alxfer Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I've heard rumours that the winning entry for this years shoe repair competition was a through sole with the waist scored to give the effect of a half sole repair. I don't want to stir up anything but if I've heard rumours, then the jungle drums must be working overtime across the trade. It raises concerns regarding any future competitions of this nature. If the rumours are untrue, perhaps someone in the organising establishment could come back and set the record straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jamesstratton Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 isn't that something people hear every year? most likely someone jealous of the fact that they can't match it. some of these people devote hours each night for weeks to get everything perfect, so they re gonna be good. i went on a course to manchester a couple of years back and one of our guys showed me some of his competition soles and they were brilliant, they did actually look like throughsoles you had to look really closely at the side to see the join Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 I will set the record straight Alxfer and you can rely on this statement. The winning entries were all half soles, this has been the case for the past 10 years or more. The graft is so good that to the untrained eye it looks like there has been a knife cut to the waist of a through sole as you describe. If you want further verification just ask Robin Healy the sponsor of the previous competition, the pair that won this obtained the highest score ever to be given in a repair competition. All this years entrants have copied this style, it is very difficult to do and takes forever to master, razor sharp knives are required and nerves of steel. This is the reason that timpsons have been winning these competitions, not just winning but scooping all the prizes so to speak and it's about time that the Independants put in more effort and took some prizes, that way we will get more sponsors. No one is going to sponsor competitions if the same company wins every year, year after year are they? If the person who told you tha t story had looked at the waist edge they would have seen the graft line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alxfer Posted October 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 Thanks. I am pleased that they are genuine half sole repairs. The damage to the competition could have been immense. A bit like 'Is that athlete who just won the race on drugs?' Thanks again for putting my mind at ease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 My pleasure alxfer, nothing worse for the ganisers than sour grapes or snide comments from those who have not got the skills to compete. They get it every time, we must be the most self destructing trade in existance. We need to learn from each other and this is what the forum is about, but those very same back stabbers are those who have not got enough gumption to share their experiences on an open forum, if they had then they could ask the question "how was it done". "I dont believe it was a half sole" !!! you would not believe how many times that has been said at each presentation. Jealousy eats into the very soul of disgruntled negative minded cobblers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter / Sweden Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I think that people who complains about the competition or the competition shoes are people who didn't enter themselves, cant do a proper half sole, and are to lazy to enter. Stop complaining about Timpsons, and the Competition. Enter yourself and show us how it should be done instead! Just my thought. Carry on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithm Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Carry on? Didn't know you could speak Scottish Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I think that people who complains about the competition or the competition shoes are people who didn't enter themselves, cant do a proper half sole, and are to lazy to enter. Stop complaining about Timpsons, the Competition and enter yourself and show us how it should be done instead! Just my thought.Carry on! Maybe, just maybe, there is no-one good enough Peter And, if that is the case then it is beginning of the end for open competitions. The only competitions will be the Timpsons own in house ones and that will be the start of a lowering of standards as they will have no-one to compete against and the departure of an Adrenaline rush trying to get the edge on the unknown. Perhaps it is time to end the UK competitions and bring together all the european nations for a Euro comp. Now that would be very interesting, follow this up with an International one, best of Europe against the world, might even get my Knife sharpened for that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I've heard rumours that the winning entry for this years shoe repair competition was a through sole with the waist scored to give the effect of a half sole repair. this is the winning repair waist, to get a good waist line the shoe has had the heel block removed a JR through sole put on the a half sole grafted to it, so in effect its a through sole with a neat graft at the waist. this method ensures continuity in the finish of the entire sole. Far and square, produces a top looking finish, no conspiracies just a good honest repair. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 It is a very good repair, not perfect as there are 5 things that would lose points (can you spot them?). What will happen next is that everyone will copy this technique, this could then leave it wide open for a different method and artistic interpretation to clear all the prizes as they will all be the sam apart from yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithm Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I fear for the UK repairers if the competition is opened to the rest of Europe I've seen a fair amount of work in Europe on my travels and the standards are very high!