Transcriber’s Notes
Text printed in italics, bold face and small capitals in the source
document have been transcribed between _underscores_, between =equal
signs= and as ALL CAPITALS respectively. ~V~ represents a V-shape
rather than the character V.
More Transcriber’s Notes may be found at the end of this text.
_“WORK” HANDBOOKS._
BOOT MAKING AND MENDING
“WORK” HANDBOOKS.
A Series of Practical Manuals.
_Edited by_ PAUL N. HASLUCK, _Editor of “WORK.”_
=House Decoration.= Comprising WHITEWASHING, PAPERHANGING, PAINTING,
etc. With 79 Engravings and Diagrams. 1s.; post free, 1s. 2d.
_Contents._--On Colour and Paints. Pigments. Oils, Driers, Varnishes,
etc. Tools used by Painters. How to Mix Oil Paints. Distemper or
Tempera Painting. Whitewashing and Decorating a Ceiling. Painting a
Room. Papering a Room. Embellishment of Walls and Ceilings.
=Boot Making and Mending.= Including REPAIRING, LASTING, and
FINISHING. With 179 Engravings and Diagrams. 1s.; post free, 1s. 2d.
_Contents._--Repairing Heels and Half-Soling. Patching Boots and Shoes.
Re-Welting and Re-Soling. Boot Making. Lasting the Upper. Sewing and
Stitching. Making the Heel. Knifing and Finishing. Making Riveted Boots
and Shoes.
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Diagrams. 1s.; post free, 1s. 2d.
_Contents._--The Formation of Letters, Stops, and Numerals. The
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With Engravings and Diagrams. 1s.; post free, 1s. 2d.
_Contents._--Processes of Finishing Wood. Processes of Staining
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Shining. Re-polishing and Reviving. Hard Stopping or Beaumontage.
Treatment of Floors. Stains. Processes of Varnishing Wood. Varnishes.
Re-polishing Shop-Fronts.
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Engravings and Diagrams. 1s.; post free, 1s. 2d.
_Contents._--Introduction. Siemens Dynamo. Gramme Dynamo. Manchester
Dynamo. Simplex Dynamo. Calculating the Size and Amount of Wire for
Small Dynamos. Ailments of Small Dynamo Electric Machines: their Causes
and Cures. Small Electro-motors without Castings. How to Determine the
Direction of Rotation of a Motor. How to Make a Shuttle-Armature Motor.
Fifty-Watt Undertype Dynamo. Four-Hundred-and-Forty-Watt Manchester
Type Dynamo.
=Cycle Building and Repairing.= With Engravings and Diagrams. 1s.;
post free, 1s. 2d.
_Contents._--Introductory, and Tools used. How to Build a Front Driver.
Building a Rear-driving Safety. Building Tandem Safeties. Building
Front-driver Tricycle. Building a Hand-driven Tricycle. Fittings and
Accessories. Making a Gear Case. Brazing Cycle Work. Wheel Building.
Enamelling Cycles. Miscellaneous Repairs.
CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED, _Ludgate Hill, London_.
BOOT MAKING AND
MENDING
INCLUDING
REPAIRING, LASTING, AND FINISHING
_WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS AND DIAGRAMS_
EDITED BY
PAUL N. HASLUCK
EDITOR OF “WORK” NEW SERIES, AUTHOR OF “HANDYBOOKS FOR
HANDICRAFTS,” ETC. ETC.
[Illustration]
SIXTH THOUSAND
CASSELL AND COMPANY, LIMITED
LONDON, PARIS & MELBOURNE
1898
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
_Weekly. 1d._
WORK.
The Illustrated
Journal for all
Mechanics.
“=_WORK_ is a vast and very valuable repertory of information as to
the practical and ornamental, or minor, arts. To all devotees of
such pursuits, whether professional or amateur, this _WORK_ will be
worth much more than its price=; for there are very few mechanical or
art-technical pursuits which are not very fully described in it here
and there, ‘up to date,’ with details of the most recent discoveries
or improvements in them. . . . =The illustrations are copious,
and generally so well designed and engraved as to merit special
commendation.=. . . Something new crops up in every branch every day,
be it turning wood, photography, staining metals, gesso-work, frames,
varnishes, polishings, veneering, piano-making, gilding, hydraulic
motors, or illuminating, be it on parchment or by electricity; and
=_WORK_= gives us not only the novelties, but in all cases solid
instruction in these arts. =It is a curious reflection, but soundly
true, that there is not a person of ordinary average intelligence and
strength living who could not learn from this . . . how in a short time
to make a living.=”--_Saturday Review._
WORK _is also published in Monthly Parts, each of which now contains a
Coloured Plate, =6d.=_
CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED, _Ludgate Hill, London_.
PREFACE.
This Handbook contains, in a form convenient for everyday use, a
comprehensive digest of the knowledge of How to Make and Repair Boots
and Shoes, scattered over ten thousand columns of WORK, the weekly
journal it is my fortune to edit--and supplies concise instruction in
the general principles of the craft on which it treats.
In preparing for publication in book form the mass of relevant matter
already published in the volumes of WORK, much that was tautological
in character had to be rejected. The remainder necessarily had to be
arranged anew, altered and largely re-written. From these causes the
contributions of many are so blended that the writings of individuals
cannot be distinguished for acknowledgment.
However, it may be mentioned that a number of articles from the pen
of Mr. William Greenfield, an acknowledged adept in the craft, are
incorporated in the text.
