Veg-Tan bellies: what to do with them.

[zuludog]

One time I bought a couple of bellies in a sale that were fairly thick, about 3mm in the middle and 5mm at the ends

I made axe covers and chest protectors for spoon carving, with an extra thickness glued onto the centre of the chest protector.

 

[chuck123wapati]

12 hours ago, ljk said:

I use bellies for shoe sole construction.  I case a belly for insoles.  While tacking the insole on the last I hammer the areas that conform to the foot.  The midsole uses a tougher stronger leather that will not stretch because the edge will be used as a welt. The insole and midsole using a inseam stitch.  A ancient method.  I sometimes use belly for outsoles, wear is not important as I put on sole savers.  Near 80 my eyes and hand work good, but my feet not so good.

That is very cool info. You should consider doing a few video's , if you haven't already, of you work so your lifetime of knowledge isn't lost my friend. I for 1 would love to see how you make your shoes.

[deboardp]

I'll be using then for mid-soles, since I'll be cutting out rectangles from the midsole to create channels for straps and stanchions. The other ideas are good, too. I can use them to practice stitching, testing my glues, trying out dyeing techniques, trying out my new DIY leather conditioner based on basic ancient recipes. I'm starting a new topic on that.

Edited December 28, 2023 by deboardp