Pattern making

[danfreeman]

If I may go back a week to those seamless whole-cut shoes. I did not believe the following could be true when I first read it a few months ago: from Thomas Brophy, "Pattern Cutting Made Easy," 1889, (following a discussion of whole-cut and one-seam boots), "Mr. Bradfield, foreman pattern-cutter, Heather Bros. & Co., has shown me a prize shoe--Oxford cut, without any seam whatever, blocked from a solid piece of kip shoulder or calf skin." It's good to think about the shoemakers who went before us.

[dw]

Dan,

Nothing new under the sun. I may have a customer for a pair of men's balmorals with the golosh being seamless (except where it joins the quarters.)Yikes! I'm a little nervous. I like to always be pushing the envelope and I think I can see my way how to do it but...

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[danfreeman]

DW
Seems like unnecessary harassment of the leather to me: a single, closed seam on the medial side of the golosh should offend no one, and could materially increase the life of the uppers, if the leather was less overstrained than in the seamless version. Note the "to me"--I am cautious enough to disapprove of one-piece front Wellingtons, for the same reason. The uppers must be lasted tightly, and stretch to do so, but there is a point beyond which the leather gets damaged.
I admit, I am continuing my ongoing experiments with whole-front boots and wholecut shoes. The idea is fascinating, and the results can be beautiful or disastrous, but always interesting.

[dw]

Dan,

Once upon a time, following up on something Al said to me, I took some 2½ ounce veg lining leather and ruled out a grid of half inch (?) squares on the flesh side. Then I blocked it as for a full wellington.

Simultaneously, I did the same thing on the vamp lining for a dress wellington.

There was considerable distortion and attenuation of the squares at the margins of both pieces...obviously it was more on the full cut blocker.

But the interesting thing was that there was virtually no attenuation and minimal distortion over and in the near proximity of the central edge of the board....say, two inches on either side. And what distortion there was, increased as a function of distance from the blade of the board--such that even three inches on either side of the central crease the leather was not, in my opinion, over strained.

The upshot is that, in my experience...and I make almost as many full wellingtons as I do dress wellingtons...the leather that is overworked or damaged is almost always trimmed off or lasted under. Even on a size 12 boot.

There is...somewhere on this forum...a facsimile of that experiment--a direct from scan illustration.

Now, I am a raw newbie with these seamless oxfords, but having pulled this piece of leather over the last (admittedly only once and with a piece of marginal leather), my initial sense is that the stresses are somewhat similar as are encountered in crimping a full wellington...except different.

The point of greatest stress seems to be on top of the cone and at the back of the heel at the top. But...and here's where we find redemption if any is to be found...this process is less about stretching and more about re-distribution of surplus. [come to that, the same could be said about crimping the full wellington.] In fact, I was wondering how much the leather around the heel would open back up when I cut the pattern off the last. And I was thinking to myself that it might work out better than one would think as there is a heel stiffener that will take up some of the surplus.

I think the key to either technique is in the choice of leathers. Veg tanned or retanned leather will take a shape and excess can be compressed, redistributed and be expected to hold the resulting shape. Contrast that with with chrome-tans where any surplus must be stretched out. I have made full wellingtons using chrome tan leather but it is never easy or certain.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

(Message edited by dw on October 21, 2009)

(Message edited by dw on October 21, 2009)

[danfreeman]

Sounds good. I plan to keep trying.

[dw]

Dan, et al,

Here's a link to a pair of seamless wholecuts. First finished pair I've seen. Considering the maker and considering the overall appearance/effect...I'm impressed.

I posted a link rather than the photo because copyright considerations create caution.

Lobbs

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DWFII--HCC Member

[paul]

Could someone share how the edge at the laces are treated?

They're so close it's hard to imagine how it could be a turned edge, when the rest of the top edge does appear to be so.

Paul

[dw]

Paul,

The top line and facings are "beaded." That's nearly the only way you can do it with this style...regardless of whether it has a back seam or not.

I'm not sure what photo you're looking at but it seems to me that contrasting beads are not in great favour especially among European makers. So in the photo above of the light brown shoe, the bead is almost certainly made from the same leather as the vamp.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[romango]

Could someone share their procedure for making edge bead?

[kieran_ionescu]

Hey Rick. I have been making a lot of beading lately and can tell you what works for me.