Readers who may desire additional information respecting special
details of the matters dealt with in this Handbook, or instruction on
kindred subjects, should address a question to WORK, so that it may be
answered in the columns of that journal.
P. N. HASLUCK.
CONTENTS.
CHAP. PAGE
I.--Repairing Heels and Half-soling 9
II.--Patching Boots and Shoes 32
III.--Re-welting and Re-soling 50
IV.--Boot Making 62
V.--Lasting the Upper 75
VI.--Sewing and Stitching 84
VII.--Making the Heel 99
VIII.--Knifing and Finishing 120
IX.--Making Riveted Boots and Shoes 148
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
FIG. PAGE
1.--Worn Heel prepared for Mending 10
2.--New Half Heel, with Rivets to Resist Wear 11
3.--Half-heel Piece Holed and Hammered 12
4.--Home-made Awl 13
5.--Top of Awl Handle 13
6.--Cut Bill 13
7.--French Brad 13
8.--Half-heel Piece Bradded 14
9.--Snow’s Leather-plugged Half-tip 15
10.--Heel prepared for Half-tip 15
11.--Fixing Heel with Screws 16
12.--Sharpening Strop 17
13.--End View of Strop 17
14.--Shoemaker’s Bench 19
15.--Heel prepared for Repairing 20
16.--Rivets in a Boot Sole 21
17.--Iron Foot used in Re-soling 22
18.--Iron Last and Stand 22
19, 20.--Last Stands, with Reversible Foot 23
21.--Old Sole Removed 24
22.--New Sole partly Fitted 24
23.--New Sole Fastened in Groove 25
24.--New Sole finally Fitted 25
25.--Position for Rivets 26
26.--Edge of Sole Pened 26
27.--Shoemaker’s Rasp 27
28.--Enlarged View of Pened Work 27
29.--Top Piece on Heel 27
30.--Glazing Iron 29
31.--Leather Skived to form Patch 33
32.--Putting on a Patch 33
33.--Patch Completed 34
34.--How to hold the Boot whilst Sewing 35
35, 36.--Leather Skived to form Patches 37
37.--Preparing the Boot to receive the Patch 38
38.--Crack mended with Cross and Zigzag Stitches 40
39.--Cross Stitch 41
40.--Blind Stabbing 41
41.--Blind Stabbing 42
42.--Upholsterer’s Needle 42
43.--Needle in Handle 43
44.--Makeshift Blind Stabbing 43
45.--Sole raised to receive Underlay 44
46.--Leather Skived to form Underlay 45
47.--Skiver for Levelling 45
48.--Toe-piece and Underlay 46
49.--Loop Stitching 47
50.--Seat Stitching 47
51.--Stitch Drawing 48
52.--Grafting Sole to Waist 51
53.--Cutting Welts 52
54.--Welt prepared for Sewing 53
55.--Sewn Graft 53
56.--Fitting, Stitching, and Sewing 55
57.--Sewing-awl 57
58.--Blade of Stitching-awl 57
59.--Section of Boot 58
60.--Rubbing down Channel 59
61.--Fudge-wheel 59
62.--Waxing the Thread 60
63.--Hand-leather 61
64.--Shape of Foot Drawn on Paper 62
65.--Shoemaker’s Tape Measure 63
66.--Measuring a Stockinged Foot 63
67.--Measuring a Last 64
68.--A Last 64
69.--Bottom of Last 65
70.--Long Leather 66
71.--Instep Leather 66
72.--Joint Leather 66
73.--Heel-pin 66
74.--Last in Parts 67
75.--Peg-awl 67
76.--Gent.’s Lace Boot 70
77.--Oxford Shoe 71
78.--Inner Sole, Filled and Holed 72
79.--Prick-stitch 73
80.--Awl Holing the Inner Sole 73
81.--Stiffener 74
82.--Skiving-knife 74
83.--Side Lining 74
84.--Ready for Lasting 75
85.--Sole of Last showing Tacks 76
86.--Lasting Tack 76
87.--Lasting the Toe 78
88.--Shoemaker’s Pincers 79
89.--Side of Lasted Toe 80
90.--Sewing the Welt 84
91.--Welt enlarged 85
92.--Awl and Bristle 86
93.--Welt Sewn in 87
91.--Sole 89
95.--Rounding up the Sole 90
96.--Channel for the Stitches 90
97.--Channel laid open 92
98.--Stitching-awl 93
99.--Stitching the Boot 94
100.--Making the Stitch 95
101.--Rubbing the Channel down 96
102.--Sole-piece 98
103.--Cutting Split-lifts 99
104.--Turning the Split-lift 100
105.--Split-lift in position 100
106.--Heel ready for Sewing 101
107.--Flat-waisted Last 102
108.--Alteration of Last for High Heels 103
109.--Another way of Altering Last 103
110.--Heels Contrasted 104
111.--Stitching the Lift 104
112.--Method of Making the Stitch 104
113.--Pening to cover the Stitch 106
114.--Trimming the Seat 106
115.--Metal Guard used when Trimming 107
116.--Seat-breaker 107
117.--Welt-file 108
118.--Pegging a Seat 108
119.--Seat Sewn for Pegging 109
120.--Pegged Seat and Split-lift 109
121.--Flexura Spring 110
122.--Inner Sole for Pegged Waist 111
123.--Pegged Waist Enlarged 112
124.--Split Strip for light Pegged Work 113
125.--Completing the Heel 114
126.--Shape of Lifts for Blinding 115
127.--Top Piece Bradded 115
128.--Pitch of Heel 116
129.--Heel Pitching on Breast 116
130.--Heel Pitching on Back 116
131.--Correct Range for Spring Waist on Last 117
132.--Spring Waist off the Last 118
133.--Square Military Heel 118
134.--Smart Military Heel 118
135.--Heel in the Rough 120
136.--Knifing-up the Heel 121
137.--Paring Waist and Buffing Edge 121
138.--Peening Waist and Breaking Heel Corners 121
139.--Welt-beater 122
140.--Corner-beater 122
141.--Peening the Heel 123
142.--Rasping the Heel 123
143.--Yankee Heel Shave 124
144.--Peening Edge of Sole 125
145.--Rasping Edge of Sole 125
146.--Sole-plane 126
147.--Shoemaker’s Buffing-knife 126
