Terry Kim Hand-Dyed Leather Derby Shoes Video

YouTube video by Terry Kim

Notes

• begins from a foot tracing
• uses the foot tracing to freehand sketch a bottom paper
• ordered a Stock last
• cuts the plugs holding the hinge pins out of the last
• roughs the surface of the last with a sanding stick
• bast taping}}
  • inside and outside
• designing on last
  • main axis holding a metal rule over the forepart and eyeballing down it
  • ball girth line with a measuring tape
  • back height
  • long guidelines from back height to ball girth line with tape on both sides
  • sketches on the tape
  • freehands the topline
  • dog tail
  • marks heel breast points on sides
  • heel pitch gauge and rule to check heel line
  • vertical rule to mark lines for aligning the heel counter
  • draws the heel counter on the tape
  • freehands the derby curve
  • freehands the toe cap
• master
  • cuts down main axis top to bottom, front and back
  • cuts away tape above topline
  • cuts facing curves
  • peels quarters from tab and over instep outward
  • lays paper under them and presses them down while still attached to the last
  • then peels vamp back from tip of toe all the way to backline
  • hands the peeled pieces off the side of the bench from the very toe tip
  • flattens onto brown paper board
    • starts from backline
    • uses spatula to press down toward featherline
    • slashes the featherline with scissors
  • uses a ruler to extend the vamp line and place half the tiny, hourglass-shaped strip of tape from the facing gap, with the top of the tongue
  • punches holes in the seam design lines of the tape
  • punches holes for eyelets in pattern piece
  • uses the holes to cut slashes pattern line holes
  • tapes the two sides of the vamp pattern pieces together
  • traces the combined vamp on a new paper, through the holes
  • uses an awl to mark the toe cap line through the paper
  • adds allowances with a compass, pricking holes along the length to connect freehand later
  • traces the quarter from the master, as well
    • bends the vamp part down under itself to flatten the eyelet stays for tracing
  • traces the heel counter cover by laying the two tape pieces butt to butt, creating a v-shaped pattern
  • punches larger holes for eyelets on quarter pattern pieces

Test Upper

• silver pen to trace pattern pieces
• basting tape for seams
• cylinder arm sewing machine to close
• sprays water on inside before mounting on last
• tacks at back height
• drafts toe and tacks
• packing cord to lace up
• marks revised tongue shape in silver pen on the upper, then transfers to the pattern piece and cuts excess away

Upper Making

• marks defects on hide
• silver pen to trace again, despite lighter tan leather color of crust leather
• cuts out with Korean leather knife, pulling
• uses a patch of sandpaper on the inside of the quarter curve and other tight curves, then burns away the loose fibers with a lighter
• wets leather with a fine-mist spray bottle before compressing facing pieces between two marble blocks
• bell skiver
• 31:59 skives some pieces over the marble block with the curved Korean leather knife, pull skiving and push skiving
• pastes seams together [no basting tape on final uppers]
  • vamp and toe cap together
  • quarters and heel counters
  • facings onto quarters
  • not quarters to vamps yet
• closing
  • Seiko cylinder arm
  • brown contrast thread
  • two rows on toe cap
• toplines
  • topline tape
  • folded edge along topline
• sews quarters to quarter linings
• edge beveler to trim the lining to the topline
• basting tape for quarter seams
  • one side on the flat, then sewn
  • second side also with basting tape, holding the upper up by hand
• drives punches for eyelet holes through all layers
• dye with a dauber
• some kind of cream on top, applied onto the bristles of a brush, then brushed on
• uses a round awl to pierce holes for stay stitches at tabs, including one hole past the facing on the vamp
• dyes thread for the stay stitches with a paintbrush
• hand sews the stay stitches

Pre-Lasting

• cork last build-up over instep on left side only
  • [Why does he add this now, rather than before taping and patterning on the last?]
  • rasp to taper edges
  • checks instep girth over the cork
• uses lighter on ends of cut poly packing ribbon to make points that are easier to thread through the eyelets
• wets upper all over with fine-mist sprayer
• measures back height with tape, then tacks through excess lining above topline and bends the tack up
• drafts the toe and tacks straight to last, with no insole
• drafts at the ball joints
• checks straightness
• lasts the very back of the heel
• sprays again
• drafts from ball joints back toward waist
• hammers the topline all around
• tightens the packing twine lacing and re-ties
• sets to dry on lasts
• pulls tacks
• removes uppers

