Mablung

Okay, so it sounds like you pre-punch the holes and then stitch from the inside. Got it. That makes sense. I was proceeding on the assumption you were cementing the exterior half-soles, then punching, but I think I got that reversed. Again, appreciate your sharing your methods here. I like learning all this stuff and am always looking to learn from someone who has already gotten a good method in place, so I appreciate your answering my questions! And to the extent something is proprietary, since you want to make and sell your shoes around Nashville, feel free to keep some things back. This group is generally about sharing knowledge and methods, but that hardly obligates you to share all things, either.

How do you stitch on the half-soles? It appears they’re Blake stitched, but I’m not sure. I’m trying to figure out how to replicate that by hand, because that’s a neat design, but I only have hand tools and no plans to get a cylinder arm or dedicated Blake stitch machine.

Okay, that’s pretty cool. Thanks for sharing. I would love to see a sketch. Thinking I need to revisit turn shoes again.

Man, my mouth is watering for some brook trout from mountain streams. Best fish I have ever had were brook trout my dad and I caught in the Hoover Wilderness in the Sierra Nevada Mountains almost 11 years ago. Wild-caught trout from a relatively clean environment were just fabulous.

That’s pretty cool. You mind sharing a few pictures from different angles? I’m especially interested in the side seams and how the upper is attached.

Hope you'll contribute in the shoemaking forum. I've been working on making shoes and only made a couple so far, but I'd like to get into making more complex, sturdier models. Welcome to the forum! I grew up outside of Nashville. Find the right market to advertise to, and you can likely sell some of the shoes you're describing. Though, I will say, turnshoes do seem to somewhat limit the designs you can create. Even in Nashville, slightly more conventional designs might get a little more attention. Just a thought.

Nearly anything will work. Nearly anything will get stained and show dings. I have a piece of SB Foot utility side I use on my desk. Hearty stuff, and it shows dings, sweat, etc. If you don’t want to use an acrylic coating of some kind or chrome tan with a plastic-y top coating but want greater water resistance and a full grain, a Crazy Horse would work. Just think about what might go on the desk that you would not want to take up some of the pigments or waxes in the pad. Some people use veg tan to tool designs on a standalone mouse pad (rather than a full desk pad like it appears you have in mind), then seal it with Resolene or another acrylic sealer.

The first request you will get is for pictures of your current equipment to get a sense of shape, size, etc. You will likely need a fairly thin, supple leather and the ability to shape it around a form with padding. Probably a thin chrome tan cowhide, or more likely sheepskin or something with a similarly soft temper. Sheepskin stretches a fair amount, I discovered upon first trying to use it, but that just means it’ll require a little practice to work with.

Greetings and welcome. You can ask all sorts of questions and get helpful answers here. There are some things specific to firefighters that others have made, like radio straps, that showcase some neat work. Looking forward to seeing yours!

I’ve got that in mind for the right piece, too. I like the symbol.

Did you cut those pieces or use a kit? Either way, that looks fabulous. Excellent work! As to the snap, I can’t quite tell how tall it is, but most of your bulk comes from the thickness of the layered card pockets, I wager (my personal wallet looks similar). You may be able to reduce the bulk by skiving the edges, and/or reducing the number of pockets inside, and thus the number of overall layers. To hide the female portion in the snap would likely require a different style of snap altogether (that one looks like a line 20 snap). KAM Snap has been recommended on here and appears to be very low-profile, although I haven’t had occasion to use its products personally. I think @fredk can tell you more.

Snazzy. I like it, including the appropriately-Viking name. One of my friends at the local Tandy has a love affair with all things Viking, so he would like that.

I like the Celtic designs and runes. Did you stamp the designs and letters, or did you carve them? What is the item, exactly?

Agreed. Mine remains firmly squished in my front pocket most of the time, and I’d rather it stay closed and smooth easily than smooth when open.

Welcome! Hope to see some shoemaking posts from you as well.

I haven't used the hair blade tool of any sort, but I will say that one of my pals at the local Tandy store doesn't care for the newer version of the hair blade tool. His complaint is that it's not as sharp as a previous version, requiring more pressure to get an impression but without removing some of the very top grain like he wanted in order to make the effect more pronounced. Just figured I'd throw that out there.

immiketoo gave you the solution. Last piece I lined flat got wrinkled as well. I haven’t had the patience lately to try to line stuff on the curve and have just accepted I’ll have some wrinkling.

Did you glue the lining with both pieces flat, or on the curve?

My first thought was, "Ooh! I like it!" Excellent work. Few more pics of the ends and the strap and handle designs?

Thanks! And good idea on bringing the stitching to a point---I attempted to make the end stitching curved to avoid some of those stressors, but didn't quite succeed. A point would be better than a curve anyway. My dog isn't too bad about pulling, now that I no longer walk her with a harness but with what is essentially a head halter for dogs; much smoother walks now. She's a fairly lightweight Siberian Husky/German Shepherd mix, so I don't have the enormous weight of a Newfoundland or similar animal to deal with.

Thanks! Yeah, just gotta find the time to make it. Got a lot of projects in mind, but also a lot of pressure at work right now. That braid looks very neat. How do you do it? Haven't gotten into braiding yet.

Fun fact, SB Foot is a subsidiary of Red Wing Shoes and Boots. The tannery produces fantastic leather, including their second-run utility sides. I've gone through a couple of those for a whole variety of uses.

The business certainly has an attention-demanding name.

The very light edges suggest it’s not bridle, at least based on the bridle I’ve seen photographed on here. I’d guess it’s a tough chrome tan, or a dyed veg tan that didn’t sit in the dye for very long. Latigo is a similar color but looks more waxy and is struck all the way through.

Gotta be careful stretching a frog skin—might ribbit in half.