Bottoming techniques

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Re: Bottoming techniques

#451 Post by dw »

The next photo...in which I'm cutting the channel...may be a bit confusing at first because I not only marked a line around the perimeter of the outsole with pen but I have also made an initial pass with the knife. But if you click on the photo (to enlarge it) and focus on the point of the knife any confusion will evaporate.

Of course the channel is cut while the outsole is wet or at minimum well tempered. I find it advantageous to cut the channel in several passes not only because the leather is dense but because it gives me a chance to control depth and angle.
DSCF2846.JPG
Once the proper depth (inward and into substance), and the appropriate angle have been achieved, the channel must be opened. A bone or a stitch prick or even the handle of a channel tool can be use to begin with and then the "business end" of the channel tool is employed to fully open and "set" the lip of the channel. If an angled channel is used, a stitch groove is almost unnecessary.
DSCF2850 (1024 x 768).jpg
DSCF2848 (1024 x 768).jpg
TBC...
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#452 Post by dw »

Once the channel has been cut and opened...burnished open... the holes are made. This is done with a pegging awl.
DSCF2852 (1024 x 768).jpg
I don't know if using a pegging awl is historically correct or Traditional but I would hate to try to hole both the outsole and insole with a standard sewing or square awl. The reason for this relates to the next step--pulling the last.

In order to sew the outsole to the insole, the last must be taken out of the shoe and the stitching done inside the shoe. When the last is in the shoe, a pegging awl can make a hole through both the insole and the outsole simultaneously. And because the last is holding all layers taut, as well as providing a solid backing, there is no danger of pushing the insole away from the margins of the vamp and quarters as there would be if the last were absent during holing.

Even changing the point of emergence of a hole once the last has been pulled, is problematic. It can be done, but if you watch the awl point come up through the insole and see the stress that is placed on the insole at that point, it underscores the wisdom of holing the channel while the last is still in the shoe.

What's more, if a consistent angle is maintained while holing, the line of stitching inside the shoe will be relatively straight.

Of course, pulling the last...and then reinserting it in the shoe once the stitching is done...presents its own set of problems. If the last has a decently curved heel and the topline is properly tight, ordinary spring hinge lasts can put a lot of pressure on the backseam coming out...even tearing the backseam...as well as being almost impossible to get back into the shoe--which is also necessary.

All my shoe lasts are...someone correct me (Jake?) if I mis-remember...SAS hinge lasts. This type of last goes way back, maybe not to the 18th century but probably the late 19th. There is no spring in the SAS last and when "broken," the whole rear of the last moves forward and up so that the wide part of the heel puts no pressure on the topline. Almost any last can be ordered with an SAS hinge...really good for shoes IMO, but not so much for pull-on boots, in case anyone is wondering.

The following photo is of my one inch heel model:
DSCF1749 (1024 x 768).jpg
Much of this is a reprise of my previous photo essay on channel stitching (which I haven't been able to locate again in a casual search). It may be familiar but, even if it is old news to some, I suspect the photos and the commentary needs to accompany what follows.

to be continued...
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#453 Post by homeboy »

"All my shoe lasts are...someone correct me (Jake?) if I mis-remember...SAS hinge lasts."
Dee-Dubb......I believe you are correct!

Thank You for the tutorial! Well Done!

Adios, Jake

P.S. By the way, what's the spacing on the pegging.....3 spi?
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#454 Post by dw »

homeboy » Wed Feb 04, 2015 8:13 pm wrote: Dee-Dubb......I believe you are correct!

Thank You for the tutorial! Well Done!

Adios, Jake

P.S. By the way, what's the spacing on the pegging.....3 spi?
Jake,

Wait!! There's more... :uhuh:

The spacing I'm shooting for is roughly 4spi, but it's by eye and sometimes it may get near to five or as wide as three, I suppose.
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#455 Post by dw »

My first attempt at channel stitching came after I saw a video of George Koleff doing this with fuse or piano wire. It works and it's easy.

But of course, using piano wire or steel guitar string was probably not an option in 1767--when Garsault wrote Art du Cordonnier. Instead shoemakers of that time, and undoubtedly earlier, used bristled thread much like the thread much like we use for inseaming or hand stitching the outsole to the welt. I knew of the general technique but could never figure out how it was done.

It wasn't until DA Saguto published his translation of The Art of the Shoemaker (Art du Cordonnier) that I saw how I might do it with bristles. As Jake is fond of saying--"What one man has done....another can do."

