The Crispin Colloquy

Paul, much appreciated Sir. Thank you.

Cheers,
-Nat

Nat, nice job. Your work is getting better and better. Keep up the good work.

My student, Martin from Bueno Aires did a fantastic job on these Oxfords!

Yes he did!

Hope this works,
I've had these on the lasts for somewhere between 4 and 6 months, so I'm thinking they're set up!
My first time using the real deal super expensive GH french calf, Waterhouse milled veg lining, Norwegian Welt,
Built up for orthotics, 1/4" lift for short leg.
I'm really happy with them!

Courtney,

Very nice. You should be happy with them.

So how did you like working with the GH French Calf and the milled veg lining?

Thanks D.W.
Its been so long ago that I was actually cutting and lasting, but I remember the uppers cut like butter, I've never used that term before but it really was like that, The milled veg lining really is magical stuff, this was also the first time I've used the Hirschkleber on my counters and that was alot better than my homemade paste or yes paste.

I would say all in all, that actually working with those really nice leathers was not completeley different from others I've worked with but the look and FEEL of the finished shoes is unlike any I've ever had!

Courtney

Hello, everybody! Here's my recent raboty.Sumka-sakvoyazh.60-30-34cm.

The lower part is sewn leather 2.0-2.2 mm thick

Here are some oxfords from my shop. The only interesting thing is the leather is Box Calf from Weinheimer Leder in Gremany. I purchased a sample hide at the international leather show in Bologna. They have made this product for over 100 years (so I was told). They have it i 7 different grades and stock it in black and brown, which means they will sell it in small quantity. Still pretty darn pricy way to go though. It is very nice stuff. I used a medium grade.

Rick,

Pretty shoes. What last did you use?

I have a whole library of this model just labeled 96M that I got from Larry.

Hi all - another pair of 1600s heeled shoes. I was much happier with the way these closed, as I used only three strands of 16/1 linen and a much finer closing awl. Apologies for the poor picture quality (and you can get a larger sized image at http://www.modehistorique.com/raisedhee ... 00s_sm.jpg). Still, I think I need to start looking into the higher quality leathers, but I'm not sure that I make enough shoes to warrant buying a whole bunch of expensive skins already dyed various colors. I use about 3-4 oz veggie tanned leather for uppers, and I'd be grateful for any suggestions.

Are wood heels made with the grain of the wood running:
Toe to heel
side to side
or up and down
or diagonal
or does it matter ???

Here is a pair of slops I finished a week or so ago for the tailor at OS. I dont know much about the the history of these. They are based on a pair of shoes worn in a engraving of a potters shop that I think was in Diderot. At the time of the photo they had been worn about a week and through a rain storm. They WERE really nicelly burnished but you'll have to take my word for it

I didnt do the fitting for these. I was just handed the cut leather and did the closing ( small round closed seam up the back which he walked down) and everything else. They are stitch downs.

farmerfalconer wrote:I didnt do the fitting for these. I was just handed the cut leather and did the closing ( small round closed seam up the back which he walked down) and everything else. They are stitch downs.

When you say stitch-down, do you mean that they're welted, or that the upper is turned outward and stitched-down directly to the outsole? It looks to me like there is a welt there. but I could be wrong.

Francis

We basically inseam them sewing through the insole and the upper then we flange out the upper and stitch down. I personally prefer to do welted. Its not like it takes more time and it looks nicer but stitch down is what I was told to do...

Cody

Aha, got it - thanks for the clarification!

Francis

farmerfalconer wrote:Are wood heels made with the grain of the wood running:
Toe to heel
side to side
or up and down
or diagonal
or does it matter ???

Up and down as I have seen in Victorian era Austrian and Hessian boots which had the heels covered in leather. It only makes sense as the grain up and down is more supportive than any other way. Mind you, some boot makers could have just cut the wooden heels any old way if they did not know the science of the grain.

I know end grain to be superior from having made wooden moveable type and engravings on end grain which take a lot of pressure in a printing press.

Nothing special...just some dk. brown elephant with an almond milano buffalo top.

Here are some woman's tap shoes. I employed a several new (for me) techniques in making these. For starters, The leather is hand dyed purple. After much experimentation, I used a water-based Eco-Flo dye (Deep Violet). The leather is Italian crust although the more readily available English kip dyes the same, in my experiments, and would be just as good if not better. I did have some trouble with bleeding when trying to last the toe wet. In retrospect, I would have been more sparing with the water. I also did some tests, after the fact, setting the dye more permanently with an alum mordant.

I can't find any information on using mordants with leather but the alum seemed to work well.
After cutting out ad brouging, I added black edge highlights with an air brush then sealed with neutral Kiwi wax.
There is a midsole only on the forefoot. This provides stiffness behind the front tap. This is a feature found on better tap shoes.

The sole is McKay stitched (by hand). My channel leaves something to be desired. This could have also been done with a flap, I suppose.

The heel and sole edges are finished with shellac. This works well but is somewhat tedious to put down several layers and let it dry and sand in between.

Rick,

I used some nice kip to make a pair of shoes a year or two ago. I dyed it black. The shoes turned out good and the kip was very nice--really takes a shine.

I've never heard of Eco-Flo. What's the story on that? Where do you get it? I think the alum will be fine...although it is also a tanning agent...it is a good mordant for wool.

DW,

I found the reference I was looking for. In Moda a Firenze, 1540-1580: Cosimo I de Medici's Style (by Roberta Orsi-Landini), they show a picture of Cosmi I on horseback, dated 1587-1594, located in the Piazza della Signoria. The text says, "With his armor Cosimo is wearing waxed boots, tied below the knee by a ribbon."

Additionally, the text mentions that the specification that some of the boots are "waxed" appears occasionally only after the 1560s, and that they appear to have been the finer, closer fitting boots tied beneath the knee with a silk cord. Cosimo's son, Francesco, appears to have some ankle length boots listed in the wardrobe inventories of 1562 and 1563 which are also specified to be waxed.

The term that Landini uses is "incerati" which literally translates to waxed, and she puts it in quotes, which may indicate that that was the term used in the wardrobe accounts. Her source for this is Vianello 2003, p 650, and in the source she indicates that it appears the waxing treatment was used for the heavier stiffer leathers.

Here are some pictures of the statue, as well as the text of the book:

http://www.modehistorique.com/raisedhee ... simo_I.jpg
http://www.modehistorique.com/raisedhee ... oots_1.jpg
http://www.modehistorique.com/raisedhee ... oots_2.jpg

Here is the full text of the source:

Andrea Vianello, Storia sociale della calzatura,
in Storia d'Italia Annali 19 La Moda, a cura
di Carlo Marco Belfanti e Fabio Giusberti,
Giulio Einaudi editore, Torino 2003, pp. 627-666


Francis

Wow Rick! Great job!
And thanks you for sharing your process photos, as well. Very generous.

I would have thought that they were colored after lasting before you inseamed. So, would you color the leather first again next time?
The Eco-Flo is a Tandy product and is in a wide range of colors. I'm guess you applied the shaded edge with a rag wrapped around your finger?

I've got some knife sheaths to make coming up, and this is the effect I've been planning. I wouldn't have tried the Eco-Flow, but now I will. Tandy stuff isn't all bad now , is it?

Nice job in the tedious edge treatment too!

Pail