I can't seem to find the reference material I was using before to make the calculation. It should be mentioned that I am currently living in China, and that the size of the last I am using does not in fact correspond with the number written on it. My foot size is too large for normal lasts produced here, so they had to custom make one for me and it doesn't have the right number on it. Also I am making a pair of shoes for someone else, and the lasts I had purchased for her lack sizing information. Please advise. Thank you and kind regards.

Wow Nick, you've got some skills, I'll say that. Very Good! Fantastic! These really look good. Your insole looks really good. You took those notes impressivly. I like your french turned top line. And I like your lacing technique and the tongue. That's an interesting sole material. What is it? Chrome leather? First of all let me say thank you for the compliments, it is encouraging to hear them! I decided that the british ladder lacing would be appropriate since they are a scottish styled shoe through and through except for the slightly raised heel. The visible sole material you're asking about is a thin layer of chrome leather that I used before for making a bag. It is sturdy but very pliable and I decided to try using it to add traction since I don't have any rubber sole material right now to cap with. I do see what you mean about the short counter/heel stiffener. It ought to be about 1 7/8" to 2 1/8" above the feather, depending on the size of the foot. You've also got a pretty good edge on them. Did you sand that by hand? When you say sand them, what do you mean exactly? Sand what? Where? All sanding was done by hand except for some shaping work that I did on the heels Is that artificial sinew you have there for thread? Yes it is. It looks like you've used that same thread for the whole boot? That is correct I'm sure you're just glad the have what you do. Do you have any choices of thread so as to change the stitching, to attain greater water resistancy? (I don't say water proof. No such thing). There are good combinations of which leathers and which treatments wiil provide the most water resistancy,but technique can do alot in that regard also. I have though carefully about this, and ultimately that's what lead me to use the artificial sinew. There are some choices, although not very broad ranges. Nothing that would give me the chance to walk into the leather working shops and say "i need xxx linen at .yyy diameter". There are a few choices available, but not a huge selection, and I suppose I could do with trying out different threads to see what works for me. What sort of thread material mixtures would you suggest for heavy-duty boots? One thing about he boots that I made is that the thread is doubled up so that there are 4 pieces of thread running through each whole, instead of 2 thicker threads. If I may address the stitching you've done on these: There indeed is a certain visual style to this size thread size on something for outdoor wear, but it ought not to be used on basic component seams. It's also likely to be subject to more abrasion, because of standing so proud. I can very well see what you're talking about when you mention the threads being subject to greater abrasion. There's evidence that you've done alot of stitching on leather, but for upper closing (where water resistancy is critcal) the holes and thread need to be smaller. The awl one uses has alot to do with this. I say awl, because the shape of the "hole" is important. It looks like you're making a round hole with a punch? On the layer of leather which is on top (where the holes are visible) I used a hole punch to make a neat looking round hold, and then on the layer below it where the holes are no visible I left them unpunched and then went back over each hole with an awl a hair larger than the needles I am using to punch the last holes. Try instead an awl, preferably with a tapered blade shape, so you make a cut like this / instead of a hole like this o. You can use a pattern wheel may have 8-10 stitches per inch (spi), as a guide, which should be about right for an ankle boot. A silver ink pen works good to reveal the stitch line on the dark leather, but baby powder will highlight it for you too. I will try to use a bladed awl when punching holes on my next boots. I recently hammered a new bladed awl and used new knife sharpening skills I've been trying to hone it to a near mirror finish as you suggested before. Another thing, use as small a thread as possible. One fear that I have about using thin thread thread is the chance of it wearing out and breaking more quickly. What are your thoughts about this? When I make my bags I use the same thread as what I used on these boots because the bags themselves are somewhat heavy (being made of 6~8oz full grain leather, and being large in dimensions and meant to carry a lot of stuff) so the thickness of the thread is important to them being rugged and able to carry a heavy load, so I just applied the same logic to the boots needing to have heavy thread to bear the stress of constant motion. What do you think? If this is what you can get, you could use the thread you have there and cut the length you need, and "untwist" and separate a few stands for your work, and then retwist and wax it closed. And of course the needle should be right for the hole you "cut", and the length of the stitch and distance from the edge adjusted. I understand what you are saying and will start to experiment with these ideas. I am very proud to have been involved with you as you made these. Thank you for the exchange. Thanks for being here and helping and supporting me with all the great information! I hope you will be able to accompany me on my next pair, which may in fact be for someone close to me and a different style that might be more up your alley. Good luck with you next projects. Paul

