Limitations of Last Modifications

[AdamGadut]

are you suggesting to start with the cemented construction?... i was really hoping to do goodyear welted, and i believe this is very difficult without a proper awl.. Just really looking to make my own shoes - not selling them so not thinking too much about the elaborate tools - just the very basic ones to get started at least..

I was looking online for some tools, like the lasting pliers you showed, a french hammer, and a good curved awl. a problem i'm currently having is with the shipment - fees, and often, the Customs we have in our country takes too much heat on imported items - which delays everything from a month to a couple months. I can see how this will significantly delay this project and maybe my responses.

I did find a third party Shipping service that will take care of the Customs trouble for me, but they only ship items from US, not from China. So I ordered a book by Laszlo Vass about the subject from Amazon. 

 

[RockyAussie]

Yes I believe to start with you would be best to start with a cemented construction as it will give you more freedom to adjust the fit if required and there is a very high chance it will. Once you get the hang of how to close the upper onto the last you could progress on from there if you want.I am not sure if you have seen this man's video's yet but I would recommend having a look at this one at least.

Regards Brian

[AdamGadut]

Thanks a lot Brian, I thought about purchasing the tools, but it'll cost me more than three times the price of each due to shipping fees, and too much time to wait.. i tried creating my own versions... These are from the local hardware shop which cost me not even 1/4th the price of the shoemaking tools.. Since i can weld metal, i joined two different pieces to come up with a lasting pliers. Not really the best welding job, but it should be functional. The bottom of the hammer head on the lasting pliers will be covered by a coin. 

 

 

 

I considered picking this up as well- in place of a french hammer.. I can modify this to suit the purpose.. I'm open for suggestions.

 

 

[RockyAussie]

Well done. I think the pliers may be alright as the hammer part is mostly used to get the right leverage but the length of handle may give you more leverage than you want.Also I am not sure if the grip tip is not a bit too close to your hammer part. A longer tip shape would be better. I would smooth of the teeth a little and consider cutting handles back shorter to perhaps 20cm long.(50mm shorter) as I read somewhere you don't have a sewing machine and an over pull on your upper could be very upsetting. The hammer should be OK I think. Funny enough the main tool in the shoe making process of importance to me is the lasting pliers. Keep in mind that I had (and still have) a lot of special machinery for making shoes and I may not have all the best answers on how to do by hand everything.Would it be possible to post a picture of the type of shoe design you are wanting to make? Regards Brian

[AdamGadut]

the handle on the pliers are about 18cm long. it had some Rubber grips, that i put back in after the construction. I will sand off a bit the teeth on the plier head so those aren't too sharp.

Since its going to be a cemented construction, i wouldn't want to wear this very often... hmmm

some casual suede - 

https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=whole+cut+brown+suede+derby+shoes&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjE6ZCa9rrUAhWImZQKHaIlBL8Q_AUICigB&biw=1350&bih=572#imgrc=ktQgcgL8rLwd5M:

 

not sure if there's some level of difficulty depending on the design.

 

[RockyAussie]

Suede is by far easier to last up as you don't have to pull very hard to get into shape. Also less initial skiveing is necessary.Why do say you wouldn't want to wear this very often if it is cemented construction?

[AdamGadut]

the cemented construction is known to fail earlier than that of a goodyear welted. Plus, Suede easily catches dust..

is it alright if the suede we have is about 2mm - 2.5mm thick?... - for the top part i mean. - is there an ideal thickness for the top part?.

[RockyAussie]

For the type of shoe you showed in the link I would think 1,5mm max depending on what lining thickness you have or want to use. As I doubt you will have a splitter I would look for what lining thickness you can get and try not to end up with more than 2.5 to max 3mm with the outer skin.(roughly 1mm lining and 1.5mm outer) Most leather sellers will tell what is the normal weight for a given application in footwear as it about the most common and largest part of the market.How well a shoe is built and how the wearer looks after them is a bigger difference than the construction differences discussed here. I was doing shoe repairs for more than 10 years before going into making shoes and that really lets you know where things could have been done better and what parts wear out and why.Done correctly these shoes will last longer than you would want them for unless you like walking in mud and water.

[AdamGadut]

for me who doesn't have any experience making those, it would be worth knowing which parts you think would fall apart first and how to prevent those.

[RockyAussie]

The most common failure is with the sole either wearing through or coming unstuck. Separating at the toe is common and back to the widest part as well. I have no idea what tools you have at present to work with and some pics would help. If you want to send them in a PM that is fine. You will need a common steel last and stand as you see at a shoe repair place or a steel plate for the base of the lasts your building.If you are not familiar with any shoe repairing I must urge you to get friendly with a good repairer and get him to show you how to use the tacks and how they clinch in the job. You will want some (a good handful) of the shorter tacks. I think they are about 5mm or less.Instead of the glue around imitation welt as in the video I propose using a full midsole tacked on which actually does most of the work in holding things together and the sole will adhere to this in a far longer and reliable way.You can still use an imitation welt as well if you like but if you can not buy it they are hard to make with out a lot of tools.I will go through an old shipping container here and see what I can find to picture that may be of help. Brian