Tim Skyrme Lasting Videos

video series by Tim Skyrme showing the lasting process described in Bespoke Shoemaking: A Comprehensive Guide

Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3w1gaxZkgA

• back lasting
• uses the back of the last to smooth out wrinkles in the liner around the heel
• hoists the heel by 10mm
• marks the length of the lasting allowance in at the toe
• marks the positions of the first pulls at the joints and between toe and joints
• nails the back at the back height
• outside topline lower than inside topline
• tacks 10mm apart from joints to heel breast
• pleats and lasts the heel
• beats the featherline at heel
• begins tacking through the ridges of the pleats, pushing tack up with finger, then driving home to drive home

Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3MojD6zNlo

• forepart lining and toe puff
• leave uppers on last 24 hours first to let stiffeners dry
• forepart lining
  • remove nails in forepart
  • pull out straight so you can reuse
  • peel upper back
  • last the lining separately
  • nails very close to the pleats
  • lots of little pleats, not big pleats
  • don’t let pleats run over the outside edge
  • better to remove excess at the toe than further down the last
  • then put nail at center of each pleat, push in with finger, nail down
  • trim excess lining
  • glue between insole and lining all the way down to back
  • let dry and push down with fingers
  • remove nails
  • remove nails holding waist and back of insole to last
  • hammer lining down to insole to bond
  • cut pleats flush
  • hammer down
• toe puff
  • measure distance for toe puff from front of last
  • draw line across
  • nail where not skived into top of toe of last
  • use lines to guide pulling the sides over
  • don’t pull hard
  • small pleats
  • just laying into place, not pulling
  • pulling will tear it
  • beat lightly, in upward direction
  • then tap along the bottom
  • bunches the tacks together with his fingers, pulling them inward
  • don’t hammer the top of the puff, as this will leave indentations you have to take out
  • allow puff to dry completely

Part 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_DtWF5DJow

• adhesives
  • “glue” is a contact cement
  • “paste” is cereal-based, e.g. child’s paste or wallpaper paste, mixed with PVA
    • goes on wet so it slips
    • can move things around
    • only dries when moisture evaporates
• shape toe puff
  • must be completely dry
  • cut off excess pleats down to base of nails
  • rasp the bottom of the puff, always inwards
  • rasp around the sides with medium or light face of rasp to redefine the feather edge
  • rasp to blend the leading edge of the toe puff
  • with good skiving, don’t need much shaping
  • rasp across the top to find any high spots
• if heat-activated:
  • check that will fit
  • heat up
  • work very quickly
  • trim pleats the same
  • paste the upper side only
• forepart upper lasting
  • thumbs under vamp to push down
  • draft the toe
  • same pleating procedure
  • same procedure for pasting down the upper as the lining