148.--Welt Knife 128
149.--Breasting the Heel and Marking the Waist 129
150.--Sole, Waist, and Top-piece set up 130
151.--Seat wheel 131
152.--Handle for Waist Iron made from a chair leg 131
153.--Hollow Waist-iron 132
154.--Side-view of Waist-iron 132
155.--Round Waist-Iron 132
156.--Blind Double Iron 132
157.--Double Iron 132
158, 159.--Forepart Iron: Front and Side Views 133
160.--Double Iron 134
161.--Improved Fudge-wheel 135
162.--Portion of Boot for Pricking up the Stitch 136
163.--Spirit Lamp for Heating Irons 137
164.--Holding Heel-ball Cloth 139
165.--Double-handed Burnisher or Glazer 140
166.--How to Mark Waist 141
167.--Creasing for Flexura Waist 143
168.--Section of Boot 143
169.--Last Hook 144
170.--Round-headed Peg Rasp 145
171.--Peg Knife 145
172.--Seat-sock for Gent.’s Boots 145
173.--Sock for Ladies’ Boots and Shoes 146
174.--Putting in Sock not to Crease it 146
175.--Thin Sheet Iron to cover Last 148
176.--Boot Bottom with Blinders and Split-lift on Heel 149
177.--Boot Lasted Ready for Riveting 150
178.--The Riveted Sole 151
179.--Rivet Driver 152
BOOT MAKING AND MENDING.
CHAPTER I.
REPAIRING HEELS AND HALF-SOLING.
Soling and heeling are very necessary operations; for boots and shoes
are amongst the necessaries of life, and soles and heels will wear out.
A man who does his own repairs at once increases his income, or at
least saves a continual outlay.
For the processes of heeling and soling, not many tools are needed to
start with, and the leather can be bought in small quantities; and all
the necessary grindery (such as rivets, brads, pegs, hemp, paste, etc.)
can be bought, also in small quantities, and at a very low rate.
Suppose gentlemen’s boots want heeling and soling, the price at which
they are done by low-priced repairers is 2s. 6d., and then the work is
inferior and the leather nearly always foreign. Though there are some
good tannages and parts in foreign stuff, yet low-priced repairers use
only what are called first-cuts (the neck end of the butt), which is
the lightest leather both in substance and weight, and consequently
the cheapest. A pair of soles of this material costs 4d. or 5d., the
top-pieces for the heel 1¹⁄₂d. or 2d.; so the leather does not cost
more than 7d. at the most; and if such material does not last long in
wear, it is not surprising. Besides, the soles are often put on badly
and with long rivets, so that they cannot be got off again without
pulling the boots all to pieces.
There is great importance in keeping heels level, for if they are
allowed to wear down low, the evil that is caused is difficult to
remedy; for this not only tends to throw the heel itself on one side,
but also causes the sole to wear away much quicker, runs the stiffener
down at G G (Fig. 1), and throws the boot or shoe out of position,
generally beyond recovery.
[Illustration: Fig. 1.--Worn Heel Prepared for Mending.]
Nearly everybody in walking wears down his boot heels at one particular
spot. Usually the wear occurs most at A (Fig. 1), though with some
it is at the back of the heel; while a few wear most on the inside.
The repair of these defects is one of the best jobs that a novice at
the craft can start upon, as the grafting in half-heeling only means
butting the new piece of leather against the old, and there is no play
or friction to cause them to come asunder. The leather in very cheap
boots and shoes is not properly “worked”; this term meaning wetted,
dried, hammered, etc.
This explains why a new pair of cheap boots worn in the wet are, when
taken off the feet, lower on one side of the heel than on the other,
although the leather is not actually worn away. It is because the
unworked leather yields to the pressure caused by the weight of the
body in walking, and this yielding is the first stage to ruin. To
prevent this, always have a few extra nails put into new boots round
the part where most wear occurs.
When the heel is worn down on one side only, it is not necessary to
take the whole of the top-piece off, but only half of it, which can
be replaced with any corner of hard sole leather that would be almost
useless for any other purpose. To remove half of the top-piece, cut it
across at B C, and should the lift be worn, saw or cut that through as
well at D E; tack a piece of leather on to take the place of the worn
piece of lift, putting the tacks in at F and F. Then trim it round, and
put some odd corner of hard sole leather on in like manner, to take
the place of the worn part of the top-piece. Trim this also, and nail
it as shown in Fig. 2. In this case, four of the rivets put in at A,
B, C, and D should be quite ³⁄₄ in. long, so as to hold the
lift as well as the top-piece. One, two, three, or four rows of rivets
may be put in near the edge, but they are not much use unless close
together. Rivets should be put in as shown at E, F, G, and H.