Paul, Good advice about looking for only 3 things to improve on the next pair. Incidentally I found my three while making these one: Lasting allowance, I will try a 30mm lasting allowance on the next pair, angle of holes when holing the holdfast, try to get a steeper angle so that when sewing the upper to the holdfast the stitches come out on the bottom of the boot so they aren't visible, unlike these ones where they came out just at the feather edge of the last and are partly visible, and finally when lasting the upper make sure that the counter is being lasted at the proper height on the last (these boots the counter ended up being pulled down too low, but I didn't realize that until I had already sewn the welt on. there are others, but those will be my main areas to focus on. Next up is a messenger bag that I cut out, but have been neglecting for a couple of months. Will make this to replace my leather backpack that I made for myself about a year ago. The backpack is in need of some revision to make it more convenient for daily use. Want to give my hands a bit of time to rest. After that I plan to make a set of hand rigs to help ease tension and damaged caused to my hands while working. After that (mid february-ish) I plan to make another pair of boots for myself after I have had the chance to wear these boots in a bit and find more weak points. I need to revise the process I used for making the heel stack, as the stacks I made turned out to be somewhat uneven across the contact surface of the heel (where the heel meets the sole) and those are translating into pressure points on my heel and arch. I plan to travel to Tibet some time in the next year as well, so I am thinking to make a third pair of boots in late spring that are more rugged with aggressive tread, possibly double vamp galoshes to make sure they are weather/water proof for doing some mountain climbing and exploration while there. I also plan to make a new trail backpack. The backpack I have now is essentially a trail bag, but the leather I used was heavy 7~8oz leather and it's a bit on the heavy side without cargo, so I either need to revise this one or just make a new one outright. Anyway this is turning into a bit of a novel, so here are the photos. Let me know what you think! Nick

Paul, I have finished the boots, as of about two days ago they are done with the exception of some minor tweaks, and finishing nailing down the heel stack of one of the boots. They turned out pretty well overall I think, but have some problems that need to be addressed in the next pair i make. The biggest problem i think is that when lasting the boots I pulled the counters too far down over the feather edge, distorting the whole shape of the boot just a little bit in the rear.They are completely wearable, and once the leather is properly broken in this problem will likely be alleviated, but it's causing a bit of pain on the back of my heel. Not a terribly big deal though. I will post up some pictures in the next few days, but I am done! And I am happy and getting lots of compliments about them. nick

Thanks for the holiday wishes Paul, I hope you and yours had a good season together. Christmas in China is a downright dreary experience, but fortunately I have the salts of the Earth to keep things in perspective. Thanks also for the compliments on my work. I was anticipating less, and was pleased to see that it turned out as well as it did. You are right though, the next pair will be an entirely different experience. I had a question though. When holing the insole for the second pair i tore out two of the holes with too much upward pressure, and was wondering if there are any effective ways to remedy this? I was thinking about skiving some sole leather to just the top grain and using the strongest contact cement i have to patch the area that tore out and then just using a strip of that pig skin to try to reinforce the area, but before doing so I wanted to consult you and see if you had any better suggestions? Thanks again Nick

Good news! First boot is done! Everything turned out quite well with the exception of the area around the welt. When I sculpted the holdfast I sculpted part of it wrong, so the welt didn't sit securely under the holdfast. When I sewed on the welt it sat good and tight against he side of the last on the vamp, but when I turned it down it did tear out a little bit as expected. It's not terrible though, and it's not really noticeable. I am concerned that he vamp will tear out, but not expecting it to for a fair while. Anyway, here are some pictures of the fist boot and the second one is well on it's way.

