Seeking knowledge or survey

[dearbone]

Rick,

I have a similar cuter,but the foot long one,Can you be more specific, what do you want the skiver to do? if the blade is sharp,you should be able to split an inch or little more strip of sole leather (seat lift) in two useful halves for a pair of shoes.

Nasser

[jask]

Rick you have it right; the sequence I use for our 5 in 1 is to adjust the screw you label as "B" to give enough compression between the rollers to the material that it will feed smoothly without slipping- if all you ever skive is thick material you can use this screw to open up the "throat". Spring tension allows you to smoothly feed thick soft materials- eva, sole crepe,etc but still have enough force to firmly pinch a 8-9 oz leather. Blade angle is a personal taste thing- if you set it up flat and low you will find the transitions on thick material are not fair, but if you set it up high and steep it will give you a shallow skive.... MAKE sure you do not allow the leading edge of the blade on the open side of the mouth to catch the lower feed roller when you adjust it.
Also, check the lower wheel of the rolling cutter; if it shows wear on the serrated or toothed side of the groove the blade rides in then you need to adjust the play in the shaft before it travels out and breaks chunks out of the blade!! The shaft can be snugged up by removing the crank handle and gear cover and loosening up the two set screws on the gear that drives the lower shaft- push the shaft in snug, push the gear up tight to the frame then re tighten the setscrews. If the blade is already damaged give Colin at LaBelle supply a call, he had blades when I serviced mine last spring.

[romango]

Thanks Jask. Nasser, I'm trying to skive heel counters and toe puffs starting with ~5-6 iron shoulder.

[dearbone]

Rick, I just tried a strip of 5-6 shoulder on my skiver which left a mm thick edge on an inch wide skive and if need it thinner, than the skiving knife will finish the rest,although i mostly skive seat lifts with it which are a little thicker,if you look between the rollers,you see the angle of the slop of the blade and the blade should come forward(close to rollers)just behind the stop guide,with time the blade get shorter from sharpening,in this case i put a thin piece of metal between the blade and screw C as to keep the blade in forward position and not to slide back,of course a new blade will be ideal if it is too worn out,it is also important to keep the rollers clean of glue and dust and rust by bathing them with kerosene and cleaning between teeth of rollers for better grip to leather, these are some of the experiences i had with my old cuter.

Nasser

[dearbone]

By bathing the rollers, i just meant brushing them with kerosene instead of taking them apart from the unit.

Nasser

[romango]

I think it's possible my blade is too short and that's why I'm having trouble. I'll try holding it farther forward.

[dw]

Rick,

I don't know how to describe this but in front of the edge of your blade...located somewhere between A and C, in your photo...should be a "stop" or a "shoulder." The edge of your blade...at the corner...should butt up against that shoulder. Effectively that means that a eighth inch or so of blade is never going to come into contact with leather because it will be against the shoulder. Furthermore the blade should then, while in that position, be high enough at that corner that it never comes into contact with the "serrations" of the feed roll.

The other end (width-wise) of the blade is set to your preference but how high you set it will determine how wide a skive you get.

Set up this way, the only thing that prevents a skive to a feather (on firm leather such as insole shoulder) is where you set your depth guide--to the right of the red arrow in your first photo.

That's how I've got mine set up...your mileage may vary.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[dearbone]

I just noticed my supplier here in Toronto carries skiver blades, i ordered one for my cutter,long over due for a new blade,if any one needs a skiver blade,let me know(these guys don't ship unless you have an account)they are $67.50 Canadian plus tax and small shipping cost. I hope,i am not breaking any protocols by mentioning this here.

Nasser

[hrst]

Greetings. These queries will certainly reveal my ignorance but following the adage that "the only stupid question is the one left unasked..." I submit the following: the photo of Nasser's zippered ankle boots has me wondering why the zipper is always on the inside of the foot. This seems counter-intuitive to me but I've never seen it any other way: also, I'm looking for way to safely mark dark leather so that I can see it to cut it- I feel as though I'm cutting it blind: and finally, is there a collective wisdom about the shape of an awl's handle? I have a few that keep trying to attempt suicide by rolling off the table but I wonder if I might regret sanding a flat face onto them. Thank you in advance, Ron

[romango]

I use readily available Gel Xtreme gold or silver pens to mark dark leather.

http://www.amazon.com/Gel-Xtreme-Pen-Metallic-Gold/dp/B001S23JPC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=U TF8&qid=1236020449&sr=8-2

[dw]

Keep your awls stuck in a bowl cup or tuna fish can of beeswax that has been nailed to the bench.

Not only will this prevent the awl from escaping, it will keep it lubricated for use immediate.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[dearbone]

Ron,

I was hoping one of our orthopedic shoe makers might be able to shed some light on why the zippers usually put in on the inside of boots,but i personally think,it has a practical reason putting them on by holding the top back and possibly the top front and pushing the foot forward and away from the center of the body,so it does makes sense to me to have a solid wall of leather on the outside to push toward, but i think there is more to it.