This done, file them up, and finish in the ordinary way. Do not neglect
to keep the heel level. This is of special importance to those who mend
their own boots.
[Illustration: Fig. 2.--New Half Heel with Rivets to Resist Wear.]
Half-heeling, with plenty of nails close together, regularly done, will
keep boot heels in proper order; but it is not everyone who can spare
his boots or who can spare the time to do them properly in this way,
and when this job is once started, the boots cannot be worn until they
are finished. It is advisable never to wear a top-piece quite through,
for the lift is then worn away; and, no matter how little this may be,
it will need either replacing as described above, or repairing by means
of a skived piece of leather put under.
Before letting new heels wear away, take a piece of paper with one
straight line and lay this across the heel, from J to H (Fig. 2);
hold it with two fingers of the left hand quite firm at F and G; then
with the right hand smooth it down over the edge from J, passing A,
B, C, and D on to I; this will leave a mark on the paper. Cut
out to this mark, and it will give a good pattern of a half-heel piece,
as Fig. 3, without the outside line A. To this cut another pattern out
of stiff cardboard, as it will very often be wanted for use.
[Illustration: Fig. 3.--Half-Heel Piece Holed and Hammered.]
When leisure occurs cut sole leather to pieces of this pattern, leaving
¹⁄₄ in. on all round the curved side A (Fig. 3), to give room for
nailing. Here it will be necessary to explain how to make an awl for
this purpose, as, unlike all other awls, such awls cannot be bought
ready for use, but it is a tool that saves much time and disappointment.
[Illustration: Fig. 4.--Home-made Awl.]
To make this tool, an ordinary handle is used for a peg-awl, A (Fig.
4); two pieces of sole leather are put on top, as B and C. To secure
these, put one short stout screw in the centre, and then put a third
piece on, as D, first cutting a hole in the centre, a little larger
than the head of the screw, as A (Fig. 5), and then put about five
rivets in, as B, C, D, E, and F. This is done because the awl, when
finished, is very stumpy, and requires such hard blows to get it in
that these would split the wood; but by means of the leather this is
avoided, and the hole in the centre will admit of tightening the screw
when necessary. The edge is trimmed up all round, and a carpenter’s
large bradawl is put into the other end. This awl has a shoulder to it,
therefore the heavy blows will not drive it into the handle. When the
awl has been put into the handle, break it off to about an inch from
the shoulder; then with a fine file, or on a grindstone, taper it to a
long, flat, square point, as E (Fig. 4); it should be the shape of a
French brad (Fig. 7), only about ¹⁄₄ in. longer, and, of course, smooth.
[Illustration: Fig. 5.--Top of Awl Handle.]
The piece of leather in Fig. 3 should be of good substance, and should
be wet, but not soddened. On it mark a line round the curved line from
B to C, ¹⁄₄ in. from the edge, and from these two points make two rows
of holes with the awl just described, which should be dipped into a
piece of soap each time before using. A hole can be missed in the
second line of holes at each of the four places D, D, D, D, and a small
round hole made instead, and four more also made at E, E, E, E; then
let the leather get nearly dry before hammering it. This hammering will
make the holes smaller and more irregular-looking than shown in Fig.
3; but this does no harm, for so long as the awl is held in the same
position for each hole, the brads are sure to follow into their proper
places.
[Illustration: Fig. 6.--Cut Bill.]
[Illustration: Fig. 7.--French Brad.]
It has been stated above that the awl should be of the same shape as
a French brad, which is shown in Fig. 7; but there is another kind of
brad of similar shape, only it is much shorter and a little stouter,
as shown in Fig. 6. This is called a cut-bill, and it is this brad
that must be used to put into the holes made in Fig. 3. Let the length
of the brads be as nearly equal to the substance of the leather as
possible; lay the leather upon a piece of wood, and knock the brads in
the square holes one at a time. When they are all in, take the leather
off the wood, and lay it on the lap-iron with the points of the brads
upwards. These, if they are not too far through, can be clenched and
made smooth by tapping with a hammer; but if they are through far
before trying to clench them, they must be cut off with a pair of
cutting tongs close to the leather.
[Illustration: Fig. 8.--Half-Heel Piece Bradded.]
This done, the half-heel is ready for use. Several may be prepared,
and then all that is necessary to half-heel the boots is to cut the
top-piece across, as shown, from J to H (Fig. 2), take away the worn
part, and replace it with the new piece. Fig. 8 shows where it should
be bradded, and also the places for eight ⁵⁄₈ in. rivets; these are all
that is necessary to hold the piece on, and will allow it be taken off
easily when another heel-piece is wanted.
It will be found that the small margin, A B (Fig. 8), after the brads
have been put in, has become somewhat contracted. This is why the extra
¹⁄₄ in. of leather was left, for it would break if nailed close to the
edge. Now you can trim up the edge of the piece to the edge of the
heel, cutting close to the brads, on the line C to D, and finish in
the ordinary way. The first time the boots are half-heeled, it will be
necessary to put four rivets in the old leather at E, F, G,
and H (Fig. 8), to keep it from ripping off.
[Illustration: Fig. 9.--Snow’s Leather-plugged Half-tip.]
[Illustration: Fig. 10--Heel Prepared for Half-tip.]
