Aven

Rabbit holes are just so tempting. You never know what bit of arcane knowledge you might find. Yeah you might never actually be able to put it to use, but you know it. I'm a magpie in that sense, I love collecting knowledge. Thanks for the link I will check it out.

Boar bristles, linen thread, hand wax (coad) definitely old school. Enjoy the rabbit hole lol!

Steel bristles might be easier to start with. And you can buy a single guitar string size in bulk. Or you can hit up your musician friends for the E string when they change their strings. The boar bristle has to be split just right down to a certain point. The thread is laid in the split and then the hard part begins, doing the magical incantations and hand movements to get the tread and the bristle to be come one. I still can't find the video on threading onto the boar bristle.

Here are a couple of videos to add onto the loafer one. Steel Bristles Lisa Sorrell's Its a Boot Life Start at 4:30. Its a Boot Life Hand Stitching Start at 6:00

They are still used, but not like they once were. Now monofilament or split steel is the use for the needles. I had a bookmark of someone going through the whole process of waxing the individual linen threads together, tapering the bundle, which is what you have there, and then winding a bundle onto a needle, but I can't find it. If you go to about 29:45 you can see him using the inseaming awl and then the needles with the thread attached. Looks like monofilament to me. At 29:50 he using the awl again and you can see the tail of the thread on the right side of the screen. That's the "needle". Because the needle is the same thickness as the thread, it doesn't require a large hole to get the works through. Loafers Made by a traditional method

They look like what shoemakers used to attach the uppers to the sole. They didn't use needles. The end is tapered so a boar's bristle could be wound on to it and used as the needle.

It looks like it is linen. Is it in about 6 foot lengths?

I've made something similar for bike riders with long hair. Their hair got wrapped in one of these after it got braided. It needed to be a bit stretchy to grip the braid tightly. I went with snaps because of the thought of hair getting caught up in the velcro and getting damaged. No everyone is blessed with thick healthy hair.

Thank you for the link! Much appreciated. I'll dig into tomorrow.

Cool Beans. Thanks for your insight. I also got the rail system so warning taken. Right now, according to the tracking number, they have been handed over to the Canadian Post and but haven't crossed the boarder yet. I figure I will get them in hand by the end of next week.

I am not an expert by any means. I have only made unlasted shoes. But if I was making shoes for someone with high arches, I wouldn't adjust the last. I feel its going to be easier to put inserts in the shoes and tweak them than it is to adjust the shoes and last. How do you like the lasts from podohub? I just ordered a pair and I'm a bit excited to try lasted shoes.

Shoot me a PM when you get back into it. I'm always happy to talk about shoes.

Work, that evil necessity that can take us way from what we want to be doing. If you want to chat about it, you know where I hang out.

That is a good combo. Yeah, I defiantly have to work on my photography skills. They are actually a darker chocolate brown and a lighter Signal Corps orange thread. I see another rabbit hole to fall down.

I hope you find the spark to go and do it. The worst thing that can happen is that it didn't work out the way you wanted, but even then you will learn something and you'll be better prepared for the next attempt.

Thanks DieselTech. Gotta say I was dubious of his choice of thread, but I think the tangerine actually works.

My son asked for a pair of moccasins so I thought I would check out Dieselpunk's moccasins pattern. The pattern was easy to follow and put together. It took me a day to cut out, punch the holes and sew per shoe. Bear in mind I have old hands and a messed up shoulder.. So for others I think it is easily doable in a weekend. I uses Kudu Chromexcel 4/5 oz. Its a oil tanned leather that I think will wear hard. If you are thinking about/wanting to make shoes, but don't want to jump into it because of all the specialized tools/equipment that you need for traditional style shoe construction, I think this is a good way to dip your toes in the water..

Dwight, here's a link to Amazon. Yes. That's one of them. I agree kgg. That is enough of a difference in price to really consider getting one. I mostly make shoes so the patcher does what I need. I've torn up my shoulder, dominate hand of course and I think I am about as healed up as I am going to get and while it still bothers me, I'm not at the point of being willing to let a VA surgeon get in there up to his elbows and mucking around. I hand stitched my last pair a couple of weeks ago. The sewing was okay, but the punching was an ordeal. Now I'm looking at ways to work smarter without a lot of investment. Since it is at a relatively attractive price point I had hopes that someone had one in their shop and could give their thoughts.

We are all familiar with the $100 Chinese Patcher. Its pros and cons have been the topic of several threads. But there is another patcher available on Amazon, well actually two that look to be a major step up from the $100 tinkers delights. There is YEQIN 2973 Cylinder Long Arm Patcher and a short arm version. The body looks like its cast iron, but its not specified in the description. It features Features: -18" long cylinder arm, large bobbin, 360 degree rotating presser foot for sewing in any direction, 1/4" sewing capacity, can be manually operated manually with the handwheel but there is also setup so that it can motorized. The handwheel can be moved to the front of the machine. It uses needle sizes 16 to 22, needle system 135x17. It can sew cotton, nylon and polyester, thread sizes 46 to 138. The prices range for the long arm from $650 to $1200 depending on the vendor. The short arm goes from $399 to $700. Has anyone picked up one of these? It looks like it might be a viable option for a small shop or someone getting started.

I know that it isn't what you wanted, but I have to say I like it. I think the quiver would be awesome with the two tone. It would look old and well love, especially with tradition arrows. I know it doesn't answer your question of why, but sometimes the accidents are happy one.

I have to go to a leather working forum to hear about this. Jcuk, thank you for the heads up. Just ordered two 100 count boxes of Taylor's Scottish Breakfast. I think I will go back and order more. I can't imagine starting the day without a proper cuppa.

I just saw it for $40 a jar. I passed.

Oh, don't buy Jason's tool sets. You can buy everything you need individually for much less. PM me if you have questions.

You can look for used lasts on Ebay. If you have access to a 3D printer, there are vendors on etsy that sell last files. I can't speak to their quality or fit. You may end up having to tweak them. Sanding or adding with bondo to get a good fit that is.. Last come in two basic styles. There are those that are just a solid piece of plastic or wood and then there are those that either have a hinge or come apart so that you can get them off. If the shoe is high and the last is solid, it could be a struggle to get it off. If you are going to go the route of making your own, you might want to track down a couple of Last Designing and Making Manual by George Koleff. Walrus Shoe and Leather Co carries it. So does Sorrell Ngotions and Findings. It will help you take measurements to make sure that the last you have in hand will fit the foot. You might check with your library and see if they can track down a copy of it. You don't need to buy commercial sewing machines. You can hand stitch the shoe. It takes longer, but it is definitely do-able. The "modern" shoe was done that way for hundreds of years. You might want to check out Jason Horvatter's Boot Making DVD https://www.shoemakingschool.com/shop. Or even take one of his classes together.

They look great Walter. You know she's gonna want another pair or three.