Nasser

[dw]

Personally, I think it's just a matter of aesthetics. The boot/shoe just looks better if the zipper is not immediately evident.

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[large_shoemaker_at_large]

Ron and all
As DW said esthetics
and function cross your leg, it's easier to get to the inside of the boot than reach back and around to get at the zipper.

I have built boots with zippers on both sides so a large and fused ankle can pass the throat.
my 2 cents
Regards
still from the frozen north
Brendan

[dw]

All,

I'm curious...

I am looking for a glue...a "glue," not a cement...to use to close up the channel on the outsole.

I generally sew the outsole while it is moist. When done I smear some Hirschkleber or dextrine in the channel and iron it closed.

But as the leather dries the channel draws open again.

I'd like a glue that will adhere to the leather and itself enough to close the channel and keep it closed.

Any ideas?

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[dearbone]

DW,

The first thing that comes to mind is that you might have to wait longer to close your channel,if the leather is too moist,even my Barge cement wouldn't stick,depending on the weather i usually wait few hours after finish stitching,until the leather is mellow, almost %75 dry, also keep in mind the little shrinkage that happens during drying. my 2 cents worth.

Regards
Nasser

[romango]

I think dextrine glue is not so good because it will redissolve in water. A few puddles and it will wash out.

What about a PVA glue (wood glue)?

[romango]

Gorilla glue is actually water activated and expands slightly on curing. I'll try some on a test piece of sole leather and let you know.

[hatcreek42]

Mighty Mend It? The guy on T.V. says its the best in the world. He's been known to lie before though.

[dw]

Gorilla glue expands --it would actually push the channel open. It is activate in the presence of moisture and foam up in the presence of moisture. Woodworkers who use it often actually recommend spritzing the pieces to be joined when using Gorrila glue.

I did try some white glue and tried heating an iron to accelerate the curing of the glue. It seemed to work...better than dextrine or Hirschkleber at any rate....although the very extreme edges still gapped ever so slightly.

I'd like something kind of natural or old fashioned. I can always fall back on Duall 88 but that's not what I'm looking for.

For one thing I want the dye and waxes to either colour the glue or alt least not be entirely resisted by the glue.

For another I'd like to be able to scape over the channel edge and get a clean "paring."

Tight Stitches
DWFII--HCC Member

[larrym]

subject:
Cowboy Boot construction as a platform for other styles


All,

I'm a complete novice at bootmaking other than spending the last year researching/reading as much as I can absorb and also acquiring a decent set of basic tools (pliers,knives,hammers,awls and a flatbed 31-15). Now I'm ready to get my hands dirty.

I've found someone local who has offered to teach me to make cowboy boots... for a fee. At first, this seems to me like a great option for learning since he is relatively close and will be able to offer additional support when I need it.

My concern is I have little interest in cowboy boots and that is all he knows. Ultimately, my goal is to make hikers and other lace-up work/field styles.

I suppose my question is how well do the techniques/knowledge used in hand-made cowboy boot construction translate to other styles?

Right now, I'm just hoping for a solid foundation which will allow me to start practicing general bootmaking on my own. At the same time, I need to get the best bang for my buck since I can't easily afford multiple sessions with different 'teachers'.

Looking forward to your thoughts on learning Cowboy Boot construction as a platform for other styles.

Regards, from Arizona,
Larry


** hope I posted this in the right area **

[artzend]

Larry

DW is probably best placed to answer this one, as he is now making shoes as well as boots. It did take a few questions when starting off on shoes so it would seem there is a difference. That being said, you will be able to learn techniques such as lasting and use of hand tools that you will use with both boots and shoes.

Pattern cutting is something that you will probably do more of with shoemaking, as boot makers don't have to make new patterns with every pair.

There are a lot of characteristics in common with both boot and shoemaking so taking at least some lessons with the local guy is a good start. At least he is willing to teach.

Tim
www.shoemakingbook.com

[sorrell]

Larry,
I have a new student in my shop this month. As I've been teaching her and watching her learn, I realized that she's actually attempting to learn two things at once. She's not only learning bootmaking, she's also learning to use completely unfamiliar tools and equipment.

Learning to use the tools and equipment in a bootshop will put you well ahead on the road to building whatever style of footwear you want to build. Even if the tools and machinery you end up using are slightly different you will have developed skills that will ease your transition into other styles.

Lisa

[larrym]

Thanks all.

Lisa, you know this person I'm speaking of as he's mentioned you a few times (of course it was all good).

Tim, Thanks for producing the bespoke book... I look at my copy a few times each week.

[mmboots]

I'm starting to put together ideas to make a new golf shoe and I have some questions. I just finished the shoe which I posted the other day. should I use this same last for a golf shoe? Would a full cut be a better choice to make the shoe stronger? Should I use just one line or two lines of stitching on this type of shoe? Thanks in advance of any help.

Mike