Another good and easy way to half-heel boots is to get a pair of Snow’s
patent leather-plugged half-tips (Fig. 9), price 1¹⁄₂d. Put one on the
heel in its proper position, mark round the inside from A to B (Fig.
10), and cut away the part, C, that the tip is going to replace. Lay
the tip on the lap-iron face down, and hollow it in the centre, that it
may grip well at both ends, then dip it in water to soften the leather
plugs, and put it on the heel. With a fine awl make a hole through the
centre of each plug, and put a long rivet, which would be supplied with
the tips, in each hole. Smooth it up with a file where rough, and you
have a new lease of heel wear for 1¹⁄₂d., and a very little trouble.
If it is found difficult to cut the curved line to fit the tip from A
and B, cut the heel straight across, as in Fig. 2, from J to H, and
after the tip is on cut a small piece, as D (Fig. 10), and nail it in
with four rivets. To get D the proper shape, let it have one straight
side, and press that against the old leather. Hammer the leather on the
tip--this will make a mark underneath--cut through this line, and you
have the shape required.
Perhaps it is well to mention here that for beginners heeling and
underlaying--that is, placing pieces under the soles--is better work
to start upon, as by such work the use of the tools will be gradually
acquired, and sufficient skill obtained to warrant attempting the
harder task of soling and heeling throughout.
[Illustration: Fig. 11.--Fixing Heel with Screws.]
Suppose, as is often the case, your boots want the heels set up on one
side only, and a piece is wanted under the side of the soles, or a
toe-piece is wanted. A job like this can be done with very few tools.
But it is well always to buy a tool when you want it, and always to try
and do the work as well as possible; for by taking pains with the work,
you will soon be making progress. Boot repairing comes under every
man’s notice, so he has some idea how it should look when finished.
In the case of a heel that has given way by parting from the shoe, the
best way to repair it is to bore two holes from inside the shoe, each
large enough to admit a joiner’s screw to pass though, as at A in Fig.
11, and then make two small holes into the heel at B, as a lead for
the screws, which can be about ³⁄₄ in. or 1 in. long. From the inside
screw the two well into the heel, as at C; then put the shoe on an
iron foot, and drive in a long French nail from the top, just behind
the screws, as at D, and the heel will be as solid as it was at first.
Perhaps, by putting in another screw the nail may be dispensed with,
and if so, so much the better, as then nothing of the repair can be
seen from the outside.
[Illustration: Fig. 12.--Sharpening Strop.]
[Illustration: Fig. 13.--End View of Strop.]
A sharpening strop (Fig. 12) is indispensable to the shoemaker. It is
generally a solid piece of square wood, about 16 in. long, shaped at
one end to form the handle, A, about 4 in. long. A useful hollow one
may be made in this way: Take four pieces of wood, ¹⁄₄ in. thick, 12
in. long, and about 1³⁄₄ in. wide: place them together, as shown at
Fig. 13, and fix them with screws, illustrated at B, B, B,
B. Then cut a square piece, as C, and fix it with two French
nails at each side, as D D (Fig. 13). Then have a square piece of wood,
the same substance, about 6 in. long, and shape it for the handle, as A
(Fig. 12), leaving about 2 in. square to form a stopper for the square
case, which will be found very handy to keep spare awls in and also
broken awls, the use of which will be explained later on. It is also
very convenient to keep a sharp knife in, for if left with other tools,
this gets blunt, and when picking up another tool, you are apt to cut
your hand if the knife is lying on the bench.
When the strop has been completed, as shown in Fig. 12, paste a
piece of leather on one side, and on the other three sides paste
emery-cloth, Nos. 1¹⁄₂, 1, and F F. For putting a fine edge to the
knife use the F F, dip the blade of the knife in water, and finish on
the leather side. In sharpening a knife, always hold the blade quite
flat on the strop, or you will produce a round edge, which makes it
hard to use.
Paste is very often wanted. A halfpennyworth can be bought at any
grindery shop. But it so soon gets dry, and some of it is sure to be
wasted. The better way is to make paste thus: put a table-spoonful of
rye-flour into a jar, add a little _boiling_ water to it, and well
stir; this is economical, and you can always have paste in a few
minutes.
To sole and heel a pair of boots, procure a pair of soles of English
tannage, costing from 9d., and top-pieces from 3d.; a halfpennyworth of
iron rivets, at 3d. lb.: ¹⁄₂ in. is a very useful size; sand-paper, 1
sheet, size 1¹⁄₂, cost ¹⁄₂d.; and shoemakers’ ink, ¹⁄₂d. A better sole
would not be got at many full-priced shops.
Most important and most needed tools are an iron foot (Fig. 17), a
shoemaker’s hammer, knife (Fig. 82), nippers, glazing iron (Fig. 30),
and rasp (Fig. 27). This list of tools does not include sufficient to
turn out all kinds of work properly, but the number is cut down so that
the first four or five repairing jobs, including tools, shall cost no
more than if they had been done by an ordinary repairer.
Now we have leather and tools, we will start work. If you sit on an
ordinary chair, it should be cut down to about 14 in.; or any seat that
height will do. Your tools, for the present, can be put on the floor
or on the box you keep them in; but a shoemaker’s bench is of course
better.
