Daggrim

Thanks again guys for the help. Ray, I know that the shoe rand was added around the 13th century...a small band of leather sewn between the upper and the sole , to help keep it more water tight. That was eventually made into a wider band, a welt, which stuck out from the edge of the shoe, to which was sewn a second, outer sole...the modern shoe. They've also found insoles which were just lain into the shoes. I riveted a pair of outsoles onto a pair of Viking boots, but I could do it only because the boots had a seam running right up the vamp, leaving the boot flayed from toe to ankle. I put in the rivets before I sewed up the seam. Not period, but very functional. The Norwegian reenactor who has them loves them for walking on rocks. Also, I'll be searching soon for the proper tools. Doug

Ray, Well I just finished making my 1st attempt at tunnel stitches. I just used a couple of 1" strips of leather to simulate a cross section of a turnshoe, and put 2 stitches in each side. Four stitches took me a half hour, and some genuine sweat, but I got 'em. Trouble was, I had to use a pliers to pull the needle and thread thru the holes. I didn't have a real awl, so I used a big S-shaped needle with a triangular section to punch the holes. Will a proper awl fix that problem? I used some artificial waxed sinew for thread. What kind of thread would work best? Thanks again for your help. Dag

Maybe the easiest fix would be to put some straps inside the back segments, and rivet or chicago screw them into the position you want. Daggrim

I've used steel wool on small pieces , trying to lighten some dye that was too dark. It took off some dye, smoothed the leather to a nice shine, and left a metallic sheen from the steel wool. Very cool, and something I've been intending to experiment with for my leather helmets. Doug

Ah, much more good info from you Brits. Yup, I'm prepared to rework a tool. Many of the things I own have been "improved". What makes me crazy is finding poor ergonomic features on a piece of equipment. Y'think after a (insert any number) years of making something, all the errors would be worked out...forever. But I swear I've bought things (car,stereo,phone,drill,printer) that nobody ever really sat down with and tried it out before it was manufactured. Doug

Wow...fabulous you guys. Now I feel like I know enough to buy a couple of awls and get to work practicing. Reading the museum book I bought about medieval shoes is like eating ice cream. Ummm. I can see where the shoemakers of the time didn't seem to mind a bit if they had to sew a shoe upper by combining four or five smaller pieces. So, it must've become quite easy to sew leather. I've been kinda hanging back, expecting it to be a difficult and painful chore. I suppose my trifocals might have something to do with that. Doug

Horns? Use 'em the way they were meant to be used...on your head! Daggrim

kwranch, Yeah, what you said. I really use the same method...materials+cost+show overhead, then if that seems way too high compared to other stuff out there, I adjust to where my gut is comfortable. Doug

Okay, I see. Thanks Terry, for taking the time to explain. Doug

Yeah, I think your word "unrealistic" is a good choice of words. That's a good word to hang my policy on, of not paying the folks a % of a custom order, if I take it while in their tent. That being said, I appreciate so very much that they invited me in. There's a huge celebration this year in New Ulm , MN of Hermann's victory over the Roman Legions, in Germany, in the year 9 AD. This 2,000th year celebration doesn't happen just every day, and there are dignitaries coming from Germay, and Roman Legion reenactors from Italy coming. There's going to be a big mock battle near the 34' high bronze (copper?) statue of Hermann. He stands on a pedestal about 50" high, on a tall hill, so he can be seen from nearby farm communities. Anyway, the point is, he wears a winged helmet, and since I already make leather helmets, it's an easy step to add some resin cast wings, and sell them as souvenirs at the event. I promoted my product to the Monument Committee, and they asked me to sell the helms in their own tent. Oh, yeah! They're only taking a small fee for each sale, so I'm just sitting here wishing I was two people, so I could make more helmets! Doug

Oh, so your awl is round in section. I thought awls mostly were triangular in section, with 2 sharp edges. Not necessarily so, it seems. I only have a couple of round awls, which I haven't used for any stitching, yet. Doug