I cut a strap about an inch wide and as long as the bead needs to be (i.e. the length of the top line). Then I run it through the skiving machine with the width of the fence set slightly shorter than half the width of the strap. So a little less than a quarter of an inch. I run through both sides so that what you end up with is the strap skived almost to zero except for a bead 1mm to 2mm running down the center. When that is finished I glue and fold the strap in half so that the little line that you left after skiving becomes the bead. Finally I cut a bunch of little triangles the length of bead but only about half the width( essentially it looks gimped) so that it will follow the curves of the top line. I find that if you do a folded edge along the topline the bead will nestle nicely against it.

This is just how i do it. I'll see if I can rustle up some photographs as writing is not my strong suit.

Also I find that Kid, because of elasticity works well.

[lancepryor]

Rick:

Without a skiving machine, I do this by hand. I cut a piece of leather about 3/4 inch wide by the appropriate length. Then, I basically skive/split it down to a sub-1 ounce thickness across its whole width using my skiving knives. I test it to see how it folds, and when it is the appropriate thickness, I use all purpose cement and fold it about 1/3 of the way in, then hammer it to consolidate the fold. It is a bit of a challenge and takes a while to do the skiving, but I guess it's good to ensure you are learning to sharpen a knife and to skive consistently. I then compare it to the top line and make triangles or slits where necessary.

Lance

[dw]

Rick,

It might interest you to see this discussion and the photo I posted there.:

bead

This is a little harder initially but easier in the long run especially if you are working with difficult corners and/or a closed top.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[romango]

thanks all.

I've been putting a string in my bead which generally was making it too large. Although a smaller string is a possibility.

DW, did you use string in your prior example?

My concern is that the bead have a nice shape.

[dw]

Rick,

Yes. Although I think it is not so necessary. If the leather is an even thickness, it should turn to an even bead. then the issue is to short or scant skive the topline edge so that it blends in nicely.

That said, I always do put string in the bead...it's probably a legacy thing from making boots for so long.

BTW, as I recall, I also put the topline tape in under the folded part.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[dw]

All,

I thought this short video was interesting. It shows an oxford made with one piece of leather. Spiral cut. Made by John Lobb/Hermes.

It's not something I've seen before and while I wouldn't claim that it's particularly beautiful or elegant, it is a unique take on pattern-making.

spiral cut oxford

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[kieran_ionescu]

Innovative... even if the music is a bit dramatic. Does that qualify as a wholecut?

[marcell]

I don't think that you can put it to any category.

[danfreeman]

That's just amazing. You can always learn something new. This would create a shoe that would confound the sophisticated shoe buyer, without stressing the leather or creating a stretchy counter point area.

[jkrichard]

10331.jpg

This was an awesome exercise in lasting.

[jkrichard]

I used water buffalo (chocolate --- in case you wanted to know...), and attempted Monday to dry last. It would have worked...maybe.

This morning I took the partial dry last off, let it soak in warm water for about 4 hours, then lasted wet in the evening.

I put a tack in the heel, then pulled the toe---not too tight, then medial pulls just north of the ball.

I went back to the heel and drew the large wrinkle aft. I added two tacks to the edge of the heel plate, then re-lasted the toe fore of the last until the heel plate.

I then separated the wrinkle, drawing material evenly to each side of the heel (two wrinkles) and then used the tiniest Berg-type beak pincers to make fine pleats, tapping the material and wrinkles down and below the feather line of the last.

This is at least...how I did it.

I'll let these sit and think about themselves for a few days, dampen the leather and come back in with finer pleats.

Now that I've seen this, I have to own a pair.

[marcell]

Hey, stop! I won't be able to teach you anything!

[jkrichard]

Marcell,
There is absolutely no (ZERO) probability that I will learn *everything* there is to learn about shoemaking by March--- much less in this lifetime... your position as master of the shop is very much safe.

[kieran_ionescu]

I didn't make these. Koji Horigome did, just thought that the last was interesting and the pattern must have been even more so.

Kieran

10341.jpg

[paul]

Kogi,

NASCAR?

Just kidding. Sorry.

I'd be interested in the story behind these.

Looks like a very clean job, so kudos are due.

With regards,
Paul

[kieran_ionescu]

NASCAR?

I think he went to the Cordwainers College in London. While they don't appeal to my sensibilities, I would love to see the lasts.

Here's another pair by him made on an equally bizarre last.

10349.jpg