The illustration Fig. 14 shows that it is not very hard to construct
a shoemaker’s bench, though, if the one shown is too elaborate, the
drawers can be dispensed with. Even a sugar-box will suffice, taking
the lid off and laying it on its side, the open top being A, where one
or even more drawers can be made to fit in. The lid will make the
back, and the beads for the two sides and front marked B B B and B,
which are about 1¹⁄₂ in. above the side of the box. Compartments can be
made at C C to receive the grindery in use, one especially to fit the
ink-bottle, that it may not get knocked over.
[Illustration: Fig. 14.--Shoemaker’s Bench.]
To tell a hand-sewn boot from one that is machine-sewn, first take the
sock out, and if there are stitches all round inside, on the inner
sole, the boots are machine-sewn. If the inner sole is smooth, they
are either hand-sewn, standard-screw, or a combination. If they are
standard-screw, the marks of a small round disc show on the inner
sole. The screw wire is put in so that it seldom shows on the inside,
but if the centre of this impression is scraped away, the brass screw
wire will be brought to light and prove the make. A machine-sewn welt
(the nearest approach to hand-sewn) will show a real and good stitch
all round the outside. Machine-sewn boots or shoes are much heavier
than hand-sewn. Another guide is the inside of the heel, for generally
machine-sewn boots have heels that are put on by a heeling machine, in
which you can see either the heads or clenched points on the inner sole
of the seat. Or the heels are nailed on by hand, which can be told in
the same way. For this reason machine-made boots often have a whole
or half inner sole in them, but if this is taken out it can soon be
replaced. Men who do hand-sewn work do not build theirs in this way,
for if not sewn they are pegged.
[Illustration: Fig. 15.--Heel prepared for Repairing.]
Now to sole and heel a pair of riveted or machine-sewn boots, which
require new soles to be riveted on. First dip into water the old soles
and heels of the boots and hold them in for a few minutes; let them dry
a little, so as to have them just mellow. The new leather must be put
in water, and thoroughly wetted through; then taken out, and allowed to
get nearly dry, but not by the fire, if this can be helped. Rasp off
all rough flaky stuff from the flesh side. Place the lap-iron--which
is simply a laundress’s iron with the handle off--on your thighs,
just above the knees, put the leather on it, grain side down, and,
commencing from the centre, hammer it well, evenly and gently. This
makes the leather more dense and more resistive to wear, and also more
impervious to dampness. While the leather dries, take off the old
top-pieces that are worn, and if the lifts are worn, cut or saw them
through the centre, and take away the portion that is worn, as _a_
(Fig. 15). This can then be replaced by a piece of new leather, which
need not be of the best quality. There are other ways of building up
heels, which will be explained as we make progress.
[Illustration: Fig. 16.--Rivets in a Boot Sole.]
This operation of taking off the old soles requires some care. If
the boots are wetted, they are far less likely to fall to pieces and
otherwise give trouble than if they are worked upon in a dry state.
When taking off the sole, a last can be put in the boot, to make a
solid foundation to work on; the old sole can be prised off with a
blunt chisel when it is wet, commencing at the toe or the thinnest
part; this will enable you to catch hold of it with nippers. By means
of these pull off the sole with the nippers in one hand, and at the
same time hold down with the other the under leather (often termed
welt, or runner). Should the under part still have a tendency to give
way from the uppers, knock back the sole, so that it leaves the rivets
sticking out; with the pincers or nippers pull out the rivets, and
repeat the processes till the sole is got off without disturbing the
boot. Before putting the new sole on, the under part can be nailed down
with a few short rivets to make it solid. If in the making or previous
repairing very long rivets have been used, taking off the sole will
need great care to avoid causing the boot to fall to pieces. As your
own repairer, never let your boots wear low, for here “a stitch in time
saves nine”; and the cheaper the boots, the more applicable this adage.
For re-soling machine-sewn boots and shoes, follow the advice given
in connection with hand-sewn work. The following is another system
for sewn work:--When the lasts are in, and the boots wet, skive off
the edge of the sole: not right through, or you may spoil the welt,
but deep enough to cut through the stitches and cut their loops off.
Then, as before, the toe can be raised or prised up from the welt, when
taking off the sole is an easy matter.
[Illustration: Fig. 17.--Iron Foot used in Re-Soling.]
[Illustration: Fig. 18.--Iron Last and Stand.]
If the under-sole should come away whilst taking off the outer one, the
damage must be made good. This can be done in the following manner:--If
you are repairing on an iron last or an iron-bottom last, hammer the
middle or under-sole back into its place, first taking out all the old
nails; then, supposing A A in Fig. 16 to show the line where the rivets
which fix the new sole will pass through the middle sole, put through
the line B B a few short rivets or long tingles, according to the
substance of the bottom. The dots, B B, show where the tingle should be
put. They should be only just long enough to clench on the bottom of
the last.
When repairing on a wooden last, and this under-sole is being fixed,
take the shoe off and slip it on the iron foot to clench the tingles,
for they must be clenched before the new sole is put on. When putting
the new sole on and knocking in the rivets, put extra long ones in, say
an inch apart: just long enough to clench through the whole thickness
of the new sole, middle sole, tops, inner sole, etc. The long rivets
should be of brass, so that when the shoe is again re-soled these will
draw out with the thin old sole, and not disturb the middle sole in so
doing.
[Illustration: Figs. 19, 20.--Last Stands, with Reversible Foot.]
