Making Boots
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I've been working with a New Zealand craftsman on these simple hand-made boots using local materials (where possible). He's a great fella who lives on a beach making work boots for farmers and forestry workers. The last time I visited him he had crushed three of his fingers off the week before and was still working with an old bandage on his hand… tough old bugger!
This is the final sample for this model, no name yet. I'm also working on a Vibram sole version.
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Those are very, very nice.
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This is the construction process:
Leather upper pressed
Sew uppers
Form the upper over the last. Pull the front up by hand and check the eyelets etc are even side to side then back onto the last jack
Pull the sides in by hand and attach the sides and waste
Put into the heel laster to make nice clean heel bed
Toe last by hand
Add steel shank
Brass screw wire the leather runner
Double cement leather runner & sole
Trim the leather sole
Polish the leather sole
This is a diagram of the boots my guy makes but with a commando sole.
I think it is the same or similar technique that William Lennon uses? I've also heard there are only 5 of these old Brass Screw Machines left in the World, but I could be wrong?
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Nice boots Hemi.
It does sound like the same construction that William Lennon uses. According to Loomstate:
The world population of these machines numbers five; two here, one in Cornwall, one in Australia and one in New Zealand.
Looks like your friend's is the fifth in that list.
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Is that a row of Landis 5 stitchers? Wow, that's nice.
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I still wanna find out some price info…
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it is nice for comfort but wear wise keeping things uniform has its advantages too. All that aside, I really like to look of these Hemi, excited to see how this continues.
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Depends; is it a gusseted or non-gusseted tongue? If it's an ordinary tongue, then full thickness leather would be my opinion. However, the additional layers of a gusseted tongue warrant a thinner leather, I think.
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Thanks guy's… I've been working on this for a while, its real labour of love.
The boots have a half gusset tongue so I think the leather we used for the upper will be too thick. I might see if I can get a slightly heavier leather or I 'll have to go with the lighter weight one which still looks good and does the job.
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I agree completely on the Viberg service boot tongue.
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Here's another sample boot I'm working on… I'm not sure about the colour?
Features:
- Thick yellow reverse kip suede leather upper sourced from the Tasman Tannery in Whanganui, New Zealand
- Brass eyelets & white contrast stitching
- Insole & mid-sole brass screwed & stitched
- Double leather sole
- Stacked leather heel with rubber top piece
- No toe puff
- Soft suede leather half bellow tongue
- Thick brown leather lace
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I like the color a lot. I like the boots a lot, in fact. I'd add a commando sole, but that's just me…
