kemitchell

I'm a relative newbie, having mostly done PALS and Arkiv System pouches, plus some totes, tool rolls, toolbags, drawstring knapsacks, wallets, and a smattering of mods and mends. But I've done all my sewing by hand, and haven't seen many notes here on r/myog or elsewhere about that. Perhaps by sharing, I can help others catch up, pass me, and share further tips of their own.

For context, most of my work so far has been in high-denier nylon and heavy cotton canvas. My go-to is 1000D Cordura. I've primarily sewn heavier weight threads, like Tex 100 Mara, Tex 135 Anefil, and more recently Tex 200 Mara for very stout seams.

For needles, I've found it's possible to thread three-ply Tex

I'd be curious to learn more about what men's shoes working cobblers often see customers willing to pay the price to resole.

I gather there's widespread acclaim for Goodyear welted and Blake/McKay-stitched shoes, including the usual Cole Haan, Allen Edmonds, Aldens, Thursdays, and "heritage" Red Wings. And of course Birkenstocks, since they distribute so many parts.

Are folks seeing any sneakers out there that reliably work with available cupsoles, like Vibram's Strighton? Are peel-and-stick wedge sole boots, like Red Wing 877s and Thorogood moc toes, actually getting resoled fairly often? Am I missing anything else that's common?

I see the SSIA has [done some propaganda about "quality sh

Does anyone know why GoRuck chose to space the seams in some of its PALS/MOLLE webbing lines 2 inches apart, rather than the standard 1½ inches?

I just made a pouch for the 2-inch spacing. It was probably a little easier to weave on, and I doubt it will fall off. But I'm disappointed the same pouch won't work on other PALS fields without alterations.

I'd gently suggest updating the configurator on the website to say "Smooth over Roughout" and "Roughout over Smooth", or maybe "Smooth Quarters, Roughout Vamps" and "Roughout Quarters, Smooth Vamps", rather than "Smooth/Roughout" and "Roughout/Smooth" with slashes.

I was messing around with configuration for a 1925 boot today and found myself wondering whether I understand the slashes correctly. I'd guess that "Smooth/Roughout" means "Smooth over Roughout", but if I put in an order with that option checked, I'd probably also send a note to customer service to clarify. I'm sure customer service gets enough notes already.

I recently came into some old Contenders with stars, like ☆, stamped ahead of the numbers inside the collars. The size and width stamps also seem to have been stamped over with a new size.

Do stars typically mean the boot was re-lasted to a different size?

I've noticed some pilots in photos and videos online have little bars or brackets set in the lanyard loops of their radios. These seem to let them clip their lanyards offset further down, so they hang closer to vertical, rather than at a steep angle away from the body.

Is there a common name for these little bars or brackets? I've done searches with a few guesses, but not got any results.

Thanks!

Does anyone know if this was just another common name for USM "Junior" eyelets, sometimes abbreviated "JL" for "Junior Long"? Or perhaps it was a different size, or a size developed by another company?

I've been doing research on hardware sizing, trying to pin down the dimensions, names, and sources of the sizes I see in American finders' catalogs. I've got a pretty good idea for the other common USM sizes, but see different names and dimensions between OO and #1 Klondike. Trendware offers "JK" up there, while Stimpson calls some "JL".

Come to think of it, I'm not sure why the biggest ones were called "#1 Klondike" in the first place.

Thanks all for a

I've been keeping my eye on Thorogood's new-ish "Iron River" series, since they advertise making narrow widths online.

https://thorogoodusa.com/work-boots-iron-river-series/

Anyone had a pair of these, or know how they came about? My best wild guess would be they're trying to offer them as the backbone models for company work boot programs, on contract. That's usually where I see narrow, medium, and wide offered in work boots. But I'm just speculating.

Nice to see both wedge and defined-heel, plus composite caps and shanks.

Anyone aware of any "barefoot" shoe companies offering shoes in long, narrow men's sizes like US 12B, 13A, 12.5N, or the like? I'd also appreciate pointers to any companies offering "low instep" or "low volume" options.

I have long, low, narrow feet and keep a running list of shoe companies offering shoes in matching sizes. The list isn't very long, but two "traditional" running shoe companies, Brooks and New Balance, continue to offer narrow widths. These are especially helpful for those who can't lace tight in regular-width shoes: the eyelets come right together, and the heels flop around inside.

For those unfamiliar but curious, many men with

I'd really appreciate any tips on how folks go about marking stitch lines for outseaming by hand. Do you scribe a line a set distance from the inner seam stitches? From the edge of the welt? Just eyeball it?

I haven't been happy with the outer seams on a couple pairs lately. I've been marking a line and then using an overstitch wheel to get straight lines and consistent spacing, but the distance from the upper with the shoes on feet hasn't been pleasing or consistent, especially around toes. Looking straight down, sometimes the lines run right up to the uppers, and sometimes they veer away.

In case the details matter, I've been using a square awl and saddle stitching. I'm happy with the sh

Does anyone know the names of the remaining members of the Altgerber-Verband, the German association of traditional pit tanners?

I've seen references to their being four remaining in the fairly recent past. But apart from Rendenbach, now a brand of Kilger, I can't seem to find other names in searches.

How do more experienced makers think about all the different ways to fix the waist and heel parts of uppers to the insoles? Any thoughts on pros, cons, and specific use cases?

Reading up and watching videos, I've found many different approaches:

• Cut a holdfast all the way around and welt everything.

• Cut a holdfast all the way around, welt the forepart and waist, and stitch a separate rand at the heel.

• Cut a holdfast all the way around, welt the forepart and waist, and peg or nail a separate rand.

• Cut a channel all the way around, but a holdfast only around the forepart, or only around the forepart and waist, and whip stitch the rest, plunging an awl through the leather without a

Might folks recommend some leather toolers and carvers who work without stamps, using just knives, modeling tools, and perhaps other tools? Are there good search terms for finding that kind of work?

I really appreciate the stamped western floral, basket, and baroque work I see online. I'd like to add some decorative texture to my small goods and shoe making. But for reasons I can't really explain, I don't expect I'd enjoy tapping away with a maul for hours and hours quite like I do sketching with pens, whittling away at shoe last fittings, or sewing decorative stitch lines.

I'd really appreciate some help finding inspiration. Thanks to all!

I've seen a number of references to "inside-cone" or "twisted-cone" lasts, where the cones of the lasts lean toward the insides of the feet, rather than making a straight ridge from the vent to the forepart. Often these come with claims that mass manufacturers can't use such lasts, while bespoke or hand-lasting makers can.

For example, Frommer's book on packer boots mentions that machines have a hard time lasting over them, but not why. Lucchese's marketing makes a point of the "twisted last" difference, though they're the only ones I've seen so far using that term.

Is it true, or still true, that higher-production processes can't use inside-cone lasts? If so, what do hand lasters do for t

Might anyone know where to find a copy of D.W. Frommer's Western Packers: An American Hybrid?

I have seen references to it online in a couple of places, and found what looks to be a cover shot. But I've had no look finding a source for a copy. Seem to have been comb bound, like a pamphlet or college course packet.

I am learning to make boots, and would like to read what DW found about the style.