yesterdog

I am going to try though because, who knows, maybe I can do it. I do have some duplicate lasts and some singles to practice on. I do not intend to become a master bespoke shoemaker. That is out of my scope of abilities and I'm too old to start that learning curve. I am doing this as a hobby and to stretch my abilities. This is in no way to detract from the bespoke artists out there. I envy and honor their work. I do however feel there is a place for the less skilled to play with shoemaking. I make moccasin type shoes for my short fat feet and love doing it.

Thanks! It looks like I have some studying and practice to do. Sounds like fun to me!

Hello, I have purchased two nearly full runs of vintage lasts. One for men and another for women. I got a steal of a deal. What I would like to do is modify them to make soft soled shoes with a wide natural toe and no heel. They are made to accept what I think is 1/2" to 1" heel but I want to modify them to be flat and also modify the toe to a more natural shape,wider at the toe and ball. I thought I would just fill in the heel with cork and add width but fear that the shoe would become too high at the ankle. Maybe if I just grind off the front sole a bit to match the heel, understanding that I will not be using toe puffs and want a soft foot conforming shoe so the loss of height may not be an issue. I hesitate to ruin the lasts as full runs are soooo expensive. I would be willing to trade these lasts for flat lasts if anyone is interested . Also these are wood lasts and I wonder what I should use to alter them with that I can remove later? I have no experience in modifying lasts at all. Any thoughts?

Etsy has some lasts

I am interested. How much , what sizes and colors available? Are these glue down or stitched? Thanks!