Seeking knowledge or survey

[artzend]

Wende,

The short answer is yes, but it takes time. You should be able to find books on the net, try google.

George Koleff has written one that uses the geometric method to create lasts, and some people make casts that they use then to create a working shoe last. I have never done either of those, so can't give you my own thoughts on which is better, I always used existing lasts.

Tim

[lancepryor]

Wende:

You can order the Koleff lastmaking book from Walrus books -- it is around $35, if I remember correctly.

I actually have quite a few women's and children's lasts around here, not all of which I need, so I would be willing to sell them to you pretty cheap, if they are a size I don't need for my wife and relatives. If you simply want to make shoes for yourself and your family, you need to figure out what sizes you need, rather than buying a whole series/range of lasts -- the latter is more relevant if you want to go into the shoemaking business. If you can determine what sizes you think you need, I could let you know what I have that I don't need.

In general, I think you need to answer 4 questions in selecting a last: the type of shoe you want to make (e.g. slip ons/loafers use a bit different last than lace-ups), the toe shape, the heel height, and the size (length and "width"/girth) -- although the size and toe shape can be altered if you know what you are doing.

re: the internet. As Rob says, I think it would be important to have internet access. If you will no longer have it at home, perhaps your local library offers this -- many do.

Also, you might want to buy the Crispin Colloquy archive CD, which has lots of very useful posts from years past, and which you can use without internet access. Go to the HCC Homepage through the link at the left, and look at the library section. In that section there are also some PDF's of old shoemaking texts that you can download and which might be of some help.

For what it's worth, if you are undertaking the shoemaking to try to save money, I would seriously ask if that makes sense. I guarantee with the amount of time you will have to invest, the amount of money expended on supplies, materials, and tools, and the amount of stuff you have to throw away as you learn, your shoes will end up being very expensive. If you are doing it for other reasons, then that is wonderful, and I am sure you will enjoy the challenge, the learning process, and the camaraderie of the folks who pursue this as a business or as a hobby.

Good luck.

[romango]

Wende: I have used the George Koleff method to make lasts here(at the bottom). It took about $6 worth of wood (from the bargain wood store). Of course I had to buy the book for $25 and it took about as long to make the last as it would to make a pair of shoes. But I enjoyed doing it and plan to do it again.

In this same area, you can see I made lasts from foot casts. This method was easier but pretty expensive in materials.

[walrus]

All
Sorry to respond so late I have been away. Walrus Shoe & Leather Co Has lasts, lots of them. L.O.L and we also carry and stock a complete line of Shoe & Boot making books .
Check out our site www.walrusshoe.com I will be glad to help in any way I can. Give us a call.

Georgene McKim at www.shoedo.com
& Dick Anderson at www.thornappleriverboots.com they both have lasts as well.And are great people to deal with.

Larry Waller
Walrus Shoe & Leather Co.LLC
W8295 Hwy 11
Delavan WI 53115.
1.262.882.6006

[mrs_hill]

Please nobody laugh at me --I havnt yet been able to aquire any of the suggested books. but my thinker is a thinking and tell me would this work?

In my 12th grade art class we did abstract sculptures using a balloon filled with plaster of some sort. We molded the plaster filled balloon with our hands and had to hold the shape untill it set, then, we broke the balloon and painted the odd thing. Now, heres the part that I'm afraid you all will laugh at a kid like me, can I get a long type balloon and fill it with plaster the same way and stick it in my shoe to set??? ----well then somehow get it out of there?

Wende

[artzend]

Wende,

There is a book on the internet that tells you how to do that, but as you need to hammer and lever your material to make a shoe, I don't know how you do it without breaking the plaster.

Someone may have had experience using this method but unless you then made a shape of your inside shoe shape and then filled it with some sort of plastic like Rick does, it would not be solid enough.

Why not just get one pair of lasts in your size and have a go with them until you get a bit more confident with your shoemaking? Get more as you go along if they are needed. This way you dont have to plan ahead and your outlay is minimal.