But why would I want to? Simply because every skill that I learn increases my range and my understanding and my ability to reach the next level. Plus...in the right frame of mind...it's interesting, challenging and fun.

So...the next step is to create and bristle our threads. This is nearly identical to work most of us have done before and I decided to use four strands of thread like I might use when outsole stitching. After all, outsole stitching is really what I'm doing here...just in a little different manner.

I made up two twelve foot threads--one of contemporary long staple, wet spun hemp and the other of Teklon.

Like almost everyone who has unsuccessfully tried to get good boar's bristles, I use nylon fishing line for bristles. And since nylon can be cut to any length, I decided to cut my bristles twelve inches long.

And why not? No harm nor foul, as far as I can see. Nylon Bristles may be easily straightened between the thumbnail and the index finger...or allowed to remain curved to follow the interior of a shoe. Or, in the case of inseaming, deliberately tip-curved to match the path of an inseaming or sewing awl. Nylon bristles can actually be straightened, curved, and re-curved in the opposite direction...effortlessly and at will.

I split the bristles...as boar's bristles may be split...and wrapped and counter wrapped my taw. I waxed the taws and the split ends of the bristles with black hand wax and the rest of the thread with beeswax.

All of the following photographs are of the Teklon thread being used simply because...in my opinion...Teklon is one example where modern materials trump (are superior to) Traditional materials.

So...a couple of thoughts regarding hemp vs. Teklon: Good, truly long-staple hemp or linen is very difficult to find. Regardless of the quality, as an organic fiber it is vulnerable to the bacteria that thrive in a hot humid environment such as a shoe--it is food for both the bacteria, and perhaps for thought. By comparison to Teklon, linen or hemp is weak, weak, weak...inherently weak...although I admit to being heavy handed when tightening stitches. One strand of same diameter Teklon is stronger than three strands of hemp or linen yarn. Four stands of bare Teklon are stronger and more rot resistant than twelve strands of well waxed hemp. Hemp's greatest attribute...IMO...is to hold a Traditional recipe handwax and lock the stitch. Some handwax recipes stick to Teklon better than Traditional recipes. 'Nuff said.

As mentioned, I channel stitched one shoe with hemp and one with Teklon. Four strands in each case. I used a white, rosin based hand wax (for cohesion and strength) covered with a liberal application of beeswax on the hemp.

The taw notwithstanding, nothing but beeswax on the Teklon.

The hemp broke twice. Once when I pulled too hard down in the toe of the shoe because the thread had twisted a little (or crossed itself) and I feared that the stitch was not pulled tight to the insole; and once again when a broken strand in the thread refused to be pulled through the hole.

The Teklon never even thought about breaking, even when I tightened the stitch extremely tight.

One other thing about Teklon--it flattens evenly and consistently. An attribute which is essential to doing this work without wire...as the next installment(s) will illustrate.

Here is a photo of the Teklon thread ready for use.
DSCF2857.JPG
More to come...
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#456 Post by dw »

In the last installment I mentioned that I preferred Teklon over hemp/linen and although there are numerous reasons for that, one that I specifically mentioned was that it flattened evenly and consistently. To explain why that is important I have to step back and make sure we're all on the same page...

Channel stitching, the way it was Traditionally done, is a "shoemaker's stitch," directly connecting the outsole to the insole, with two threads (or one long one) and two bristles. This means that one bristle is fed into the hole from the insole side and the other from the outsole. All very well and good...until the stitching enters the forepart of the shoe where the holes in the insole cannot be seen much less found to feed a bristle through.

In Art du Cordonnier there is an illustration of the fundamental principle of this technique...the thread coming into the shoe from the outsole is pierced and the insole-side bristle is fed through that hole, folded back, and the insole-side thread pulled to the outside of the shoe far enough to extract the bristle from the hole in the thread. This leaves bristles on both sides of the insole-outsole. At which point, it is a simple matter to grasp the bristles in each hand and to pull the stitch tight.

I'm not going to do it that way....

Why not? Because, as we all know, the smaller the hole that the thread is passing through the tighter and more secure the stitch will be. Piercing the thread like this and pulling the inside bristle to the outside requires a hole large enough to accommodate the equivalent of three thicknesses of thread. Not exactly a tight seal.

But I am still going to do a shoemaker's stitch with bristles on each end of my thread.

This is a technique I learned from my teacher many years ago when I was learning to inseam. I think most of us learned that when we hole the insole the sewing awl we choose is critical....not too small but not too big, either. There should be some fairly strong resistance pulling the thread through the hole. The hole has to be small enough to close down around the thread.

