Cool technique videos

Show & Tell
81

Sharpening and polishing a new square awl:

82

Gusseted tongue pattern

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83

You beat me to that one!

I haven’t watched it yet. But I went ahead and gave him thumbs up.

Super generous of him to take the time to make a video, on top of all he’s doing.

84

Frank’s Boots in Spokane posted a making montage:

The family resemblance to White’s and Nick’s and JK is unmistakable. A few random things that stood out to me on first watch through:

  • He’s really generous with the yellow glue!
  • He sets soft tacks in the vamp lining while lasting, in addition to lasting onto glue spread on the insole.
  • They’re still doing Blake stitching around the foreparts. Nicks quit this a while back.
  • He’s really gentle driving in the brass nails that end up visible through the shanks. Light tappy-taps on each one.
  • There’s a great shot of the bottomer shaping the logger heel on the sander. Lots of material sanded off! 24:47
  • English-style circular-type edge beveler on the top of the midsole around the shank and heel seat.
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85

any idea what kind of protective plastic film he’s using in this video?
Also, I love the under-bench workshop at sitting-height, hidden in the cabinet under the work bench.

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86

They are protective shoe covers to avoid marking the uppers. My guess is he is using the ones sold by carreducker.

https://www.carreducker.com/shop/shoe-making/shoe-making-materials/shoe-covers/

They have a blog post on them too:

In the US Lisa Sorrell sells them:

I have made a pair using the covers and one without them. My advice would be not to use a super sharp knife but instead use a knife you don’t care about, dull it and heat it up, pulling the cover as you go. Here is Daniel Wegan/Catella doing it this way:

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87

I have it on my to-do list to try making a sacrificial cover from sheet plastic like Terry Kim:

88

Lisa Sorrel sells plastic covers too if you don’t want to order overseas

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89

What is the purpose of the tiny little brass tacks used at 1:15:14 in this video?
They don’t even seem long enough to penetrate one layer of the sole. Are they purely decorative?

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90

Yes and I think to slow wear on the sole

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91

The psuedo-toetap out of tacks is a pretty cool solution for that. I wonder how much it does

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92

I hope the wearer doesn’t have hardwood floors.

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93

Brass shouldn’t it’s pretty soft. Iron I think would

Kim and the like I think are leaning into the decorative aspect anyway. A callback to times when you didn’t have rubber heels or heel corners. Good to look at hasluck and west to see how heels were reinforced in that era

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94

Just gives the floor some patina

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95

Marcel Marsan posted up a good toe lasting video on instagram

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96

Nice weather we’re having

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97

I can’t say I took his comments on instagram shoemaking the same way. I interpreted it more as “you don’t need to try to emulate the absolutely perfectly spaced tacks seen by some to sufficiently last the toe. If you want to go that far with it because it looks good, go for it, but you’re spending your time for the content rather than the final product” which seems like a good delineation for people trying to learn by watching videos.

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98

Re post 28
There is still one thing you can’t replicate as far as I know and that is the hand stitched welt.

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99
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100

Really good one on fill and leather outsole prep. Definitely turn on English subtitles.