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Then that is just what we need Keith, something to raise our sights to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithm Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 I concur It's whether we're able to raise the bar that concerns me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mark Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Not sure about hype over this, I know a lot of decent shoe repairers earning a lot of money and may not feel the need to enter, or simply are happy with their lot in life, not every one feels the need to spend several hours may be days working on a shoe for some one to judge it, after all, timpson staff aren;t spending there money on stock, its on some one elses time, and may even be in a 2 or 3 man branch, where as a lot of shoe repairers are 1 man branches with enough on their plate already. I for one when I had my shop was to busy running it and doing a good repair to enter these things, How do other shops feel about this, I think a good compettion would be to hold a competition on the overall shop as well, lay out, cleanliness, serving ability, dress code, (clean apron, clean shoes etc) attitude helpfulness, lets see what goes on behind closed doors, then see where it all happens, there more to doing a good repair if your shops a dump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironplanet uk900 Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 (clean apron, clean Thats me out, My apron could do repairs on it's own I dropped it last week and it cracked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Mark, that's fine if you dont want to enter, it's those who dont enter but moan about those who win that we are trying to get off their backsides.(to put it not so bluntly). And yes you are quite right in some respects about another type where the whole service is judged. This was how the Punch competiton from 20/25 years ago was carried out. Problem is, someone has to go all over the country and it can only be one person as each person would have a different standard. How can anyone cover the country, who is going to pay for it and who is going to do it? This method is a mamoth undertaking and you can be sure of only one outcome; those who make the effort will be the ones who win the prises; as it is now so its stalemate with far less costs and easier to organise. Get a fund together and I will go around judging for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter / Sweden Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 It is a very good repair, not perfect as there are 5 things that would lose points (can you spot them?). quote] This is what i can see on this picture: 1. Uneven stitch length. 2. Channel is not hammered down. (there is a little "bump" on each side of the channel). 3. Heel is not in the center. 4. Uneven color on sole finish. 5. Nails on the heel are not on same distance from the edge ( Look at the nail closest to the sole on each side) 6. I can also notice some damage ( ? ) on the edge just where the the half sole starts. The left side of the shoe on the picture. 7. The channel are closer to the edge on one side. Oups! Thats Seven! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x minit uk Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Can I ask what that line is about 1 inch down from the graft, or is it just my pc screen. Also I can not wait to have another crack at the competition, the winning shoes look good but are there for the beating. And I wanna kick timmos ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter / Sweden Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithm Posted October 19, 2007 Report Share Posted October 19, 2007 Great to hear it Xminit All we need is 50 more of you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted October 22, 2007 Report Share Posted October 22, 2007 Can I ask what that line is about 1 inch down from the graft, or is it just my pc screen. Also I can not wait to have another crack at the competition, the winning shoes look good but are there for the beating. And I wanna kick timmos ass. If only we had morecomments like that, it would make a far more interesting competition. The line below the Waist looks like a pencil mark!! But there is no uneven colour Peter as there is no colour, they are natural finish. you cant scour these soles as the Gold Logo will be damaged, scour around it and you would get a 2 tone effect with staining or polishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x minit uk Posted October 22, 2007 Report Share Posted October 22, 2007 Are we supposed to get our competition shoes returned to us Its been a good few weeks now and I have not had mine back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh-Candoit (ENG) Posted October 22, 2007 Report Share Posted October 22, 2007 Ray Barlow would normally undertake this task, not an eniable task I might add. Unfortunately (I am told) Ray has been quite ill and unable to carry out this task. It was reported that Ray was unable to be present at the prize awards, it must be quite serious for him to miss those, please be patient under these circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x minit uk Posted October 22, 2007 Report Share Posted October 22, 2007 Ray Barlow would normally undertake this task, not an eniable task I might add.Unfortunately (I am told) Ray has been quite ill and unable to carry out this task. It was reported that Ray was unable to be present at the prize awards, it must be quite serious for him to miss those, please be patient under these circumstances. Thats fine, hope he gets better soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter / Sweden Posted October 23, 2007 Report Share Posted October 23, 2007 Hugh-Candoit (ENG) wrote: But there is no uneven colour Peter as there is no colour, they are natural finish. you cant scour these soles as the Gold Logo will be damaged, scour around it and you would get a 2 tone effect with staining or polishing. // I now that there are no color, but on the right side of the shoe, just in front of the heel there are some differences in "color". looks like it`s been burned. That `s what i meant with "different color". I guess it is the language problem . Couldn't find the right word... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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