Insole Making

• cuts from a hide
  • [looks like a side, rather than a bend]
• bottom paper as pattern, silver pen
• rough cuts with Korean leather knife
• soaks in a water pan
• [mounts to last without scraping grain]
• one tack in center of heel, one at toe tip, one in waist, one between joints, all bent down
• wraps with bicycle tire, tacks the bike tire end down over the tip of the toe
• lets dry
• sharpens leather knife on well dished water stone before blocking
• backhand cuts in small strokes
• feels for flush by running thumb along the featherline
• around the toe, blade held between thumb on one side and four fingers on the other
• undercuts the heel part slightly
• marks in feather lines in pencil
• marks a line from joint to join across the forepart, as well as another, parallel line a bit further back
  • [what’s this second line for? Is he using two lines to show a range within which the heads of the joints will fall?]
• very narrow feather!
• incises lines with leather knife
• channel opener
• cuts away the feather with the leather knife, in tiny strokes, pulling a continuous strip of leather away
• marks spacing for channel with compass
• incises with leather knife, at an angle
• opens with channel opener
• carves away the same way as the feather
• paints liquid from a mug on the feather
• [perhaps not shown: melting a dissolving blue film strip of something into the water first, as in other videos]
• 53:43 wetting and burnishing feather and holdfast
• burnishes feather and outside edge of feather with bone
• burnishes the whole of the insole curve in the waist
• wets the channel and burnishes there, too
• marking holes lines around toe
  • marks lines for holes on the holdfast
  • uses a compass to mark an equal distance along the outside edge of the holdfast
  • uses a measuring tape to mark lines arraying out from a point near where the tack is set in the middle of the toe through the insole
• continues marking holes around the holdfast, still using compass for spacing
• wets the channel again
• pre-pierces from the inside out
• [clearly using a lot of some kind of waxy lubricant on the awl]
• it’s a relatively wide, flat-nosed awl
• pushes the feather of the insole down to the last with the thumb when it tries to raise up
• 56:53 shot of one finished insole in the foreground
  • [TODO: no feather around the heel seat, but he has pierced holes through the full thickness to the channel?]
  • [there are two lines draw for the heel breast, one right where he stopped cutting the feather, another a little way back from the first]

Heel Counters

• traces heel counter pattern on new paper
• cuts from a side
• rough cuts with scissors
• bell skiver along the top edge
• wets the edge and skives back more with a knife over marble
• fine mist sprayer to wet the whole thing
• pre-lasts for shaping
• one tack at very back
• one tack at each forward extreme
• one tack through each side of cuboid
• pleats around the back
• trims lasting allowance
• lots of tacks, hammering feather
• lets dry, removes from last
• cuts the lasting allowance away entirely by cutting through the holes left by the tacks
• then runs the bottom edge through the bell skiver

Lasting

• yellow glue to paste the heel counter in
• brushes into the pocket, then lays in counter dry
• measures back height to tack at back
• drafts toe, reuses same tack hole
• then tacks joints
• then two across heel and two across waist
• drives two tacks into each side above the topline, in the trim allowance of the lining
• heel lasting
• sprays the upper again, hammers the feather around the heel
• lasts the toe lining separately
• lays the leather toe puff on, then marks line at its edge
• paints glue onto lining within line
• wets toe puff before placing down
• lasts the toe puff separately, leaving the tacks in the lining
• lots of tacks!
• removes tack on top of toe puff while hammering
• trims toe puff
• removes tacks from lining and hammers down
• lets dry
• skives toe puff with knife, then rasps and sands
• brushes on water and burnishes with wood and hammer handle
• paints on some kind of hardener
• lets dry
• removes tacks from toe puff
• cuts pleats flat
• sands the feather and the top of the toe puff
• another layer of adhesive, perhaps a clear paste
• toe lasting
• tacks in at a fairly steep angle
• hammers toe
• trims lining and both lining and upper through toe
• trims nearly all the way back to the feather
• bends tacks in over the holdfast
• 1:11:04 makes shoe cover out of sheet plastic
  • traces a big pattern piece, like a huge vamp shape, with a black marker
  • cuts with scissors
  • folds in half and tapes together along back with cellophane tape
  • brushes cream over the upper before covering
  • stretches plastic over by hand
  • tacks at the toe
  • shrinks with heat gun
  • tacks at joints, behind joints, waist
  • several tacks through toe
  • trims