The cause of boots falling to pieces, as they sometimes do after a
short period of wear, is frequently the want of a good solid inner
sole. If not gone too far, and if when pulling the sole off the boots
are not pulled to pieces, remedy this defect by putting a new half
inner sole in the forepart, and then re-sole the boots on the iron
foot. If they are past this, and the uppers are good enough, re-last
the forepart on a pair of iron lasts or a pair of iron-plated ones.
To obtain the required lasts, the size of foot must be taken in inches.
Draw the tape measure just a little tighter than you would like the
boot, and then send off the order thus: 1 pr. gent’s (boot or shoe)
lasts, joint 9 in., instep 9¹⁄₂ in., as the case may be. Iron-plated
ones are the cheaper, as iron stem and stand, which cost 2s., are
wanted with the iron lasts; but an iron-plated last, screwed to a
bench, gives you the advantage of being able to stand at work. Figs. 17
and 18 show last and stand, which can be got at any leather warehouse.
Figs. 19 and 20 show a useful stand for repairing purposes which allows
the foot to be fixed firmly in either of the two positions.
[Illustration: Fig. 21.--Old Sole Removed.]
[Illustration: Fig. 22.--New Sole partly Fitted.]
The old sole should be cut off at the waist to within about ³⁄₄ in.
from where the new sole is to come. Mark off the exact length of the
new sole, and then start to skive off from this mark, tapered to where
the old sole was cut off. From the line scoop it out evenly with a
knife, until about one-third of the way through (as A, in Fig. 21).
Then lightly tap down the leather, right across where hollowed out;
this should be done with the pene end of the hammer. This process
hardens the leather to receive the pegs or rivets and, without
weakening the old leather, gives an extra drop to receive the new
sole. The new sole to be spliced to this part of the waist of the
boot must be skived, but not very thin; and it is best to skive on
the flesh side for light work, and on the grain side for heavy work.
Slightly paste the groove in the old leather, and also the new sole,
where it has been skived; this tends to make the graft sound and
firm when finished. It is all important to properly work the leather
before using--that is, by wetting, fleshing, drying, and hammering, as
explained on p. 20.
[Illustration: Fig. 23.--New Sole Fastened in Groove.]
[Illustration: Fig. 24.--New Sole finally Fitted.]
In levelling up for re-soling, the proper way is to make the sole
just a little rounded, putting in just enough filling to make
this difference. The bottom of a boot, if too round, is sometimes
uncomfortable, and wears away quickly, whilst one hollow in the centre
is uncomfortable and unsolid. A last should be somewhat round at the
bottom, so that it fits the bottom or sole of the foot. The sole of
the boot will be made round enough by placing a layer of felt in the
middle, to prevent creaking, and make it impervious to dampness as far
as possible. This applies both to making and to repairing.
To fix on the new sole, place the boot or shoe on an iron foot. The
sole should be put on with the skived end to overlap the groove about
¹⁄₈ in., as shown at A (Fig. 22). When riveted, it should be well into
the groove, as shown at A (Fig. 23). If the graft is well done, the end
of the new sole will project above the old leather. This part must be
pared off neatly level with the waist, then pened with the hammer and
rasped off. When all these processes are carried out, you will have a
neat and a permanently solid seam, as shown at A (Fig. 24).
[Illustration: Fig. 25.--Position for Rivets.]
[Illustration: Fig. 26.--Edge of Sole Pened.]
Before putting in the rivets, pare up the sole--not closely, but
leaving a small margin all round. About ³⁄₈ in. from the edge, draw a
line all round with a pair of compasses or with a pencil, which will
answer the purpose, held between the thumb and finger, placing the
second finger against the edge of the sole. Then with an awl prick
on the line, all round the sole, small holes to receive the rivets,
putting them closest where most wear comes; generally, this is at the
toe and outside joint, where it is best to use iron rivets; elsewhere
brass rivets should be used. Fig. 25 shows about the form in which the
rivets should be put in.
[Illustration: Fig. 27.--Shoemaker’s Rasp.]
[Illustration: Fig. 28.--Enlarged View of Pened Work.]
Trim up the sole’s edge with the knife, being very careful not to cut
the uppers; then damp the edge, and pene it all round with the hammer.
This should be done with the shoe on the knees, the heel being towards
you and the edge of the sole upwards, and pened by hammering, as shown
in Fig. 26 at A B, commencing at A, and going right round the sole.
This process is important, as it hardens the edge, tends to make it
hollow, and prepares it to receive the next tool, which is the rasp
(Fig. 27). The toe end of a shoe is illustrated on a larger scale at
Fig. 28, which shows how the pening strokes should be laid to weld the
new and old leather together, and keep the edge hollow, as at A (Fig.
28). Then let the whole boot dry, while you proceed with the other one.
[Illustration: Fig. 29.--Top Piece on Heel.]
When you repair your own boots, never let the heels wear more than just
through the top-piece: then the heels keep in shape; but if you have to
repair the lifts when putting the pieces on, let the nails be a little
way from the edge, or when the top-piece is nailed on one set of nails
will come in contact with those below, and produce unpleasant results.
When building up the heel, ready for the top-piece, it is well to make
that side where the most wear is a little higher, as it tends to make
the wear more even. Tack the top-piece on the heel (Fig. 29), putting
a nail at A and one at B, and round it up with the knife, leaving a
little stuff on all round, more particularly at that part which is to
receive the most nails, as shown by the dotted line. The rivets should
then be put in, as shown at C C, but first mark round the heel and hole
it, as was done for the sole, then pare and pene, as described above;
the edges of the soles and heels should then be rasped, then buffed
with a scraper or buffing-knife.
