Vintage cobbler and shoe making tools

[Tastech]

This is new thread dedicated to tools of the trade related to shoe making and cobblers . It appears that we get a bit side tracked on some threads and the shoe making enthusiasts and myself "hijack" some threads and start talking about shoes, so this thread is dedicated to the subject.

I am a shoemaker and cobbler and have a passion for vintage tools and how they were used . I am also a collector of these tools and try incorporate them in my work . I am also a former metal fabrication and industrial engineer so i have the skill and means to restore them to their former glory . 

 In another thread about cowboy boots i offered to explain shoe makers lasting pliers , the types and their uses so here goes .

Lasting pliers are a tool specifically used by shoe makers for fitting the leather upper to a shoe last . There are various shapes and sizes including regional variations , shoe variations  and  for specific procedures . They all do pretty much the same thing but differently . Its not a tool that has multi function uses  but you could extract nose hairs if you really wanted to . They are like pliers but most have a curved beak with a solid protrusion on the bottom side . They are used for pulling the shoe leather over the last and putting nails in place to hold it in shape while the welt is sewn into place They are also used for glue down construction . As i have mentioned at other times it is a process . the shoe upper ( the sewn leather bit) is put over a last of the correct size , lined up back and front and a nail is place through the upper heel part to find center . The toe area is then pulled over using the pliers  and a nail place there. then back to the bottom of the heel and a nail placed there . The shoe is then eyed for symmetry and then the fun begins . Depending on what type of shoe will determine the ideal pliers. The pliers vary in curvature of the beak , the curvature of the handle  and the width of the beak . For the toe and heel of the shoe a narrow width pliers is ideal  because you make little folds to get around the curve of toe and heel . For the sides a lager plier can be used . The leather is pulled tight over the last using the pliers held in place with the spare thumb a nail is put next to the thumb and knocked in with the metal protrusion on the bottom of the pliers . So the lasting pliers are 2 tools in 1 . For pulling but also a hammer . The nails are not knocked in all the way because they are temporary .  most shoe maker i know have 2 pliers , wide mouth and narrow . Most shoe makers specialize with a certain type of shoe or a similar style so their tools will be tailored to their specialty. A mens lace up shoe maker has different lasts to a stiletto maker and a boot maker has his own preference as well . But we are talking preference here . Once you get used to your tool you tend to use that  and make use of what you got simply because you have a muscle memory .   

 Posted below are a couple of photos showing some different types and different styles . Top from left to right 

German  style marked 1 B  narrow mouth 

Chinese made new . ( cheap and has a surprisingly good feel to it ) I highly rate it 

unknown English wide mouth 

English Timmins  wide mouth , curved beak 

 English George Barnsley   medium /narrow mouth , moderate curved beak ( my favorite )

 English George  Barnsley wide mouth , Curved beak . (My second favorite)

 Bottom -Left to right .

English George Barnsley Bulldog pliers . Very rare and unusual . Sought after and expensive  . It is used to pull in the waist (shank ) area of heavy boots . The bottom handle straddles the last while you push down on the handle . 

Nordic / German pliers - wide mouth . They also come in various widths  and slight variations 

 Saddle makers pliers . Not exactly sure what they are specifically used for , but i think these too are referred to as bull dogs .

 My nieces lasting pliers - Narrow mouth -cut down . She can put a pro to shame .

English Timmins . Wide mouth  curved beak . Note the the hammer bit or anvil on the bottom . It screw out and can be tuned up or down to suit the weight you require . More of a boot makers plier but would use a narrow mouth smaller version if i find one . 

 The second photo shows the various widths and beak tapers .

 Most of these were rusted heaps of crap when i got them and gave them new life . some would have spent a whole working career with the one person and even handed down  to an apprentice . I really wish i knew the specific history of them all . The 2 barnsleys i use were handed down to me by Francesco Berlutti the master boot maker who taught me the finer details of boot making . he was the boot maker of none other than Benito Mussolini . Those pliers made boots for El Duce himself and i still use them to make my own . I feel like i channel old"Cranky Franky" when i use them .

 Any questions please ask . I got nothing better to do with my nights .lol

 

[chuck123wapati]

we need to copy and paste the rest of your previous discussion on this thread!! get it all together in one place. 

[Tastech]

@chuck123wapati Are you volunteering ?  Feel free . lol

I am not one to move the furniture around . If need be i can just do updates as they are required . I am sort of hoping there are a few more shoe makers on this site or come in from elsewhere and we can all really get into it and chew the fat .  I am on another forum , a shoe repair forum .which i wont name but they are a miserable bunch of geezers and all they want to talk about is keys .  I mentioned some where on here that those kiosk cobblers are like fast food workers .  Hardly masters of their trade . This is the place to be and   i love the collective knowledge that gets shared around  from professionals to beginners  in all aspects of the craft . Its funny how i will do a google search about some obscure  tools or machine and this site always seems to have a mention of it .

[chuck123wapati]

Just now, Tastech said:

@chuck123wapati Are you volunteering ?  Feel free . lol

I am not one to move the furniture around . If need be i can just do updates as they are required . I am sort of hoping there are a few more shoe makers on this site or come in from elsewhere and we can all really get into it and chew the fat .  I am on another forum , a shoe repair forum .which i wont name but they are a miserable bunch of geezers and all they want to talk about is keys .  I mentioned some where on here that those kiosk cobblers are like fast food workers .  Hardly masters of their trade . This is the place to be and   i love the collective knowledge that gets shared around  from professionals to beginners  in all aspects of the craft . Its funny how i will do a google search about some obscure  tools or machine and this site always seems to have a mention of it .

i'll do it for you no prob. no need to re write a ton of good info. 