Welting

• makes welt from straps
• marks channel with pen, incises, channel opener, bone folder to burnish
• 1:14:40 mixes blue “paper soap” in mug with water
• wraps first knuckle with white fabric tape
• uses lasting board
  • lasting post at the back
• piercing inside out
• lots of twisting motion of the awl
• first curved needle in from the outside, pulls through, then places second curved need out from the inside, alongside the thread already in the hole
• casts both sides
• pulls tight by hand, using wrapped knuckles
• presses the welt to the upper ahead of the awl to pierce through it
• interlaced gimp through the toe
• appears to be using a darker-colored cord of the same thickness
• lays a credit card under the bitter ends of the welt to trim them
• cuts them off square
• sewn seat
  • pierces from the outside in
  • shoemaker stitch
  • square knot to tie off on the inside
• trims right at the wall of the holdfast at the feather
• hammers down all around
• bone folder on the welt all around
• welt beater all around
  • holds on top of welt
  • beats bottom of welt to beater with a French hammer

Shanking

• marks bottom with pink chalk just inside the inseam
• lays paper on and presses down to pattern fill shape
• bends the paper at the rearmost line from joint to joint
• does one for each shoe
• traces the impression with pencil
• marks the creased line with pencil
• cuts out
• makes an additional tracing of just the backpart to the line
• cuts the backpart pieces out of a side of leather
• cuts copies of the same backpart pieces out of thicker leather again [looks like sole bend belly]
• wraps the shank with tape
• cements the taped shank directly to the insole and hammers down
• cements leather shank covers down on top of shanks
• hammers down with pane of French hammer
• brushes adhesive in the channel around the forepart
• brushes adhesive on a strip of leather and lays it in the channel, hammers down with pane
• trims flush with knife
• bends thicker larger shank cover pieces, glasses surface, cements on top of the thinner pieces, hammers down with pane
• trims down with leather knife, creating a concave surface
• wets with fine mist spray bottle and hammers down again with pane
• paints on some kind of light blue liquid onto the shank cover
• [maybe some kind of hardener?]

Bottom Filling

• cork filler for forepart
• marks the joint-to-joint line across again
• cements to forepart of insole and hammers down with face
• cements an additional cork sheet over the leather shank covers
• rasps down
• checks flatness with side of rasp

Soling

• lays basting tape down the center of the cork filling from heel to toe
• sticks a transparent plastic sheet to the bottom, traces the welt and heel seat outline on the plastic with a marker
• pricks through the plastic template onto a side of leather with an awl
• connects the dots with pen
• cuts out with leather knife
• cuts out just a bit wide of the line
• glasses the grain side, perhaps dry
• cements the outsole on from toe tip back
• [Note: no rand to speak of]
• hammers down with face of French hammer
• 1:30:59 presses the welt from the bottom, with thumb, against the pane of the French hammer on top of the welt
• then hammers the sole to the welt from the bottom with the face of the hammer
• hammers again against the welt beater
• welts the bottom of the outsole with a spray bottle
• burnishes with wood until glossy
• blocks with leather knife, backhand
• compares shoes side by side
• sands edges with sanding block all the way around
• lays on additional tape on the shoe cover, all the way around the featherline
• 1:33:30 fudging
  • spirit burner to heat
  • heats from the back, with a pool of water on the face
  • stops heating as soon as boils
  • only presses forward, not back and forth, around the welt
• 1:34:29 pricks hole positions with a square awl around the whole welt
• dyes the top of the welt with a small paintbrush
• hidden channel
  • wets the outsole with water under the welt to cut the flap
  • cuts flap with leather knife, backhand
  • does not cut it in very deep, just a few millimeters
  • opens with bone folder, first pushing straight in from the side, then again raising about 45 degrees
  • hammers the flap up with the face of the French hammer
  • marks the channel under the flap with a compass
  • incises the channel, opens with channel opener
  • also rakes with a gum tool, moving back and forth to gouge out
  • burnishes the channel with the tip of a bone folder
  • brushes out the leather from the gum tool

