Welcome Jeffrey!

Welcome Jeffrey
I must ask. Did you put the proverbial oar over your shoulder and walk to Oklahoma before some one asked you what that was?
Tom

Welcome Jeffrey,

You don't see too many submariners on the forum, although, it seems like a logical transition to me!
I too was in the submarine service and then later went to engineering school (metallurgical/welding engineering) and designed and built submarine propulsion plants. But, that was my previous life and now I'm doing something way different...
Goldsmithing and cordwaining (almost). There is so much information available here it would take several lifetimes to absorb it. Enjoy the ride.

Craig

Emmett - Had you asked me 5 years ago if I thought I'd be living in Oklahoma, making boots and shoes...I'd have told you that you were daft. Quite a change, but I wouldn't be doing anything different.

Marcell - Thank you. Your shoemaking videos on YouTube have been quite the discussion the last few days by myself and my fellow bootmaking classmates.

Tom - Surprisingly, this side of Oklahoma is busy with watersports...though, most of the folks out here have a motor attached to their canoes.

Craig - I'm always pleasantly surprised to find a fellow bubblehead in the 'wild.' Luckily for us, gone are the days of smelling like amine and diesel fuel--- hello leather!


-Jeff

Hello all, My name is Dan Hickman, I live in ne Okla. I have been to this site a while back and then just kind of lost track of it when I had a computor crash. Well I found it again. I just recently bought an American Straight needle machine. (last Sat) and was searching for a place to buy needles, and Crispin Colloquy came up as a source. Then I remembered what a great place this was. I have been out of the craft of boot making for a number of years. Although I never intended this as a busines, it is a great hobby for me. I have only made boots for my family and myself. And I am by no means a master. I have atended the boot and saddle shows , Brownwood and Wichita Falls, So I have met a few of the people that post here. I know there is a wealth of experiance and knowledge to be obtained here just by asking questions. Which I plan on doing just as soon as I go through as many of the old posts as I can. Thanks for a great site to leran from...Dan

Welcome! I hope you will find your needles!

Welcome Dan!

A post, made today, over in Sources, cites a company that sells American Straight needle hooks and awls.

Emmett

Hello! My name is Jan-Erik Melkersson. I live in Sweden with wife and three kids. I have been in the trade since 1976. Today am I making bespoke shoes and boots and some teaching.

The last pair that left my bench is a dressage boot shown on the photo. It is made as a sample boot for a course I will have in Brooklyn in the end of this month. From New York am I going to Wichita Falls and I hope to see some of you there.

Welcome Jan-Erik,

We're happy to have you amoung us.

Good luck with your dressage course, and enjoy the Roundup!

Paul

Janne:

Welcome back. I hope you will once again be a frequent participant here. If you are in touch with Pelle, please send a 'hello' to him as well.

Lance

Jan-Erik,

Welcome to the Colloquy..

Nasser

For those who don't know, Janne Melkersson is one of the best bespoke shoemakers in the world and he has the generosity of spirit and a confidence that comes of mastery to share and teach.

The forum just became a better place.

Emmett

Hi Janne! Welcome back! Finally...

Many thanks for the welcoming guys!

Emmet, I appreciated your kind words but I can assure you that I consider my self nothing but one of many bespoke shoemakers in the world and far away from the position you mentioned.

Anyway, thank you for welcoming and it will be my pleasure to share as it will be to learn from you all.

Janne,

Well hello there old friend. Glad to see you back!

Cheers,

Al

Janne,
We are delighted to hear from you again. It's a pleasure (if I may say so) to see a boot with no inlays!

Dan

Thank you all for the warm welcoming!

Dan,
well, the boot has no inlays but one row of fancy stitches as you can see on the counter cover :-)

Greetings, My name is John Woodward.I appreciate this site as I've been a visitor for a long time,and benefited a great deal...I'm in San Diego, make boots and other leather products, as well silver and goldsmithing.(woodwardboots.com).I hope I can contribute to our craft here ,and I get to know all of you in the process....John W.

Welcome John.

Glad you've joined us.

Do you still come over to Prescott once in awhile?

Paul

Hi,

My name is Alexandre and I'm a 22 french guy. I have no skills at all for the moment in the art of shoemaking, but I'm interested in it since a long time.
Actually, I'm a student in an engineering school an learn computer science and electronics. This is not the kind of work I'd like to do, but because I and my parents wanted me to have a nice diploma for job security, that's what I'm doing...
I took a year off this year to think about my life and I've been in Australia for 3 weeks. I thought a lot about what I could do, and the only thing that keeps coming to my mind is :" I wan't to be an artisan and to craft shoes". I have this dream for a long time now and couldn't imagine I could achieve it.

Now, after visiting a lot of websites on the subject, contacting a few persons, and watching available videos on the subject, I found this forum.
I won't be able to contribute much, but I'm eager to learn and will read as much as possible

I know it will be hard and will take me some years to be able to live from it but I'm ready now. So, if you have any advise on how to become a shoemaker, let me know!

Regards,

Alex

Alex,

Welcome to the Crispin Colloquy. You are among good company--there are a couple of ex-computer science types here who have seen the light, so to speak.

The main thing to know is that questions generate answers and answers generate conversation and discussion. So without questions...

enjoy and don't be a "ghost."

Emmett

Alex,

First,welcome to the Crispin Colloquy,i was almost your age when i started shoemaking,also my parents wanted me to be an engineer,I am glad you found this forum,i found it by accident too,here you may feel free to ask questions and whatever you need for tools and equipments and more and my advise to you is to be patient in the learning of boot/shoemaking and if you can find a shoemaker in your area to work with,that will be great,but we are here to help you in whatever we want to know.

Nasser

Alexandre,
" I wan't to be an artisan and to craft shoes". I have this dream for a long time now and couldn't imagine I could achieve it. "

Pour faire votre première paire de chaussures, est de trouver l'amour vrai.

Do what you love, life is too short to do otherwise. As a former nuclear mechanic (with a heavy sciences and engineering background), I know how it is to feel trapped it doing something that you're not entirely passionate about.

Do it, make shoes!

Welcome to the boards, Alex.

-Jeff

Thanks a lot for these very positive replies It makes me feel more confident in what I want to do!

I'll do a 1 day work experience in Andrew MacDonald's workshop next week, I can't wait to be there ! Will try to give you a feedback about this day on the forum.

Thanks again !
-
Alex

Hello everyone, I am a new member to this site. I hope to meet some great people and learn a lot about shoe making. I have been looking for a school in South Carolina, but no luck as yet.

Thanks

Sue