[chuck123wapati]

2 minutes ago, Tastech said:

@chuck123wapati Are you volunteering ?  Feel free . lol

I am not one to move the furniture around . If need be i can just do updates as they are required . I am sort of hoping there are a few more shoe makers on this site or come in from elsewhere and we can all really get into it and chew the fat .  I am on another forum , a shoe repair forum .which i wont name but they are a miserable bunch of geezers and all they want to talk about is keys .  I mentioned some where on here that those kiosk cobblers are like fast food workers .  Hardly masters of their trade . This is the place to be and   i love the collective knowledge that gets shared around  from professionals to beginners  in all aspects of the craft . Its funny how i will do a google search about some obscure  tools or machine and this site always seems to have a mention of it .

here is a link to the rest of the info you have provided us previously. thanks again for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

[Mablung]

Neato! How do you figure out where to place the nails holding the upper in place? I’ve watched plenty of videos of shoe and boot making and am always just certain that the nail holes will be visible after completion. They never are, but why is about as clear to me as black magic. Are they simply hidden under the welt? The videos I have seen don’t show the holes being trimmed off as the upper is trimmed after lasting, so my only guess is that they are hidden. 

[Mulesaw]

Darn those look nice. 

Tools that have been passed down from master to apprentice is just so impressive compared to the general tendency of today with things being thrown away so quickly.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, that is further proof of just how great a forum this is.

Brgds Jonas

 

[Tastech]

@Mablung. The nails are temporary and get pulled out as the welt is sewn on .  They are then hidden under the welt . I do a carved leather sole  and try to get my nails onto the raised bit where i punch the awl through for the welt holes or right on the edge between the 2 edges . I don't know if you know what gemming is . ( not a word you hear spoken outside of a cobbler shop or shoe factory ) Its the factory way of attaching the welt to the inner sole . Rather than use a thick piece of leather and carve out what you don't need leaving a raised edge around the perimeter 6mm off the edge . Factories use gemming . Its a canvas strip folded and only glued to the innersole . The welt stitches go through the gemming picking up the upper and the welt . Any cobbler will tell you that when you resole a shoe the gemming will always need some gluing back specially the sides . I don't know why they just don't pass a stitch around it to hold it on . it would take about 30-45 seconds per shoe to do so .  A welt does not necessarily go around the full outside edge of the Sole . 80% of the time it starts and stops about 10 mm under where the heel is I posted a couple of videos on the cowboy boot thread showing a shoe making process . There you can see the carved sole . The youtube channel is called Terry KIM  there you will see the carved inner sole and how he attaches the welt .There are some aspects of the complete process missing because the editor either  thinks it is boring or he has a trade secret he doesn't want to share.  Shoe makers were and probably still are a secretive bunch . Some work side by side separated by a curtain ( like in a doctors surgery ) They have a little method or quirk they do't want others to see . But then again they are probably just wanking . lol

Nails for lasting pre welt are 30mm long and 1.2 thick ( you dont belt your fingers with that length ). I use copper coated nails because the don't stain the damp leather  . plain steel leave a black spot .

Fun fact . You used to buy nails in a box by the weight not quantity . Certain nails were labeled "sterilized " This is because you would put a few in you mouth to have them handy .  Either way you could still taste the steel . Some tacks came as sterilized as well because reaching into the the nail bowl you would prick you finger tips and they would become infected .  Nails and tacks are 2 different things used for different purposes .

[Tastech]

On the subject of nails and in particular heel nails . Have you ever wondered how heels are nailed on from the inside of the shoe  ? Or especially how boot heels are nailed on when you can hold the nail to start or get into the boot with a hammer ? We use a slide hammer . Every proper cobbler needs a slide hammer . They are specialized tool that not many people have seen or even if they have would have no idea what it is . I have never seen one for sale on Ebay or other sites . The only maker i know of is George Barnsley . They were out of production for over 50 years but they recently revived the old tool and did a production run . My old one had just about had it so i bought a new one . Not cheap but worth it . The tool is used on the inside the shoe to nail the heel block on .

Photo #1 the tool . You lift the ball slide and drop a nail in the side hole . with one knock the nail gets set

Photo #2 The nails . The nails are relatively thick with a spiral shaft for holding down and not becoming loose and even more important not squeaking 

Photo #3  You can see the slide mechanism. The business end has a tool  steel replaceable tip for contact with the nail.

 I use this tool mainly as a Repair tool for shoe making i use a heel press which is a small machine in itself .

The slide hammer is one of my favorite tools .

Actually now that i think of it there is a cheaper generic one on the market that you have to pull the slide right out to drop a nail in but it just doesn't have the sexiness of the George Barnsley  and unbefitting  of a gentleman . LOL

[Mulesaw]

@Tastech That slide hammer looks fantastic!
A couple of days ago I watched an English cobbler on Youtube who used one, though his was not nearly as good looking. I thought that I could try to make one myself some day.
Do you think that any regular cobbler/shoemakers supplier have got those special nails? 

Brgds Jonas