A bench of shoemakers tools - essential for handsewn work but somewhat bemusing if you've never worked with them before. As I revealed in yesterday's blog the lasting pliers are becoming more familiar to our class and so today's lasting action looked less challenging and hopefully more rewarding as insoles, toe puffs, stiffeners and uppers were transformed into a shoe.
The toe puffs proved particularly tricky and revealed just how important a millimetre's difference in the thickness of the leather. When skiving, what seems a tiny difference when the puffs were flat, when lasted suddenly became a clumpy toe, bump or ungracious curve. Hammering, gentle rasping and some smoothing put paid to any unevenness.
The lining was lasted first, then the tricky toe puff and finally the upper, checking all of the time whether the toes match.
And meanwhile, whilst The Cafe space where we are working is a hive of industry our own Cockpit workshop looks sadly empty! Mr Ducker takes the reins tomorrow and then I will be back in the driving seat on Saturday before sending the students off with some weekened homework!
