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Hello all, First off, Ill start by pointing out that I am not a shoe/boot maker and have never made a pair. I have absolutely no experience in this field although I have been leather crafting accessories for a few years. That said; I'd like to take a stab at making a rough pair of boots. I'm not really interested in learning how to carve a pair of lasts out of wood at this point as it seems that this is an art of its own. Rather, I'd like a more simple way of making a pair of lasts. I've done a bit of reading about using a pair of old boots/shoes to pour some sort of resin/foam into to get a rough last shape out of, then shaping it. The problem is, the only information I've found about a substance which can be nailed into without cracking is this smooth-on foam #25. Which apparently is dense and rigid enough to put a nail into, but flexible enough to avoid cracking, according to a user in another thread. This foam used in combination with a thin layer of bondo apparently will do the job for a couple of pairs of boots/shoes. Problem is, this foam is $185 a gallon. This is completely unreasonable for me as I'm just doing this as a hobby. I also wonder if this foam would be rigid enough to stretch the leather over without altering the shape of the "last". Is there some other resin or plastic combo or otherwise I could use to achieve a "nail-able" and rigid material? Could I just melt some recyclable HDPE? Or would that deform the shoe I plan on using to pour the substance into? I need something that won't hurt my wallet, and is hard enough that I can form leather with it, but not so rigid that it would crack when nailed into. I really hope someone has some experience with this! Thanks again, Zayne

Hello all, First off, Ill start by pointing out that I am not a shoe/boot maker and have never made a pair. I have absolutely no experience in this field although I have been leather crafting accessories for a few years. That said; I'd like to take a stab at making a rough pair of boots. I'm not really interested in learning how to carve a pair of lasts out of wood at this point as it seems that this is an art of its own. Rather, I'd like a more simple way of making a pair of lasts. I've done a bit of reading about using a pair of old boots/shoes to pour some sort of resin/foam into to get a rough last shape out of, then shaping it. The problem is, the only information I've found about a substance which can be nailed into without cracking is this smooth-on foam #25. Which apparently is dense and rigid enough to put a nail into, but flexible enough to avoid cracking, according to a user in another thread. This foam used in combination with a thin layer of bondo apparently will do the job for a couple of pairs of boots/shoes. Problem is, this foam is $185 a gallon. This is completely unreasonable for me as I'm just doing this as a hobby. I also wonder if this foam would be rigid enough to stretch the leather over without altering the shape of the "last". Is there some other resin or plastic combo or otherwise I could use to achieve a "nail-able" and rigid material? Could I just melt some recyclable HDPE? Or would that deform the shoe I plan on using to pour the substance into? I need something that won't hurt my wallet, and is hard enough that I can form leather with it, but not so rigid that it would crack when nailed into. I really hope someone has some experience with this! Thanks again, Zayne

Truely Shoe lasts are very very rare to find. i found a couple stores locally that sells them. One of the stores sells only in dozens and for female foot - with varied sizes. Luckily the other store sells individual pairs for men sizes, BUT, my foot is size 9&1/2 and the last few ones they have are size 8&1/2 and size 8.... Having seen some youtube videos of cordwainers modifying their last shapes by adding cork boards, I went and bought the size 8&1/2 and some cork boards... i havent fully done the modification, but still is about half way and i've added about 3 layers of cork on the outer side. - My feet are fairly wide. As i see the lasts, they still need about a layer of cork more on the inner side... So my question is... Is there a limitation to this modification?.. is 3 layers of cork on one side ok?... seeking the wisdom of those who have done this.

As the title , how do I make lasts so l can make myself a pair of everyday boots. I have heard ofof plaster casts, feet in jelly and so on -but I want to end up with a pair of wood lastsI can make the boot directly onto. HELP! Best Wishes Claire

I was reading and watching a lot on shoe and boot making. I wanted to get into making my first pair of dress shoes or chukka boots but where I am having trouble is with the lasts. I don't know what model/style or size to get plus where to get them from. If anyone has any helpful knowledge or insights it'll be great. Neil.