FireStryker Living History Forum : Lasts for Turnshoes

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Topic: Lasts for Turnshoes

Seigneur de Leon
Member
Member # 65

posted 08-24-2001 04:00 PM

Landwerlen Leather, which sells leather and cobbler supplies has a bunch of old "steel last plate stands", or something like that. What they are is a base, an adjustable stand, and a removable tip, that resembles a jackhammer chisel. On this tip go the "lasts", a pair of flat shoe-shaped anvils both round and pointed-toed for nailing soles. I bought a straight stand for boots, and they told me there were companies that sold foot-shaped wooden or plastic lasts in different sizes. A search on the internet yielded nothing. Does anyone know of a source for these, or approximately how much they run?
If that doesn't pan out, I thought about using the blue machine wax we use for making brass casting molds. It is hard enough you can saw it, file it or sand it, plus we pound these things into the Delph clay with hammers when we cast. If it doesn't work, I can melt it down again. I was thinking of making a cast of my feet by duct-taping over an old pair of socks, cutting it off, duct-taping the cut, filling the duct tape cast with molten wax, sticking the "chisel" of the stand into the ankle, then peeling off the sock/tape and sanding. Sound do-able, or like a potential mess in the making?

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VERITAS IN INTIMO
VIRES IN LACERTU
SIMPLICITAS IN EXPRESSO

Registered: Nov 2000 | IP: Logged

Seigneur de Leon
Member
Member # 65

posted 08-24-2001 04:01 PM

Hmmm... Foot wear in the Middle Ages talks about why you shouldn't use plaster for lasts. Perhaps wax isn't such a good idea either, for the same reasons. It might do as an example to follow while carving a wooden one, though.
I suppose I should try it first with a thin, cheap piece of chrome-tanned leather to make sure it fits before I use the expensive moose hide.

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VERITAS IN INTIMO
VIRES IN LACERTU
SIMPLICITAS IN EXPRESSO

Registered: Nov 2000 | IP: Logged

Dru
Member
Member # 180

posted 08-24-2001 04:40 PM

One of the first and biggest problems is that medieval lasts and, therefore, medieval shoes are not foot shaped. I make my lasts out of glued together scraps of wood from the floor of my shop. Having made 50 or so pairs of lasts, each new pair is still an improvement over the last one. I still change out lasts and remake sizes that I already have as my standards rise. I have heard of people making useable shoes by these shortcut methods, but they all seem to lack a bit in having a true medieval style.

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Dru Shoemaker
www.medievalshoes.com

Registered: May 2001 | IP: Logged

Dru
Member
Member # 180

posted 08-25-2001 11:37 AM

I'll see about some pictures, but basically, based on my experience, in order to get a shoe that looks the same as the ones in the finds, a medieval last has to be shaped like a medieval shoe sole, not like a human foot. In addition, a couple of key measurements should be close. The measurement over the instep and around the ankle should be close to the same even if the shape is not the same. Also, the sole of the last is flat. Generally, I try to make the shoes so that they are long enough, but a bit snug. This is all governed by the shape and size of the last. The leather will stretch a bit during the breaking in process and lead to a custom fit.

It has also been my experience that the first couple of tries don't work out to well. This is one reason why Historic Enterprises and I make and sell shoes. It no longer takes me or Jeff anywhere near the time it takes a beginner to get through even one shoe, which may or may not fit.

On my first try making medieval shoes in a period fashion, I made three shoes before I got the lasts adjusted properly and made a pair that fit. They were not perfect but they are even today acceptable. Now I am on my fourth pair of lasts for my size. Not because they ever wore out, but because my skill at last making has increased to the point that I can make what to most might be insignificant adjustments, but make my shoes just a bit more stylish than they were.

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Dru Shoemaker
www.medievalshoes.com

Registered: May 2001 | IP: Logged

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