There are times, however, when everything seems perfect and yet for one reason or another you cannot get one of the bristles to pass through the hole in the holdfast. We can ream the hole out with the sewing awl but short of actually making the hole bigger...sometimes nothing seems to work.

My teacher taught me that in such circumstances the point of the recalcitrant bristle could be twisted into the center of the thread and and "carried" through the holdfast by the other thread. And the hole in the holdfast would not need to be made larger.

So that's the technique I am using here--rather than pierce the thread and feeding the bristle through the resulting hole, I am going to twist the tip of the inside bristle within a flat spot on the incoming thread and pull it through. Instead of three thicknesses of thread having to go through the hole, it is only one and a half.

The following photo shows the flat spot in a section of Teklon:
DSCF2892.JPG
Despite what it may seem, flattened like this the Teklon is a fairly even mesh...the striations that look like separations in that mesh are either discolourations or so minute as to be immaterial.

Now contrast that photo with this one of the same process of flattening in hemp:
DSCF2860.JPG
Notice the distinct separation of the yarns...leaving gaps between each strand. Although I learned this technique with hemp / linen, it was in threads that were fairly tightly twisted and comprised of ten or more strands. Moving to a smaller number--four in this case--of strands, less tightly twisted, becomes problematic for this technique. And flattening the the thread abrades the hemp to the point where it is more easily broken.
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#457 Post by dw »

When we begin to channel stitch, we need to wet the channel and insofar as is possible the insole. We also need to reopen the holes with an awl...which remains in our hand the entire time we are stitching.

We start in an area of the shoe that is readily accessible. And as a consequence, the bristles can be fed into the holes with little or no problem for several inches. But at four to five spi, twelve to fifteen stitches (or less) is getting into the front of the shoe and out of reach of the bristle.

At that point, and all around the forepart of the shoe, the added length of the bristles and this technique makes an almost impossible job do-able...even easy once the technique is mastered.

So I've stitched several inches and can no longer access the hole in the insole. With my right hand, I feed the bristle coming from the outside of the shoe through the hole that runs through the outsole and the insole. The bristle, being long, finds its way to a point in the waist where I can easily reach it with my left hand. I pull the bristle and about an arm's length of thread through the shoe.

Not too far from the tongue of the shoe I wrap the incoming thread over the thumbnail of my left hand and flatten the thread with the blade of the awl or the handle of the awl, if you prefer.
DSCF2863.JPG
If the thread is well waxed (with beeswax) the flat spot may be lifted off the thumbnail and held with the thumb and index finger of the right hand.

The thumb and index finger of the left hand carefully places the tip of the bristle that will be carried through the insole into the center of the flat spot.
DSCF2873.JPG
The thumbnail and index finger of the right hand are shifted to clamp the tip of the bristle in the center of the thread and the thumb and index finger of the left hand begins to twist the flat spot around the bristle. If the thumb nail and index finger of the right hand are very slightly loosened at this point, the twists will move forward and cover and encapsulate the tip of the bristle.
DSCF2877.JPG
At which point the thread from the outsole side may be pulled, carrying the other bristle through the holes in the insole and outsole such that it may be grasped, separated from the carrying thread and pulled free of the outsole. Now we have...once again...bristles on both sides of the shoe--inside and outside.

Using Teklon, I never lost the bristle nor did I break the thread even though I was pulling quite strongly.

As mentioned I broke the hemp twice and had the bristle come out of its wrap too many times to cry about.
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#458 Post by dw »

It is important to pull the newly arrived bristle and the trailing thread first and by itself. This tightens the stitch on the inside of the shoe. Then and only then pull the thread inside the shoe to tighten the stitch on the outside--in the channel.

All twisted threads have a tendency to twist as they are pulled through a small hole...made smaller by having another thread in it. Additionally, when you are working down inside the toe of the shoe the thread will be at a fairly steep angle as it is being tightened down. Twists and even knots can develop if care is not taken. It's not often a problem, but even less so if you tighten down the hidden, inside part of the stitch first.

Throughout the entire process the insole and channel should be kept damp.
DSCF2882 (1024 x 768).jpg
DSCF2880 (1024 x 768).jpg
It might be noted that with only momentary lapses, the bristles may be...and should be...kept in hand--never dropped to land on the floor or to accidentally (Murphy's Law) develop a knot.

Once the entire outsole has been stitched, we need to close up the channel.

First thing is to again wet the channels and then burnish them down flat and close. You can make the channel cuts virtually disappear, if you work at it.

