Terry Kim Apron Toe Derby Video

YouTube video showing Terry Kim making a pair of moccasin-toe Derby shoes

Terry originally released this footage as a series, but later combined into one long video. Note below are from the original episodic videos. The link above is to the new, combined video.

Episode 1

• foot measuring

Episode 2

• wraps the insole with bike tire, then tacks the end of the bike tire down to the last
• bell skiver
• celastic toe puff
• lasting
  • staple gun lasting toe after tacking
  • pulls the tacks out, leaves the staples
  • two rows of staples around the forepart
• pulls all the staples before inseaming
• steel shank
• cork sheet
• cemented construction
• heel stack
  • built from individual heel lifts
  • skived flat after the third
  • big C-clamps on marble slab as heel press

Episode 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QIRsovl7iE

• the cemented shoes were just test shoes
• destructive investigation of test shoes
• pattern alterations to curve of quarters with tape and more pattern paper
• clicks with big shears
• sandpaper on edges of cut pieces
• smooths out bell skiver skives by hand
• burns the loose fibers of the skived pieces over a flame
• pre-pierces the apron’s holes, coming out halfway through the thickness of the leather
• punches round holes on the vamp at the apron seam
• butt joints the vamps at the split toe with stitches coming out halfway through thickness
• sews the apron to the vamp on a flat surface
• hand sewed the tap of the quarter to the vamp
• wets the entire upper with a dauber by hand
• soaks insoles in a baking pan
• removes grain lawyer of insoles with big glass scraper
• final wrap of bike tire over cone, down over toe
• trims insoles underhand with Japanese-style leather knife
• glass scraper on edges of insoles, especially in arch
• feather
  • marks feather with compass making dots, then connecting dots with pencil
  • incises with craft knife
  • opener looks like a builder’s tool, maybe a tile tool
  • cuts feather backhand with Japanese-style leather knife, small stroke at a time, pulling off a continuous strip
  • wets and burnishes with bone
• channel
  • marks with compass as continuous line
  • incises at angle with leather knife
  • cuts away with leather knife
  • 360
• holing
  • marks with compass setting spacing
  • lines for holes in heel

Episode 4

• puts a ton of conditioner on the uppers
• pre-lasting
  • no back hoist
  • lets sit
• heel stiffener
  • cutting stiffeners by hand with shears
  • NIPPY bell skiver
  • skiving on marble block
  • dunk in water in a glass cup
  • directly out of the water onto the last
  • tacks at back height
  • lasts over the heel completely
  • still pretty thick over the featherline
  • lets sit to form
  • removes tacks and removes from last
• heel lasting
  • glue inside heel of upper
  • counter in
  • glue on counter
  • lining down
  • upper onto last
  • drafts toe first
  • ho apparent heel hoist
  • checks back height with tailor tape
  • lining stands proud of topline
  • tacks the heel under the featherline
  • then tacks the waist on each side, near where the quarters end
  • lasts the heel parts of upper, lining, and counter together
  • lots of hammering the heel
• toe stiffener
  • cut with shears
  • bell skiver
  • skives by hand, apparently dry, with Japanese leather knife, backhand
  • dunk in water cup again, but only partway submerged
  • marks position of puff back toward cone with tape
  • marks alignment lines across
  • lots of paste on lining
  • [he fully lasted the lining at some point before, not shown]
  • tacks puff down on top of paste
  • again, puff is still pretty thick past the featherline
  • fully lasts the puff around the toe
  • pulls the tack out of the top of the puff and hammers
  • lets dry with vamps flipped up
  • trims toe puff with Japanese leather knife, backhand
  • then sandpapers, paper on a board
  • contour gauge to take front profile of toe shape
  • checks against second toe
  • lets the puff with water
  • burnishes with wood
  • heats iron, drizzles water on to steam
  • burnishes with iron
  • removes tacks from puff, trims with Japanese leather knife
  • sands over the top of the puff with a block
• toe lasting
  • applies paste
  • snaps vamp down
  • lasts toe to small pleats
  • covers with stretch plastic after lasting toe
  • tacks the plastic down under the featherline
  • lets stand

Abalone Initials and Finishing

• reopens dried outsole channel with bone folder
• wets inside with paintbrush and slicks down again
• peens the edges with the peen side of a French hammer before glassing and slicking again
• users wing dividers to mark holes for nails in the heel seat
• cuts the nails flush with nippers
• abalone initials in waists of outsoles
  • guitarmaker client
  • cut with Dremel
  • lots of scraping and sanding flush
• heeling
  • split lift on top of outsole
  • pares each lift flat
  • checks flat with side of rasp
  • nails third lift, clips nails
  • trims each lift after cementing
  • marks breast with paper pattern
  • wets before cutting
  • the uncut lifts overhanged the breast line by a lot
  • c-claims over a board to press the heels
• finishing
  • sanding stick for edges
  • peens the heel like the edges
  • edge beveler along welt
  • uses pegging awl to make holes for decorative nails in heel top lift
  • brass dome-head nails hammered halfway in, clipped, and sanded flush
  • blonde edge wax
  • heats edge iron and fudge on electric burner
  • puts finishing wax on the fudge before running over the welt
  • puts wax on the edges of the heel before using the edge iron
  • black waist bottom, brown heel and forepart
  • added more tape above the featherline on the upper before burnishing
  • heats a flat knife over a flame before cutting protective plastic off the upper
  • delasts on a jack
  • peg float
  • brush and cream conditioner