The Gallery

[Manuel]

Well, you can see here how they have been made the Chukkas boots,( sorry for my English).
Preparation of the molds as customer's foot, preparation and recess cuts....and more . it's me working for you all.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN3DFS-qpx4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g_PKMkXyU4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ-q9tsnktM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXgOeWCUSJs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Yd13k8LjI

Tomorrow more.....

[goatman]

As long as I'm at it, here's the display I had at last week's conference:

3560.jpg

It's more cluttered than I wanted, but I was trying to show as much as I could of the whole medieval technology thing.

Marc

Isn't using 'medieval' and 'technology' in the same sentence some kind of an oxymoron?

[martin]

Isn't using 'medieval' and 'technology' in the same sentence some kind of an oxymoron?

No.
:-)

[tjburr]

Martin,

I like your tudor shoes. I've been busy with other things, so I am a little behind on asking questions. I was curious what weight of leather you used on the tudor shoes. Is all the leather used vegetable tanned? I had assumed it was but thought I would ask.

Did you make the last yourself, modify a modern last or have one made?

I've had a project laying around for some considerable time to make a similar pair but with slashing in the toe based on a reproduction I seen in the Nederlands Leder Schoenen Museum in the Netherlands.

Thanks
Terry

[martin]

Hi Terry,

I like your tudor shoes.

thanks :-)

I was curious what weight of leather you used on the tudor shoes. Is all the leather used vegetable tanned?

I used ca. 3mm (7-8 ounce) cow for the upper. All leathers used are veg tanned.

Did you make the last yourself, modify a modern last or have one made?

I made the last myself, though it is a very simple one. I felt that with as little of an upper as there is, I wouldn't need a proper last but a flat board cut to shape and rounded as necessary. It worked ok, but in retrospective a bit more of a heel would help I guess. You can see it in one of the pics at http://sutor.jimdo.com/16th-century-ad/alpirsbach-shoe/

I've had a project laying around for some considerable time to make a similar pair but with slashing in the toe based on a reproduction I seen in the Nederlands Leder Schoenen Museum in the Netherlands.

Interesting - do you happen to have a picture of that shoe or a bibliographical reference perhaps? I did one from the Mary Rose with vamp slashing a few years ago, see below and at http://sutor.jimdo.com/16th-century-ad/ ... -type-2-4/
(for this one I built a proper last)

Cheers,
Martin

[martin]

Today's sunny afternoon made me pull out the wood turning lathe and make 18th cent. style awls for myself. One is already finished, and a 2nd one coming up. Styles are roughly after 2 originals in Al Saguto's "M. de Garsault's 1767 Art of the shoemaker". Handles are boxwood, tip strengthened with brass, awl is a modern, bought one.

Cheers,
Martin

[dw]

Martin,

Good looking work.

I know what you mean about sunny weather. . I used to own a lathe (until the dust started getting to me) and turned almost every weekend--bowls, hollow-forms, and handles for awls.

Couple of mine--bocote on top and persimmon on the bottom.

[martin]

Very nicely done! And an interesting shape with the upper one, like that.

Did you make your own ferrules or is there a place you can buy those? I looked but couldn't find anything ...

[dw]

Thank you,

The upper one is a copy of a very old (probably not 18th.c but ?) awl i picked up at a tool sale years ago.

The ferrules are made by Dick Anderson of Thornapple Machine Works. The top one is brass, IIRC, and the bottom one is bronze (he also makes them out of steel). They are seamless...he turns them on a lathe and reams them out so that the interior is conical and the ferrule walls an even thickness top to bottom.

Here are a couple more, I made...

Osage Orange pegging awl. I robbed a broken pegging awl for the hardware.

DSC00674.JPG

Tulipwood (Mexican rosewood) (again I robbed a broken awl for the ferrule)

DSC00720.JPG

This one is mesquite I think, with one of Dick's bronze ferrules...

DSC00747.JPG

[martin]

Nice ones as well!
Thanks for the feedback on the ferrules - I made mine from sheet brass that I formed and brazed.

[martin]

Kind of productive at the moment - I finished the 2nd of 2 pairs of a reproduction of the shoes found in the late 1800s in the so-called Tomb D of the Martres De Veyre burials. This burial of a young women is special in that it produced a more or less full set of Gallic clothing including shoes, dated to the late 2nd century AD. The shoes are of the type also found in several variations in Welzheim, Germany, although not as much decorated apparently. Nailing pattern and density follows the original.

Cheers,
Martin

[dw]

[BorgVT]

My first pair. Plenty of mistakes, but I think they are an acceptable start. Making the lasts was by far the most difficult part; they seem to have worked.

[dw]

My first pair. Plenty of mistakes, but I think they are an acceptable start. Making the lasts was by far the most difficult part; they seem to have worked.

Good on you, mate!

[martin]

Good start!

[tjburr]

Here is a new pair of shoes made on a munson last. The munson did seem to take a little more skill at getting the leather to lie tight against the wood over the joint due to the last shape.

[dw]

Fine looking shoes Terry...did you make them for yourself? If so, how do you like the fit of the Munson?

What is the leather? It's almost pumpkin colour--they should be very thing next month.

[Herr_Leeb]

Just finished my latest project. Cap toe Derbys in black calf skin, Rendenbach soles,made on a customized vintage factory last from the 30's.

Derby.jpg

[dw]

Just finished my latest project. Cap toe Derbys in black calf skin, Rendenbach soles,made on a customized vintage factory last from the 30's.

Derby.jpg

Really nice. Did you do a spade sole as well?

[Herr_Leeb]

Just finished my latest project. Cap toe Derbys in black calf skin, Rendenbach soles,made on a customized vintage factory last from the 30's.

Derby.jpg

Really nice. Did you do a spade sole as well?

You are right, spaded soles would have worked nicely with this last. But no, I made them just plain and simple. Even though I like the look of spades, I'm not sure if I personally would wear them. I like it more if everything in my wardrobe rather blends in than stands out. And I don't own a Zoot Suit yet

[martin]

Finished another pair of Damendorf style shoes, an Iron Age bog find of the body of a man, C14 dated to between 135 and 335 AD. The lace is integral with the shoe, the only piece that is seperate is the high upper part of the heel.
Once they're cut and the holes for the heel seems have been prepared, sewing goes reasonably fast. The trick with these is to get the lower heel seam off the ground so it doesn't get worn through right away. After that all they need is some shaping on the wearer's foot, or, if not available, on a last.

IMG_5279.JPG

IMG_0801.JPG

IMG_5300.JPG

[dmcharg]

Very nice, Martin. I have pictures of those in my shoe history books, but it's nice to see them being created. Some of those early Centuries shoes were beautiful, and their use of a single piece of leather , ingenious.
Cheers
Duncan

[das]

Martin,

Great job on those Danish bog shoes! I think I first saw them in a book (P.V. Glob's 'The Bog People') at the library when I was maybe 13. What boy could resist browsing a book by "P. V. Glob" with a mummified corpse on the cover

[martin]

What boy could resist browsing a book by "P. V. Glob" with a mummified corpse on the cover

Then I think you will also like the shoes' German nickname - "exploded squirrel" (no, not my invention)

[paul]

Here is a very recent pair of boots which I have wanted to make for years. I did them with a stitched in counter vs. a pocket counter, which I have yet to wrap my head around. FYI, there are more than three things which I would work on for the next pair, too numerous and visible to mention. Alas...