All of the test lasts I did used lasting allowances at least twice as long. Lesson learned for future endeavors. I think the book mentioned a 15 mm lasting allowance for economy when doing pattern designing for factories and the like, not sure though. Unfortunately about the types of tanning for leathers here chrome tan is pretty much the norm, with veg tan not being so widely available. The toe box will indeed be leather. I have already figured out what I will do I think. I am also wondering if having a welt made of heavier or stronger leather will help with the last allowance being damaged in some areas. I also figured out a potential solution to the potential for the holdfast to tear with use. I figure I can put a layer of pig skin over the whole insole but not overlapping the welt on the underside, and then stab holes in it that coincide with the holdfast, that way there will be an extra layer of stronger leather between the stitches and the holdfast, hopefully improving wear. Since it has a second layer of upper leather in the form of the 'brogue' toe cap I think it would already be able to hold it's shape fairly well, but aware that it's still going to be soft I planned to skive down some of my sole leather to an appropriate thickness, mull it for a while then let it dry for few hours so that it's moist all the way through, but not wet, then apply it like any normal toe box. If what I read is right then I don't need to cut the toe box to extend below the feather edge, right? Thanks for the compliment

I like the idea of a sealant behind the holes. A band of 1 1/2 to 2 ounce leather, skived along the edges, and glued in place would work also. I have used the silicon method that I mentioned before to back the stitching. I though hard about adding a strip of lining leather to help back it, but I decided against it because when I put it on the last the band was visible on the surface, but I think I will figure out a solution to this in my next pair. An inverted seam involves a seam allowance (say about 5mm) skived and stitched right sides together. Spread the seam allowance, glue it down, and press flat. I did the lining up how I mentioned before, but I think I misunderstood the concept of an inverted seam. However I think that the lining turned out alright. A bellows tongue is a good idea, but challenging. I've done a few. I think I more or less got the bellows tongue down here, but i didn't measure it perfectly, so the shape ended up a tad strange, and too wide at the top. A challenge they are indeed, but one that I fully intend to tackle again on my next pair. But you sure aren't afraid of challenges. Good on you. Can't grow without challenges and tribulations, right? On a side note, I am a little bit frustrated with the pattern makers book I ordered. It is a SUPERBLY HELPFUL read, to be sure, but it's advice on a 15mm lasting allowance ended up being a bad call. It is entirely possible that I measured the vamps wrong when I was making my patterns, but with a 15mm last allowance skived to a feather as suggested in multiple pdfs I have read my lasting pliers took a bite out of a few spots around the lasting allowance. Luckily each piece torn off the vamp was no more than 5-7mm each, and could still be worked around to get the thing lasted, but I have concerns for their durability once the welt is in place and the insole stitched. Will need to think of a workaround for this problem. As a result of the last allowance problem the whole upper went on slightly skewed and wrinkled a bit. I am hoping to work out these wrinkles when I give it a second lasting after adding the stiffeners and adjusting the liner, which bunched up around the top of the quarters a little bit. Pictures though are, as they say, worth a thousand words. Also an important question. Should the welt be made from upper leather? or sole leather? If my thinking is right it ought to be sole leather, but I'm not totally sure.

Hey Paul, thanks for the compliments! The stitch holes that are visible are actually only exterior holes. Since all of them are seams I only punched holes with the puncher on the outer layers of leather. The portions of the seams that are not visible (the under layers) are punched with a waxed awl to help keep out water and dust. Not perfect of course, but ought to help. Additionally I am going over all the seams on the inside with a sealant like silicon caulking or something along those lines. As for the liner I'm not exactly sure what is meant by an inverted seam, but I think I have an idea. Would you care to explain it for me though, just to be sure? As for the tongue I am thinking about a simple full-bellows tongue. Comfortable, and better water-proofing/wind-proofing.

Here is an update on my boots. I have mostly stitched together one boot, minus the backstrap, closing the quarters and one of the facings. I am also having a bit of trouble deciding how to make the lining. I am thinking two halves, a forepart and counter/quarter sewn together in the middle and doing making a pocket for the counter stiffener and closing at the top with something like a bead made of softer brown leather. Here are progress photos