Tim

[romango]

I was told, by someone that does this, that you can wrap a plaster last with masking tape and it will hold together enough to nail and hammer. There are also latex admixtures you can add to plaster to make it tougher. I played around with plaster a bit but abandoned it mostly because it takes a couple of weeks to fully dry and I didn't want to make a shoe on a damp last.

You can use plastic from Smooth-on but this costs about $30 per pair. You sure get a great fit this way (foot cast). That may be the most compelling reason to make a cast last.

[relferink]

Wende,

I've never been happy using that method but that's just me. If you choose to use plaster as a last make sure you put a piece of reebar in it when you pour to give it a little resistance against breaking. It is really frustrating if the last breaks in half when your lasting. For most walking type shoes you will not be able to get the plaster out without breaking it or cutting the shoe open. Once you have the plaster mold you want to use a heavy duty saran wrap to keep any pieces that may break from falling off pre-maturely. (masking tape will probably work as well)

Rob

[mrs_hill]

Well, I thought maybe it would work but I see now why it wouldn't. I guess the last is it.

Mr. Pryor, I will keep your offer in mind, I do need to gather my thoughts on all the sizes I need. I will contact you when I am clear.

Also I wanted to say thank you to all of you that has helped me so far. to day is my last day with the convienence of the internet. Tomorrow morning I will be signing off. However, I oppened an email account that isn't linked to my internet service so that I may continue to comunicate through this forum. I will use the library or a friends computer from now on. Thank you again very much!

May God bless you in your giving!
Wende

[luckyduck]

Hi All,

I have a question, and this is the only place I could think to put it.

Making some sandals like how I was taught and here is a picture.

5054.jpg

It would be much better if I could put in a light weight shank to help with my wimpy sensitive feet. Does anyone have any suggestions on a fiberglass type of shank to use and where to get it? I would layer the veg tan instead of 1 thick piece and sew it in between the layers. Unless you can suggest an easier way.

Thanks.

Paul

[artzend]

Paul,

What heel height are you using? I used to make a lot of these and didn't use any shanks as the heels were under 1/2", unless you are going to over 3/4 heels you generally don't need to bother. The shank

Tim

[mrs_hill]

One more question before I go, If I were wanting to build a shoe useing a cork footbed similar to a birkenstock footbed what would I use for a last?

Wende

[paul]

Wendy,

I've had that thought too. The problem is the contours of the Birk footbed makes it impossible to see how a last could be used.

What you'd have to do is create the space inside an extra depth shoe and slip the footbed in afterward.

It does seem like there ought to be a way though. Maybe the Simple Shoes Design would be better, using the foil method of pattern making and fitting it over the foot, while resting on the Birk footbed.

Sorry if that's not too clear.

Good luck,

PK

[luckyduck]

Tim,

The heel height is 1/4". I really want to add a bit of stiffness as I am working on a different upper without the toe thong to be more of a walking sandal. I walk 2 miles to downtown and back every day or so, it would be nice to have the footbed a little sturdier. My feet seem a lot happier when I keep the bend of walking more at the ball of my foot. Perhaps I will use some fiberglass strips that I have around (3/4" wide and .060" thick) and see what they feel like.


Paul

[artzend]

Paul,

You could of course use fibreglass strips but with that heel height it should not make any difference. The shank is only there to stop the shoe breaking in front of the heel and that is not going to happen here.

You may want to use a heavy 3mm/1/8" - 5mm/3/16" bridle leather or shoulder for an insole before you put the foam and cover on. The sandal making business I set up to run from my shop has made hundreds of similar sandals using heavy leather insoles on an eva sole unit with small heel. I didn't use shanks and the sandals last school kids for several years.

Make a solid shank from sole leather if you find the fibreglass doesn't work. Soak it and mould it to shape and let it dry before putting the sole on.

