| This handout is not designed as a stand-alone guide to building a pair of
turn shoes. It is offered in addition to my class. There are lists of suggested
supplies and readings and links to websites. Please feel free to contact me if
you have any questions. LEATHER Soles: 10-11 ounce vegetable tanned Uppers: < 4-5 ounce veg. tanned, chrome tanned, buck tanned, or any soft leather (medieval styles are hard to find and very expensive) TOOLS Knives: Head knife, Xacto, Leather cutting shears, skiver Holes: Rotary punch, Awls, Lacing Nippers Thread: Waxed linen (Don't use Artificial Sinew. It'll cut your leather) Needles: Glover's needles Pliers: Needle nose, Lasting pliers Lasts: Ebay.com, United Last (Canada), Hormas El Arbol (Mexico), Your workshop Nails: Shoe tacks, Tack puller SUPPLIES Hide House http://hidehouse.com/ Weaver Leather http://weaverleather.com/ Waxed linen thread http://www.royalwoodltd.com/cat14-17aw.htm Siegel of California http://siegelofca.com/ Leather Factory http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/ STITCHES  (http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/STITCH2.HTM#SEAMS) The seam from above is used to stitch the uppers together and is known as a butted seam. A saddle stitch with two needles and one thread crisscross through half the thickness of the leather and make a seam that has no overlap and butts together and is invisible from the finished side.  (http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/STITCH.HTM#BASIC) This is the path the thread follows through the sole when attaching the upper to the sole. The left side of the picture shoes the path of the thread while the shoe is being assembled (before turning) and the right side shows the orientation of the leather and stitching after the shoe is turned right side out. The same crisscrossing single thread is used (saddle stitch).  (http://tirrigh.org/danescombe/images/turnshoes.jpg) This picture shows the tackless method for lasting shoes by lacing them onto the last over the sole. After drying, the upper is trimmed back to within approximately 1/8" of the sole and stitched to the upper with the second stitch shown above. REFERENCES Shoes and Pattens (ISBN 0 85115 838 2) Stepping Through Time (ISBN 90 801044 6 9) WEBSITES http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/SHOEHOME.HTM http://groups.yahoo.com/group/medievalshoemaking/ http://thehcc.org/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/medieval-leather/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Authentic_SCA/ http://talbotsfineaccessories.com/books/footwear.html Stitches Copyright 2009, Jonathan Murphy (see Copyright armlann.com/library) |