Worthy Specialty Tools for Hardcore DIYers

General
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@RicFlair ran a question by me today that I didn’t have a ready answer for:

If you’re a new shoe or bootmaker looking to do as much as possible with common, generally available tools and supplies, what are the specialty tools that are still worth buying?

If you’re doing traditional hand welting—carving leather insoles, sewing through channels, double-needle stitching—my own experience was that a purpose-made inseaming awl made a huge, incomparable difference. For makers in the USA, I’d point bootmakers to @Customboots for a Carbone awl or Dick Anderson for his #2 and #3. For shoemakers, I’m hardly the best to ask, but I’d probably say try Barnsley/Woodware, from @Customboots or imported direct from England, or else Julian/ShoeMakerCraft for old German stock.

I also mentioned a shoe hammer, specifically something with a round, smooth, concave face and a narrow pane. But I suspect that’s actually wrong, and folks can get pretty far just dressing up commonly available claw hammers. I was spoiled and got an French-style Osborne really early, so I never tried making do.

The item I wished I’d thought of when talking to @RicFlair was lasting pliers. I still have it on my list to experiment with modifying some regular bull-nose and needle-point pliers. But with Chinese-made narrow pliers available so cheap, it might actually be cheaper for many to just buy those than cobble something together from a hardware store.

For those closing/binding by hand, without a sewing machine, I’d recommend some kind of pricking iron, stitching chisel, or pricking wheel.

What other specialized tools have folks found just plain worth buying, even if piecework efficiency is no concern?

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I would add that a matching awl to whatever stitching chisel profile you use helps a lot with hand stitching uppers. For example, when attaching a back stay, you can lay out your stitching holes in the backstay, then glue it in place, and then use the awl to punch the holes all the way through the upper.

A tool that I have been really, really enjoying while shaping insoles for hand welting is a proper feather knife. It has made my insole prep go a lot smoother and give a way more consistent feather edge.

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Feather knives are great tools! They’re one I’d hesitate to recommend to a dedicated minimalist, however. I’ve done the job freehand with a knife. They’re not easy tools to find by chance, and new ones are pricey.

If I were doing multiple pairs at a time, I’d probably appreciate the time saver. But since I’m not, I kind of regret getting the two that I have. I was excited to use them on pairs when they came in, but if I’d done those insoles by hand, too, I might feel more confident doing it freehand. Which would in turn give me more control over width and depth.