Tim

[luckyduck]

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the ideas on stiffer insole leather. I will give that a try. Or maybe the stiff EVA stuff. It sounds better than trying a shank. Sometimes alone in the shop I have trouble thinking outside of what is sitting in front of me.

Paul

[mrs_hill]

They havn't disconnected my internet connection yet so I'm still here! Yeah!

Thank you Mr. Krause thats what I am thinking I need to do but what is the foil method?

And does anyone have any experience with any of this or any ideas that they can share? please?

Here 'til the phone company pulls the plug!
Wende

[mrs_hill]

...also, I am needing to fuse the smooth sides of two pieces of leather together to thicken the piece and have the sueded side on the outsides what is the most effective and permant way to do this?


Wende

[paul]

Wende,

Sharon Raymond's Simple Shoemaking book describes the method. You said you had looked at her web page. And I think Sharon follows the Colloquy. Maybe she can be coaxed out of the background. I'd like to hear more about your approach also, Sharon.

As to your other question, linings are generally not glued together. Do you know what weight leathers are you working with?

PK

[mrs_hill]

I'm re-making a birkenstock type sandal. sort of ike the Arizona type except it has one large strap that overlaps and buckles with two straps. Its hard to describe and I don't have a digital camera. But the leather is perfect except that it isn't as thick as the origional. so I am thinking of gluing them together and stitching them all the way around. Maybe I dont need to glue them at all just sew?


Wende

[artzend]

Wende,

It pays to always glue two surfaces together if you are sewing them, it stops them moving. In this instance you only need a very light application. This will also help with strength.

Let the glue dry before sewing or wet glue will clog up the needle and cause sewing problems.

Allow about 5mm/3/16" extra trimming allowance on the bottom layer and trim it to the top layer after sewing, or the bottom layer is likely to move during sewing.

Tim

[mrs_hill]

Mr. Skyrme

I have Master all-purpose cement will that bond the smooth sides together or do I have to "scuff" up the surface first and if so what is a good way if I don't have the proper tools yet?

And thank you for the triming tip I've run into that problem before.

[artzend]

Wende,

Never mind the Mr. I'm Tim.

By the smooth sides I am assuming that you mean the grain or hair side of the skin, I would put one piece grain side out for the lining and just have the flesh side out for the upper. It will be smoother on your foot like that.

You could sand the grain side to be glued with a piece of sandpaper by hand. It isn't a large area and you really only need to take off the finish for this job because the stitching will hold it in the end.

Just put the piece down on a flat surface and rub it with sandpaper.

Glue both surfaces to be put together and when they dry, just place the upper section on the lining one and press it together. Be careful doing this as you won't get them apart again once they are joined. Well, not easily anyway.

Once together you can press them together by rubbing the heel of your hand over the upper to push out any air.

Stitch as close to the edge as you can and when finished trim the lining away.

Tim

[mrs_hill]

Thank you I'll do that.

And thank you for offering your first name, but if you don't mind I'd rather the "Mr". My father taught me that it was good that way and old fashioned it may be but, I know he is a wise man and it is better for my sake.

[dw]

All,

About ten days ago or so, Alisdair raised a question about using hand leathers. I have uploaded a 12 minute video into "Open Forum">"Techniques,Crans and Visualizations" > "Videos" which illustrates the way in which I use the thumbstall and the hand leather. Borrowing the idea of "dancing hands" from Al, I call this video "Hand Jive."

Clicking on the link should open up Windows media Player and the video should stream. If this doesn't work for you, try right clicking on the link and saving it to your harddrive. Anyone experiencing problems may contact me. I can help....sometimes.

I wish we had a way for others (if there are any others with a video camera and an itch) to post videos directly. Unfortunately, anyone who wants to post a video must send your video to me. Again, contact me if you are interested.

PS...comments welcome in "the Screening Room" (a subtopic of "videos."

Tight Stitches
DWFII--Member HCC