Outseaming

• pierces first hole from bottom up, using a bone folder above the welt to protect the upper
• shoemaker stitch
• switches to piercing from the top of the welt down
• puts both needles through the hole before pulling in threads
• curved needles
• shoe between knees
• casting
• square knot under flap to finish
• wets the flap with a brush
• rubs the flap down with face of French hammer in back-forth strokes
• then hammers down with face of French hammer, glancing blows outward around toe
• lets dry
• reopens flap a bit with bone folder
• paints in cement with fine paintbrush
• pushes flap down with back-forth strokes of bone folder
• hammers down with face
• rubs down with face

Pegging

• marks line around heel seat with compass
• marks spacing for pegs by walking the compass
• sharpens pegging awl by rubbing on sanding stick
• pre-pierces all the holes
• wood glue again [looks like Titebond Ultimate III]
• glues the pegs in
• one line of pegs
• lets dry
• rasps pegs down flush

Heel Building

• cuts heel lifts from side
• bends each to soften a bit
• cements first to concave heel seat, hammers down
• immediately blocks with leather knife
• skives the center down from back toward breast in long strokes, backhand, then rasps
• doesn’t skive all the way down to completely flat
• marks line inside from edge with compass, then marks holes, walking the compass again
• nails into the holes, then clips off the heads and hammers down the sharp points, essentially making metal pegs
• cements the next lift on top, repeats blocking and skiving down the hump
• repeats with next lift
• uses heel pitch gauge to stand the last up and check the flatness of the lift
• adds a fifth heel lift
• checks flatness of fifth lift with side of rasp
• marks line around edge with compass again, drives five nails down flush to the heads
• cements on a half rubber, half leather top lift
• 1:50:13 presses heels with c clamps over marble blocks
• lets dry
• sharpens knives on stone
  • shows three different leather knives on bench while sharpening a fourth
  • all have wood handles and black bolsters
• blocks the top lift
• lines up heels bottom to bottom and checks symmetry
• adds more tape on shoe cover above the featherline around the heel
• sanding block on heel stack
• wets the heel edges, hammers crosswise with the pane of the French hammer
• wets again, hammers with face
• hammers the edges of the sole with pane all the way around
• sands the heel stack with sanding block again
• sands the edges with sanding block
• eventually, sands with long, sweeping strokes
• marks heel breast curve on top lift with pen
• 1:54:05 more paper soap into the water
  • two strips into a stainless bowl
  • paints onto edges and top lift along heel breast
• incises the heel breast line on the top lift and opens with channel opener, then cuts deeper
• removes waste of lifts as they’re cut through
• glasses the face of the breast
• wets the edge of the heel
• burnishes with cold glazing iron
• edge beveler around the top of the insole in short, overlapping strokes
• dyes the heel edges with a small brush
• dyes the sole edges the same way
• wets again, burnishes with the cold iron again, over the dye
• edge iron around forepart
• sands with patch of sandpaper in fingers
• sands the outsole bottom this way, too
• glasses the outsole bottom, pushing toward the heel
• marks positions for decorative brass nails along toe
• more nails at corners of heel breast
• dyes outsole bottom with wool dauber, followed by a small brush for the corner at the heel breast

Finishing

• warms wax in palm of hand before applying
• rubs wax cake directly on heel and forepart edges
• solid fuel camping stove to heat finishing tools
  • glazing iron
  • Starko edge iron
  • fudge wheel
  • bevel iron
• edge iron in short, overlapping strokes
• glazing iron on heel in past back-and-forth motion
• rubs fudge wheel on cake of wax before going over the welt
• heats wax cake over flame, then dabs on edge of outsole around the forepart before using the bevel iron to make a line on the bottom of the sole
• same on leather part of top lift
• polishes heel and edges with canvas-like cloth in hand
• removes protective tapes
• heats knife over flame to cut away shoe protector
• cut packing tape laces with scissors
• finally pulls tacks out of lining trim allowance
• delasts
• peg float
• edge beveler to trim lining above topline
• cuts full sock liner from a side using what looks like the insole pattern
• bevels the edge of the sock liner
• locates positions for branding with rulers
• wets the leather before stamping
• cuts cork for under sock liners from thin cork sheet
• cements the cork under the leather
• the leather is wider than the cork through the arch and outside waist
• cements foam wedges under the heel parts
• [could call these footbeds rather than sock liners, with the build-up]
• polishing
  • first brushes
  • drips some kind of white cream directly on upper and brushes around
  • same on outsole bottom and heel breast
• laces up crisscross style

TODO: finish notes