James Ducker on Heel Building

blog post series by James Ducker

• attach split lift
  • lessen curve on bottom of last

  • Heel building is a process of converting this curve to flat surface which can hit the floor and thus not unbalance the wearer.

  • water based craft glue and nail
  • glass the heel area to avoid squeaks
  • drive in nails until they just hit the last, then clip them off so can skive
  • generous with craft glue
  • don’t need strong glue, since will have nails
• cut two heel lifts from oak cow leather, similar to insole leather, but slightly less dense
• first lift:
  • 3 nails in triangle
  • skive surface to level
  • about 1/8” gap at heel breast
• second heel lift
  • three nails as before
  • row of nails around edge
  • about 1/4” from edge, spaced about 1/2” apart
  • drive nails angled into the center, about 10° off vertical, so won’t reveal nails when you rasp the heel
  • uses a driver (big blunted file)
  • skive flat
  • check levels
• trim excess
  • very sharp knife
  • mellowed leather
    • soak for at least one hour
    • dried to 80-90% dryness
  • want straight sides, slightly pitched under back part, following curve of last
• peen the edges
  • French hammer
  • close gaps between lifts
  • peen close ot the seat
  • knife off any lumps
• mark the heel lines with a pen
• mark the seat line
• trim off the seat line with a knife
  • don’t cut the upper!
  • wet the seat first
• keep checking flatness and 1/8” gap at breast
• top piece
  • hard and durable like sole
  • 1/4 rubber at back
  • normally on outside edge, due to pronating
  • mark rubber on heel
  • glue with contact cement

  • This is one of the few occasions when you must put your hand in front of your knife…

  • I have cut myself quite badly…

  • contact cemenet
  • leave overnight, refresh cement with hair dryer the next day
  • some nails
  • nail pattern can be a signature
• rasp
  • can wet the surface
  • press quite hard
• glass
  • 2mm glass
  • tiny nick, then split
  • angle about 30 degrees
• sanding
  • aluminum oxide paper
  • sanding block
  • 80 initially
  • up to 120
  • wet and go up to very high grit paper
• scratch up all that work with a light grade paper, gently
  • so the ink will seep in
• Astral wax or any heel/edge wax
• melt with hot iron
• three total layers
• rub excess off with flannel, leaving a thin, shiny layer
• can heat with hair dryer