Let this dry thoroughly...a day at least.

When everything is dry, gently open the channel...slightly...and apply paste or cement or even Titebond III. Close the channel down and in the case of paste or any other slow drying glue drape a heavy sandbag over the outsole to allow the channel to cure in the closed position.

In the following photo, I closed the channel with organic hot melt glue--hot rosin softened with a bit of beeswax and a drop of jojoba oil. My rosin melting cup had some pitch in it and it got a little darker than I wanted. But even though I had to work quickly and in short stretches, it sealed the channel up immediately with no clamping or pressing or weights. Whether it will prove flexible enough to withstand the rigours of walking remains to be seen. But I suspect...I hope...it's only a matter of adjusting the softening agents.
DSCF2886 (1024 x 768).jpg
So that's it...that's Traditional channel stitching with two bristles...as interpreted by me.

I am going to Topy the forepart of this shoe but it could stand on its own as an alternative to a cement sole, or by mounting a thinner outsole and cutting it wide to serve as a "welt," form the basis for a hand-done Blake/Rapid construction

I may have one more installment in which I post photos of the shoe as it nears the finish and is completed.
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#459 Post by amuckart »

How thick is the teklon you're using compared to, say, 3 strands of #10 hemp?

I'm keen to try it but for the round closing I do in 1.5mm calf anything much thicker than the 3 strands of No.10 that I normally use is too thick.

I have a lot of long-staple dry spun hemp, which is the good stuff but it's new old stock from the 40s and is very variable in its strength. Sometimes it's good, and sometimes it snaps the first time I pull a stitch up so I'm keen to try teklon.

Thanks.
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#460 Post by dw »

amuckart » Sat Feb 07, 2015 2:19 am wrote:How thick is the teklon you're using compared to, say, 3 strands of #10 hemp?

I'm keen to try it but for the round closing I do in 1.5mm calf anything much thicker than the 3 strands of No.10 that I normally use is too thick.

I have a lot of long-staple dry spun hemp, which is the good stuff but it's new old stock from the 40s and is very variable in its strength. Sometimes it's good, and sometimes it snaps the first time I pull a stitch up so I'm keen to try teklon.

Thanks.
I'm using four stand Teklon for this work. Each strand is a little thicker than one strand of hemp yarn. So you'd probably have to step down to two or three strands of Teklon to get comparable weight. I use two strands of Teklon when I'm round closing and three strands of Teklon when I'm outsole stitching. I use one strand of Teklon when making the stay stitch at the bottom of oxford facings.

I don't think I could break one strand of Teklon unless it kinked up or had a knot in it. If it does, tightening the kink/knot creates enough momentary heat (from friction) that the thread melts (?) and breaks. Even nylon fishing line will do that--a knot in, say, 12lb. tippet can reduce the strength by more than half.
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#461 Post by amuckart »

dw » Sun Feb 08, 2015 1:24 am wrote:I'm using four stand Teklon for this work. Each strand is a little thicker than one strand of hemp yarn. So you'd probably have to step down to two or three strands of Teklon to get comparable weight. I use two strands of Teklon when I'm round closing and three strands of Teklon when I'm outsole stitching. I use one strand of Teklon when making the stay stitch at the bottom of oxford facings.
Thank you. Are you getting multi-strand teklon and separating then re-plying it? According to the email I got from Maine Thread they sell 8 and 9 ply, but I don't know what a "ply" is in this context.

If one strand of 8 ply is comparable to a strand of hemp, or to 3-4 strands of hemp, I'll buy some straight away.

Thanks.
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#462 Post by dw »

amuckart » Sat Feb 07, 2015 9:46 pm wrote:
Thank you. Are you getting multi-strand teklon and separating then re-plying it? According to the email I got from Maine Thread they sell 8 and 9 ply, but I don't know what a "ply" is in this context.

If one strand of 8 ply is comparable to a strand of hemp, or to 3-4 strands of hemp, I'll buy some straight away.

Thanks.
am,

Each "ply" is a "strand"...so 8 ply is 8 strand.

I regularly use unwaxed 8 ply to inseam with. I also bought three colours of unwaxed 4 ply--black, brown and white (they have raspberry and turquoise :shocked: ). Sometimes I will un-ply the four strand to make three or two or even one. But I never unply the eight.

For inseaming I rewax with handwax that I make myself. Sometimes I get it near perfect and it sticks to the Teklon almost as well as to hemp.