This tool, which is illustrated on p. 126, is similar to a
cabinet-maker’s scraper, and it can be made of about 3 in. of old
stay-busk. Such a tool can be bought, but it is seldom ready for use,
so you might as well make one; and a piece of freshly-broken glass will
suffice. Then sand-paper the edges with a piece of No. 1¹⁄₂ sand-paper.
The faces of the sole and heel can be filed with the file side of the
rasp, to make the heads of the rivets smooth and even with the leather;
then buff off the grain of the leather with the scraper, and sand-paper
the sole all over. This produces what is called a rough bottom, and all
that is needed for own work. Rub a little paste on the edges with a
piece of rag, and ink the edges and the waist, using shoemaker’s ink,
American is best. This is allowed to get just dry, then the leather is
rubbed over with the glazing-iron (Fig. 30). This iron must not be very
hot; its proper heat is such that if it is put into water it should
just cause a hiss. Properly, a forepart iron should be used for the
soles, but the glazer will do for a makeshift. This ironing process
gives a nice gloss, which is increased and made more permanent by being
repeated, at the same time ironing on a thin coat of heel-ball, which
can be rubbed off smooth with a piece of old cloth, and will leave a
brilliant polish.
[Illustration: Fig. 30.--Glazing Iron.]
Always remember that any job in repairing can be finished much better
if a last is inside the boot; and that pening, rasping, buffing, and
all finishing, should be commenced from A for the soles (Fig. 26), and
from B (Fig. 24) for the heels. In using the knife, the action is the
reverse in both cases.
Gutta-percha makes by no means bad soles, and with it no great
difficulty will be found in either patching or entirely re-soling
boots. It is not recommended for use on neat light boots; but many an
old pair of boots which are looked on as past wear can thus be made
thoroughly useful for winter wear; for it must be remembered that
gutta-percha is waterproof. It is also light in weight, and is warm to
the feet. It is, however, chiefly on the grounds of economy and the
ease with which it can be used that gutta-percha is to be recommended.
The gutta-percha necessary can be got at any india-rubber shop. It is
sold in pieces about ¹⁄₄ in. thick, and only as much as may be wanted
need be bought. The measurement roughly can easily be got. Some cement
will also be required; that used for fastening the india-rubber tyres
on cycles, etc., is excellent for the purpose. Cuttings of gutta-percha
could be used instead, but would not be found so satisfactory, except
perhaps to stick a patch on a worn piece of gutta-percha sole. In this
case, though, a cement of any kind is hardly necessary, as the two
surfaces on being made sticky by heat, will adhere without a medium.
The soles to be repaired must be thoroughly dry before commencing
operations; for if they be in the slightest degree damp, the new soles,
though they may adhere for a time, will certainly come off ere long.
That any dirt or clay must be cleaned off, goes without saying. It may
be advisable to tear off the bottom layer of leather, in which case a
neater-looking job perhaps will result; or you may just take the boot
as it is, and lay the gutta-percha on. In either case, the work is the
same. It is well to heat the soles of the boots and put the cement on
while they are warm. The cement may be melted either in a ladle and
poured on, spreading it thinly, or be used like sealing-wax by melting
it as required and rubbing it on the boot; or pieces may be put on
the boot and melted, and spread with a piece of hot iron--the kitchen
poker, an old knife, or anything of the kind will do very well. Perhaps
this last method is the best, as the hot iron seems to work the cement
well into the leather, which, by the way, may first be roughened with
advantage by rasping; or even scoring and scratching with a knife will
suffice.
When cement is used it should be evenly spread upon the leather,
and while hot it is extremely tenacious. If it gets cold before the
gutta-percha is ready to apply, it may be heated by the hot iron or
over a gas or lamp flame, or at the fire. The great thing is to bring
the gutta-percha and the boots in contact while the cement is quite
hot. The gutta-percha also should be hot: on the side of adherence hot
enough to be soft and sticky. This can easily be managed by holding it
close to the fire for a short time just before putting it on the boot.
The gutta-percha should then be firmly, but gently, pressed to the
boot. It will be flexible enough to yield to pressure and follow the
curve of the sole if it has been sufficiently warmed.
When the new sole is firm and hard--as it will soon become if the boot
is put in a cool place--the edges may be trimmed off. This can be done
with a knife, as the gutta-percha can be easily cut. The cuttings
should be kept, as they come in useful for re-patching the sole as it
becomes worn in places, so that there need be little, if any, waste.
The final touches may be given by drawing a hot iron of any kind over
the edges, so as to smooth them down.
The sole as now made will wear a considerable time, though not so long
as leather, but the wear-resisting qualities of gutta-percha may be
much increased by the use of boot protectors. These are small pieces of
iron for fastening on to the sole in parts most susceptible to wear.
They can easily be fixed. The caution that boots with gutta-percha
soles should not be placed too near a fire may not be unnecessary, but
beyond this, no special precaution is necessary any more than in the
case of leather.
Briefly stated, the cost of the tools mentioned in this chapter is
as follows:--An iron foot may be bought at 1¹⁄₂d. per lb., and a
handle for 5d; or Snow’s Handy Last foot may be purchased for 2s.
A shoemaker’s knife costs 2¹⁄₂d., a hammer 6d., nippers 5¹⁄₂d.,
glazing-iron 6d., and a forepart iron 8d. These may be obtained at any
grindery shop.