In that sense, "relative" yes, but "equal", no.
Un hunh. Whatever you say... (I told you I'm not going to fight about this any more )
Marc
In that sense, "relative" yes, but "equal", no.
...Sorry if that has stung your sensibilities( Al & Mr. Carlson)
First, your cork question. Part of the question of construction is going to be just how pointed you want the pikes of the shoes to be, since the more pointy the toe, the less of a welt you are going to have to work with.
However, with mid to late 15th century pointy toed shoes, I'd have to say that the cork inner sole would be, um, an interesting combination of atyle details not generally found together at that point in history
Finding a sharp awl isn't that tricky. I know that Osborn makes a long pointed straight awl blade that isn't that expensive. I'm sure there are other suggestions as well.
The bristle question is an interesting one, and comes up fairly regularly. One source that's been suggested on various lists has been to contact CLEVELAND LEATHER. There are also other options, not the least of which are fishing line, steel bristles, and even very thin wire folded over and twisted. My belief is that you can use almost anything that is very thin, stiffer than the thread, but more flexible than a needle.
My suggestion for the code is what I tell most of my classes = especially when you are just starting, use beeswax and resin (which can be purchased easily at any music supply store in the quantities you need [you want the stuff that violinists use], although prices appear to vary by region and what only costs me a couple of bucks here, can cost as much as $10 a brick elsewhere.
When you finally decide that Medieval Shoemaking is where it's at and you want to do it right all the time, then you can join the rest of us on the perpetual quest for sources of pitch
My other major suggestion would be to practice that round closing [aka the "edge-flesh stitch"] regularly. Even when you aren't working on a project, sew scraps of leather together. There are certain aspects to it, like learning to feel the leather, how deep a bite you can take with your awl, how tight you can pull the stitches, and so on, that can only come with practice.
Not very. I think, strictly speaking the pikes of my shoes are shorter than 15th cent. fashion would have dictated, being only about 10 - 15% the length of my foot. I wanted these to be at least somewhat practical for walking about at events and such, so I didn't feel like doing the truly ridiculous long-toe look. I'm' also quite duck-footed (narrow heel, very low arches, wide, squat ball with short toes and very little taper), so creating shoes with a fine point would have required truly idiotic pike length.
I thought some of the poulaine/crakow style shoes I'd seen before had a fairly thick sole which could have had several layers of leather or cork. Perhaps I'm getting confused with pattens designed for use with said poulaines. Well, I'm mostly making them to make the shoes a little softer since I'm a wuss and like comfortable shoes. If it's not quite right for the period (and I was kind of expecting it wouldn't be), so be it. On the off chance anyone notices I'll just tell them I cheat.
Sorry, I shouldn't have used the word "sharp". I was meaning one with a very tight curve, so that the stitch could be passed into and then back out the same edge close enough to produce a useful stitch yet deep enough to get a solid grip on the leather.
This still leaves the question of how one sews the welt/rand to the outsole on corked-sole shoes. I expect it has to be some type of stitch which keeps the thread from showing (and therefore wearing) on the bottom. This leads me to think the thread is passed all the way through the sole from one edge to it's opposite or that some form of edge stitch is used.
Hmm... when using wire-based bristles, wouldn't you have a problem with the wire wanting to poke straight into the leather rather than passing through the (usually) curved hole pierced by the awl? I suppose its hardly difficult to pre-curve your wire, though.
So you can use powdered rosin? I was wondering. Everything I'd seen made me think you needed plain gum rosin. Incidentally, I've found that gum rosin can be found at places which sell traditional soap-making supplies.
I thought part of the point of coade was that it acted, not as a lubricant, but as a sealant. Doesn't using beeswax negate much of this?
Trying to do an edge-flesh seam on cheap suede is an interesting proposition, I found. As to how tight the stitches can be pulled, when the thread starts cutting into my fingers, it's tight enough! What's a bandaid or two, after all? Heh. It helps that I've done a fair amount of leather-working (for boy scouts, SCA, Revolutionary war reenacting and other things) ever since I was a child. I've even made shoes and boots before, just never in these styles or using these techniques. Mocs and the like, mostly.
Oh, yeah! One other question. What do you do about the holes left in the leather by the tacks once you remove the shoe from the last? Do you just leave them? Do you soak the shoe to swell them shut? Fill them with coade?
Thanks and apologies for the length of this message!
That's a fairly typical length actually. You should be fine then. There are examples of what are called "winter shoes" that have a thicker sole of cork, but these are very rare. So they wouldn't be wrong.
I generally bend the leather rather than use a curved awl. This works better with a straight awl and damp leather.
Interesting. I've never used the powdered, but it might melt better than solid. I'll keep the soap-making supplies in mind though.
Cheap suede bad. Try it with leather with the grain still intact -- it's much easier.
Any chance you can point me towards any illustrations or photos of surviving examples? Why are they called winter shoes?
How do you bend the edge out with something as stiff as sole leather? Bending flesh out or grain out is relatively easy with most any leather, but edge?
Does it matter if its dark or light rosin? The dark seems to be what is preferred by violinists and therefore more expensive.
Indeed it is! Took much less time to put together the first real upper and insole than it did the suede mockup.
The only ones that I've seen pictures of are in Goubitz, Olaf, Stepping through time, Archaeological Footwear from Prehistoric Times until 1800. Zwolle: Stichting Promotie Archeologie, 2001.
I assume they are called "winter shoes" because the thickened soles might be warmer in the winter.
I personally think the lighter colored is stickier.
Far be it from me to contradict your ILL people , but yes, in fact, it is available for ILL. Go to your ILL staff and give them that information and OCLC number 49379842 (they should know what that means). There are currently 16 holding libraries listed, of which 13 are in the US.
As for dry, I maintain you can't make medieval shoes water -proof- without sealing them completely (which keeps the leather from breathing, and isn't a medieval thing anyway). At best you can make them water -reluctant- with a reasonable oiling. But anyone who claims that anything will keep the water out of them, has never really worn medieval shoes.