When comparing hemp or linen to Teklon just consider this: Each strand of hempen yarn is comprised of twisted fibers of flax or hemp. Seldom, if ever...at least in contemporary times (and that goes back into the 1940's...are those fibers longer than three or four inches. Retted flax is made up into stricks for spinning and the fibers can be 36" or more. I've seen it. So "long staple" doesn't mean much when the definition is dumbed down to "anything longer than an inch." That's why one strand of "long staple" hemp yarn can be broken by looking at it hard.

The fibers in a strand of Teklon are each as long as the strand...cut a strand 12 foot long and every fiber in that strand will be 12 foot long. That's why one strand of Teklon is so very, very hard to break (tried again today).
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#463 Post by amuckart »

dw » Sun Feb 08, 2015 5:47 pm wrote: Each "ply" is a "strand"...so 8 ply is 8 strand.

I regularly use unwaxed 8 ply to inseam with. I also bought three colours of unwaxed 4 ply--black, brown and white (they have raspberry and turquoise :shocked: ). Sometimes I will un-ply the four strand to make three or two or even one. But I never unply the eight.
Ahh, that makes sense, thanks. Maine Thread told me they only had 8 or 9 strand available. If I could get 4 strand that would be pretty good for my purposes and presumably much easier to un-ply and re-ply than the 8.
dw » Sun Feb 08, 2015 5:47 pm wrote: When comparing hemp or linen to Teklon just consider this: Each strand of hempen yarn is comprised of twisted fibers of flax or hemp. Seldom, if ever...at least in contemporary times (and that goes back into the 1940's...are those fibers longer than three or four inches. Retted flax is made up into stricks for spinning and the fibers can be 36" or more. I've seen it. So "long staple" doesn't mean much when the definition is dumbed down to "anything longer than an inch." That's why one strand of "long staple" hemp yarn can be broken by looking at it hard.
I'm completely sold on the structural merits of teklon, but everything I do is historic reproduction work so hemp is the correct thing to use, even if it's not the best thing to use.

I have a gross or so of balls of 1940s hemp and the staple length in that is good but not great at around 6-12". It's old enough to be brittle now though, and I routinely break 3 strands of it when I'm closing. A lot of flax grows in NZ and I've been tempted to rett some but it's a lot of work and I'm a bit useless with a drop spindle.

If I can get teklon to look exactly the same as hemp then I'll be happy with that for most things even if it's likely to make Al and the Volken's cry :uhoh:
dw » Sun Feb 08, 2015 5:47 pm wrote: The fibers in a strand of Teklon are each as long as the strand...cut a strand 12 foot long and every fiber in that strand will be 12 foot long. That's why one strand of Teklon is so very, very hard to break (tried again today).
They're also many many times stronger individually than hemp, which doesn't hurt :)
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#464 Post by lancepryor »

DW:

Thanks for this. Very interesting and well done.

So how long does it take you to sew one shoe using this technique (with the Teklon)?

Lance
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#465 Post by dw »

Alistair,
amuckart » Sat Feb 07, 2015 11:37 pm wrote: Ahh, that makes sense, thanks. Maine Thread told me they only had 8 or 9 strand available. If I could get 4 strand that would be pretty good for my purposes and presumably much easier to un-ply and re-ply than the 8.
Well, of course you could un-ply the 8 ply it, it's just a hassle. When I first started dealing with them they didn't have unwaxed Teklon available. But I talked to Rusty and he made it available. I haven't ordered in a year or two, maybe...hopefully...it's just a question of asking for unwaxed 4 ply.
I'm completely sold on the structural merits of teklon, but everything I do is historic reproduction work so hemp is the correct thing to use, even if it's not the best thing to use.

I have a gross or so of balls of 1940s hemp and the staple length in that is good but not great at around 6-12". It's old enough to be brittle now though, and I routinely break 3 strands of it when I'm closing. A lot of flax grows in NZ and I've been tempted to rett some but it's a lot of work and I'm a bit useless with a drop spindle.

If I can get teklon to look exactly the same as hemp then I'll be happy with that for most things even if it's likely to make Al and the Volken's cry :uhoh:
My wife spins and she has offered to spin up some for me but it's not an insignificant task and I'm happy with the Teklon.

Beyond that, think about this: If you can't get true long staple linen or hemp yarn that has Traditional strength...and is not brittle...then you're not being historically correct, either.

At a certain point...as with my attempts to do channel stitching ala Garsault...we do Traditional or historical work for two reasons:

1) Because we are convinced it yields a superior...perhaps even arguably, more elegant...shoe or boot.