Beautiful toolbox! Is that a recreation of an historical design? Daggrim

Hi Stephanie, and welcome. I sell my leather stuff at RF's, too...have been for 5 years. I gotta say, there must be something in the leather that makes people on this forum so friendly and helpful. Y'got gunners, and cowboys, and rednecks, and animal lovers, tree huggers, and people like me who play dress-up on the weekends, and everybody gets along just fine. Daggrim

Wow, I've never seen that trick where thr gallery pictures change as you drag across. Your website works real smooth and intuitive. Doug

Thanks PaganBear, I didn't know about that book. Is there a way to get a look at a sample of what's in there? I just purchased a book about turnshoes from ther Museum of London, and it's in shipment. A friend loaned me his copy, and now I'm hooked. So nice to have all the details explained, and photographed, and drawn out. Nice to not have to rely on one picture and some generalized info, then having to answer your hundred questions by making a pair of guesswork prototypes. Aaah, I'm gonna love this book. Dag

I'm having a few things consigned to a booth at a big show, and they're taking a small fee per item. No problem. I'll even be in the booth some of the time. But...would they get a fee if I take orders for a later time? I plan to have order forms there, and they could fill them out there, or take them home. Also, I might put pictures on my website, and they could order later with Paypal. Is there a standard way to handle this? Doug

Hello Yan, I also make Medieval things and sell them at Medieval themed events. It's always exciting to find another enthusiast. You'll find a wide world opened up to you on this forum. Also, if you're interested, you can see the kinds of things I make at http://leatherhelms.com. Welcome, Daggrim

Thanks Ray and Terry, Y'know, I've read about tunnel stitching and butt stitching numerous times, but with unanswered questions, I could only get so much of it. So, if you will bear with me one more time, tell me a little about the awls and needles you use. I'm a real beginner to this, as I opted to machine stitch my shoe soles to my uppers. I know there are discussions about using awls, but if you could give me a few basics, I'd appreciate it. I just ordered a book from the London Museum all about medieval shoes..."Shoes and Pattens". I borrowed a friends copy, and I'm hooked. So, maybe over the winter, I can get back to making shoes. (why do I do this to myself???) Doug

Ah, a curved awl and needle. So, how many holes can you make with the awl before you start stitching? I tried an awl once, but by the time I got stitching, I couldn't see my awl holes anymore. dag

I make a modernized version of medieval shoes, but I'd like to get into more authenticity. There is a stitch called a tunnel stitch, where the thread goes thru a hole in the flesh side of the sole, then exits thru the edge of the leather. Not thru the other side, but out the edge, where the leather's been cut. I've tried a few times, but it seems very hard to do. My first question is, how thick is the leather which is used for the sole? Is such a stitch ised in any other modern application, such as saddles, or tack, or clothing, or bags? Dag

So, an oscillating sanding spindle? Does that mean it also goes up and down as it spins? Daggrim

Beautiful job! How did you shine the metal parts? My 29k has a little rust, but I didn't want to start in with steel wool, as that changes the sheen to the ole recognizeable steel wool sheen. How did you get the new brass plates? Daggrim

Tom, As another leather helmet maker, I can only repeat what I said once before...Your stuff just slays me. You are the Master. Daggrim

Yes, I'll send you an email with an attachment of my pattern, and you can enlarge it. Sorry about the late reply, but I was focused on some other things. Give me a couple days to get some of my backlog shoveled out of the way and I'll PM you the pattern. And also, thanks to everyone who liked the shoes. I've taken them off my website for now, as they were eating my time up badly. The leather is 6-7 oz oil tan (difficult to glue), and sometimes veg tan. Doesn't make much difference. I like to put the flesh side out on the sole, for traction. Daggrim

I recently placed some moldy black leather in the sun for a day on each side, and it came clean. I suppose that any other color than black would either get a suntan, or the sun would fade some dyes. Daggrim