Been playing around with the toe geometry a bit. Needed to thin out a little and soften a few of the creases. Added about 4mm to the length with let me taper the toe a little more. Still wide, but my wife has sensitive toes and a EEE/EEEE front of her foot, so can only do so much.
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Did a quick prototype of a full height attachment for the last.
Still working on the shape. Finally got a fitter on my wife that worked well. Hoping that the fitter printing at the moment will finally get me there.
Also started laying out the inlays for the backstay in more detail.
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Wow, that’s quite a big print.
Can I ask if your printer emits much in the way or noise or fumes? I am ever more tempted to get one for myself, but I’d be running it in an apartment, with neighbors downstairs.
I wouldn’t want it running right next to my bed while I was sleeping, but I have it running in my office right now with the door shut and can’t hear any noise from it in my living room just down the hallway.
It won’t disturb your neighbors at all.
Smell/fumes depends on what filament you use. Pla/petg/tpu (pretty much anything you would use for shoemaking) won’t give off anything noticeable. If you start playing with abs/asa/etc, you would want to vent it outside (you can duct a fan to a window easily).
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Added a little more detail to the backstay drawing and then had AI do a rendering. Was concerned the bottom flower was looking too much like an artichoke, but it seems to work OK when colored properly.
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Finally got the thumbs up on the last fitter geometry, so have what may be the final last design.
There were enough changes that I opted to make a new mean forme and start from scratch in patterns.
I have been going back and forth on the pitch of the facing line going up the shaft. Originally, I was basing a lot of the pattern on HJ Mitchell’s motorcycle boot, which cants the shaft at a 6 degree angle, but I am wondering if that’s intended to place the boot into proper position for motorcycle riding, being a motorcycle boot and all. I made the pattern (and shaft angle on the last) closer to his riding boot pattern that doesn’t have the lean.
I also started laying out the flower “broguing” detail, if you can call it that.
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Congrats!
Well, after revisiting my last design process, I think I have found why I was struggling so much to get a good fit. My wife’s foot swings really wide and the George Koleff method for last design doesn’t do a great job at accommodating toe swing like that. After working through the method from Furuse, I have taken a stab at re-working the last design here and think I have something much more elegant looking. Still need to print a fitter to validate, but the measurements so far are making a lot more sense.
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Pulled a sample of some leather for a future project over the toe to get a good look at the shape. I definitely like this new method. That new leather is looking pretty good too (Natural “metta catherina” horsebutt from Cordovan.co)
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Got the thumbs up on the fitter after only 2 iterations this time and with only minor tweaks needed. New last is looking really good. Going to make a leather fitter on it next.
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Working on an actual leather fitter now for my wife to validate things translate from the 3d printed fitters. Fighting a little bit of bagginess on the top of the foot.
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Pretty swanky fitters. Planning to cement them?
Yah, they’ll get some thinner horse strip insoles and then cement construction.
I might end up making a real pair based on this pattern too. She has mentioned wanting a black pair of boots as well and a good chunk of the work is already done with making the pattern… So, why not?
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Now on a real last and actually pulled over an insole/cemented together. Should be good to try on tomorrow.
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Got the thumbs up on the fit. Thumbs down on doing a spin off on this pattern. Looks like I will do a spin off on a bit taller boot, which probably works better as a stepping stone to the real tall boot anyway.
Spin off boots are happening. Probably going to be CF Stead flint kudu.
Going go play with these Cloe buffalo insoles too. Man, they are thick!
Should work well to visually bulk the boots up a bit since for these spin offs, she wants something more combat boot-ish, and this last is fairly sleek.
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Looks like pretty clean work!
I’m struck by how far the holdfast looks at the back of the heel. I’ve had trouble lasting there with thick, sole-leather boot counters.
So here’s my thought process, and I reserve the right for it to bite me 
I am planning to welt from just behind the ball line to the toe and then do the rear with a shank cover/rand in pretty tight, somewhat cowboy boot-ish. The waist and heel will get stitched into the holdfast, but no welt.
I tapered in the big, thick insole to create more or less a new feather line, since the bottom of the last is fairly foot shaped. From there, I did the holdfast around the front at 6mm from the end and about 7.5mm from the edge around the waist and back. I somewhat softened the edge in the back though to taper it in.
I’m planning on pre-lasting the counter to pull it in nice and tight and trim it back before the holdfast. I’ll do an internal counter pocket, so not doubling up the outer leather in the rear. For this interim boot, I’m going to use some kudu. For the real boot, I’ll be using horse front. Both in the ~4-4.5oz range, so fairly soft temper and not overly thick. Lining will be 2-3 oz horse front.
Hopefully, that combo will let me pull in tight to the heel and manage any pleats decently. If not, this insole is thick enough that I can just cut the holdfast off in the rear, only peg, and make a different approach for the “real” pair.
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