And 2) because we wish to experience the rigours and joys that the Elder Shoe Gods (the "old guys") experienced.

If your linen thread is breaking regularly and you have to struggle to find a rhythm in the work, or the "ease" that the those old guys experienced when sewing, it kind of undermines the whole authenticity and correctness of the experience...both for the maker and for the customer.

It would for me, at least.
They're also many many times stronger individually than hemp, which doesn't hurt :)
Rot resistant (rot proof, actually), as well. :)
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#466 Post by dw »

lancepryor » Sun Feb 08, 2015 5:57 am wrote:DW:

Thanks for this. Very interesting and well done.
So how long does it take you to sew one shoe using this technique (with the Teklon)?
Lance
Lance,

Thank you...and you're welcome.

How long? I dunno...I'm by no means expert on this technique although mastering the "twist" was a big hurdle. And, of course, it's hard to factor in the channeling and the holing, as well as the making of the threads. Plus, I am admittedly slow--age and a firm belief that "speed kills" (or creates knots where you can't see them) contribute to my leisurely approach. Jake could probably cut my time in half right out of the gate.

That said, when I'm not breaking hemp, I think I could probably sew up one shoe in a couple of hours. :greatnotion:
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#467 Post by homeboy »

Dee-Dubb,

Much appreciated and very well done! :lurk:

Adios, Jake
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#468 Post by dw »

homeboy » Mon Feb 09, 2015 6:12 am wrote:Dee-Dubb,

Much appreciated and very well done! :lurk:

Adios, Jake
Yr. Hmb. Svt...:beers:
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#469 Post by dw »

Here's a couple of photos as I began to finish the shoes:
DSCF2920 (1024 x 768).jpg
DSCF2936 (1024 x 768).jpg
DSCF2938 (1024 x 768).jpg
Crowing in the waist with a new Alford crow wheel
DSCF2943 (1024 x 768).jpg
Finished shoe in Gallery
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#470 Post by grenik »

Can you comment on the technique used for the heel of this shoe?

Did you do layer-by-layer? Rough shape and then finish in some way (looks like heat marks on the unfinished heel)? How do you get the light and dark layers in the heel?

Thank you.
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#471 Post by dw »

grenik » Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:34 pm wrote:Can you comment on the technique used for the heel of this shoe?

Did you do layer-by-layer? Rough shape and then finish in some way (looks like heat marks on the unfinished heel)? How do you get the light and dark layers in the heel?

Thank you.
Just stacking one layer of good quality outsole leather on top of the other, leveling and pegging between layers--no nails.

The differences of colour just occur naturally depending on where in the hide/bend the lifts are cut.
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#472 Post by grenik »

dw » Fri Mar 13, 2015 4:39 pm wrote:
Just stacking one layer of good quality outsole leather on top of the other, leveling and pegging between layers--no nails.

The differences of colour just occur naturally depending on where in the hide/bend the lifts are cut.
Thank you for the info here and regarding the toe treatments.

Cheers.
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#473 Post by Habitab »

I found this pair of shoes online:
Image

I was struck by the line of stitching that goes around the outside of the sole. I've not seen that before.
Is this shoe most likely cemented in construction, and the line of stitches is 100% for looks? Or is this an actual technique that people do sometimes?
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Re: Bottoming techniques

#474 Post by dw »

Habitab » Mon Mar 30, 2015 5:44 pm wrote:I found this pair of shoes online:

I was struck by the line of stitching that goes around the outside of the sole. I've not seen that before.
Is this shoe most likely cemented in construction, and the line of stitches is 100% for looks? Or is this an actual technique that people do sometimes?
Yes, cemented or injection molded.

And yes, the stitching is just for looks...no real utility, no real function. A form of bonwelt.
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Re: The Gallery

#475 Post by valeriy »

Hello to all.Certainly, many people will be interested to know what the bearing edge is cut from the best areas of the skin. And he is cut in the form of a circle or ellipse, it is written in the textbooks on shoemaking craft from the second half of the last century.Western masters edge cut in the form of straight lines,of course so convenient and advantageous in terms of cost,but quality suffers from this, as the straight edge is subjected to strong deformation during the sewing at the toe.I was not satisfied even with the edge cut in the form of an ellipse or circle.I also wanted that edge perfectly sewn and fits without strain, and I was the edge cut by the shape of the insole to which it needs to be sewn. The quality of performance naturally increased.So I sew the edge for many years and now decided to unveil this technology. I think. for customized (bespoke) footwear bearing edge should be clipped that way.What is Your opinion?
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